2023: Celebrating the “Real” Georgia

Darien, Georgia’s shrimping fleet plays a vital role in a local economy that once thrived on the transport of cotton, rice and timber.

As our fifth anniversary approaches, the team behind Georgia’s Rural Center are celebrating the progress we’ve made since our work officially began July 1, 2018. We consider it a privilege and blessing to have spent these past five years serving the state’s small towns and crossroads communities through research, collaboration, communication and innovation.

Throughout the remainder of 2023, our blog and social media will feature a few of the places and people who make rural Georgia both unique and extraordinary. In addition to our regular content, these “Real Georgia” stories will debut around the 1st of each month, and we hope you will watch for and share them to help us spread the message that’s at the heart of all we do—that in spite of myriad challenges, both power and potential abound in rural Georgia.

Just as they did during the author’s lifetime, peafowl roam Flannery O’Connor’s rural estate, Andalusia, near Milledgeville.

Here’s a sneak peek at what you can look forward to:

Rural Georgia reader: Expand your appreciation of the Peach State—past and present—by adding great works by rural Georgia writers to your personal reading list. For each author or work we highlight, we will also recommend must-see spots and the rural routes to get there.

Small-town side trips: Beat the boredom of interstate travel with these brief detours down rural routes throughout the state. Add our suggestions (and a few extra minutes) to your itinerary next time you hit the road!

Rural retreats: Have a little more time to spend off the beaten path? We will share a few of our favorite destinations for a long weekend of rural rest and relaxation.

Hometown heroes: Meet a few of rural Georgia’s most determined difference-makers and learn their best advice for reinvigorating the rural places we all love.

In addition, watch throughout the year as we feature products every rural Georgian should be proud of and updates on projects the Rural Center team are completing in communities throughout the state.

If you share our belief that there’s something special about the state’s less-populated places—the “Real Georgia”—join us here on the blog, Facebook and Instagram for a journey through rural Georgia that is sure to inspire.

Is there a rural place, person or project you’d like us to highlight on our blog and social media? If so, email mcgaston@ruralga.org to let us know.