Savannah, Georgia

Climate

Savannah's climate is classified as humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa). Throughout the Deep South, this is characterized by long and almost tropical summers and short, mild winters. Savannah records only a few days of freezing temperatures each year, and snowfall is rare. Due to its proximity to the Atlantic coast, Savannah rarely experiences temperatures as extreme as those in Georgia's interior. Nevertheless, the extreme temperatures have officially ranged from 105 °F (41 °C), on July 20, 1986, and July 12, 1879, down to 3 °F (−16 °C) during the January 1985 Arctic outbreak.^[21][22]

Seasonally, Savannah tends to have hot and humid summers with frequent (but brief) thunderstorms that develop in the warm and tropical air masses, which are common. Although summers in Savannah are frequently sunny, half of Savannah's annual precipitation falls from June through September. Average dewpoints in summer range from 67.8 to 71.6 °F (20 to 22 °C). Winters in Savannah are mild and sunny with average daily high temperatures of 61.4 °F (16 °C) in January. November and December are the driest months recorded at Savannah–Hilton Head International Airport. Each year, Savannah reports 21 days on average with low temperatures below freezing, though in some years, fewer than 10 nights will fall below freezing, and the city has even gone an entire winter season (1879–80) without recording a freeze.^[23] Although decades might pass between snowfall events, Savannah has experienced snow on rare occasions, most notably in December 1989, when up to 3.9 inches (9.9 cm) was recorded in one day in parts of the city.^[21][24]

Savannah is at risk for hurricanes, particularly of the Cape Verde type of storms that take place during the peak of the season. Because of its location in the Georgia Bight (the arc of the Atlantic coastline in Georgia and northern Florida) as well as the tendency for hurricanes to re-curve up the coast, Savannah has a lower risk of hurricanes than some other coastal cities such as Charleston, South Carolina. Savannah was seldom affected by hurricanes during the 20th century. Hurricane David, in August 1979, is a notable exception.^[25] However, the historical record shows that the city was frequently affected during the second half of the 19th century. The most prominent of these storms was the 1893 Sea Islands hurricane, which killed at least 2,000 people. (This estimate may be low, as deaths among the many impoverished rural African Americans living on Georgia's barrier islands may not have been reported.)

Savannah was most recently affected by an active 2016 hurricane season, including Hurricane Matthew (which made a partial eyewall landfall),^[26] and was brushed by Hurricane Irma in 2017.^[27][28][29] The 2024 season saw impacts from Hurricane Debby^[30] and Hurricane Helene.^[31]

The first meteorological observations in Savannah probably occurred at Oglethorpe Barracks circa 1827, continuing intermittently until 1850 and resuming in 1866. The Signal Service began observations in 1874, and the National Weather Service has kept records of most data continually since then; since 1948, Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport has served as Savannah's official meteorological station. Annual records (dating back to 1950) from the airport's weather station are available on the web.^[34]

Cityscape

Panorama of the River Street district at night

Neighborhoods

Savannah is a city of diverse neighborhoods. More than 100 distinct neighborhoods can be identified in six principal areas of the city: Downtown (Landmark Historic District and Victorian District), Midtown, Southside, Eastside, Westside, and Southwest/West Chatham (recently annexed suburban neighborhoods).

Race and ethnicity

In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was 55.04% Black, 38.03% White, 2.00% Asian, 0.03% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.07% of the population. Non-Hispanic whites were 32.6% of the population in 2010,^[55] compared to 46.2% in 1990.^[56] In 2020, its makeup was 48.62% Black or African American, 36.60% non-Hispanic white, 0.21% Native American, 3.80 Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.47% some other race, 3.53% multiracial, and 6.62% Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[49]

Crime

The total number of violent crimes in the Savannah-Chatham County reporting area ran just above 1,000 per year from 2003 through 2006. In 2007, however, the total number of violent crimes jumped to 1,163. Savannah-Chatham has recorded between 20 and 25 homicides each year since 2005.

In 2007, Savannah-Chatham recorded a sharp increase in home burglaries but a sharp decrease in thefts from parked automobiles. During the same year, statistics show a 29 percent increase in arrests for Part 1 crimes.^[57] An additional increase in burglaries occurred in 2008 with 2,429 residential burglaries reported to Savannah-Chatham police that year. That reflects an increase of 668 incidents from 2007. In 2007, there were 1,761 burglaries, according to metro police data.^[58] Savannah-Chatham police report that crimes reported in 2009 came in down 6 percent from 2008.

In 2009, 11,782 crimes were reported to metro police — 753 fewer than in 2008. Within 2009, there was a 12.2 percent decrease in violent crimes compared with 2008. Property crimes saw a 5.3 percent decline, which included a 5.2 percent reduction in residential burglary. In 2008, residential burglary was up by almost 40 percent. While some violent crimes increased in 2009, crimes like street robbery went down significantly. In 2009, 30 homicides were reported, four more than the year before. Also, 46 rapes were reported, nine more than the year before. In the meantime, street robbery decreased by 23 percent. In 2008, metro police achieved a 90 percent clearance rate for homicide cases, described as exceptional by violent crime unit supervisors. In 2009, the department had a clearance rate of 53 percent, which police attributed to outstanding warrants and grand jury presentations.^[59]

The SCMPD provides the public with up-to-date crime report information through an online mapping service.^[60] The year of 2015 saw a dramatic increase in the number of violent crimes, including at least 54 deaths due to gun violence, a number not seen since the early 1990s.^[61] The first quarter of 2018 saw crime trending downward, compared to 2017.^[62]

Religion

Before British colonization of the Americas and the founding of colonial Georgia, the coastal region's indigenous inhabitants practiced Native American religions. Since colonization, the city of Savannah and the surrounding area have remained predominantly Christian. However, a Jewish community has lived in Savannah since the colony's first year. Later, Gullah-Geechee culture and Hoodoo practices were also observed, often alongside Christianity.

Founded in 1733, with the establishment of the Georgia colony, Christ Church is the longest continuous Christian congregation in Georgia. Early rectors include the Methodist evangelists John Wesley and George Whitefield. Christ Church continues as an active congregation located on its original site on Johnson Square.^[63] The Independent Presbyterian Church, which was founded in 1755, has represented the community's Presbyterian constituency. Other historically prominent churches have included: the First Bryan Baptist Church, an African American church that was organized by Andrew Bryan in 1788;^[64] First African Baptist Church;^[64] and St. Benedict the Moor Church, which was the first African American Catholic church in Georgia, and one of the oldest in the Southeast.^[65]

The oldest standing house of worship is First Baptist Church (1833), located on Chippewa Square. Other historic houses of worship in Savannah include: the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Episcopal St. John's Church, and Temple Mickve Israel (the third-oldest synagogue in the U.S.).^[6]

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, the largest Christian group overall were Protestants within the Baptist tradition, served by the Southern Baptist Convention, National Baptist Convention, National Missionary Baptist Convention, and Progressive National Baptist Convention. Non-denominational Protestants represented the second-largest Christian group, including the Christian churches and Churches of Christ. Methodists were the third-largest, spread among the United Methodist Church and African Methodist Episcopal Church. The single second-largest Christian denomination was the Roman Catholic Church, served by the Diocese of Savannah.^[66]

Among Savannah's non-Christian population, which forms a minority, Hinduism was the city's second-largest religion. Judaism was Savannah's third-largest, with a history dating back to 1733.^[67] Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism, and Conservative Judaism were the predominant Jewish traditions adhered to. Islam was the area's fourth-largest religion, followed by the Baha'i.^[66]

Prisons

The Georgia Department of Corrections operates the Coastal State Prison in Savannah.^[77][78]

Books and literature

• The Savannah Book Festival – an annual book fair held on Presidents' Day weekend in the vicinity of historic Telfair and Wright squares, includes free presentations by more than 35 contemporary authors. Special events with featured writers are offered nominally throughout the year.^[79]
• Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home^[80] – a museum house dedicated to the work and life of the acclaimed fiction writer Flannery O'Connor, who was born in Savannah and lived in the city until the age of fifteen.^[81] In addition to its museum, the house offers literary programming, including the annual Ursrey Lecture honoring American fiction writers.^[82]
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a non-fiction book by John Berendt, published in 1994 and set in Savannah's historic downtown. It was later made into a movie, directed by Clint Eastwood.^[d]
• Other notable authors with ties to Savannah include Conrad Aiken, Mary Kay Andrews, and James Alan McPherson. The songwriter Johnny Mercer was a native Savannahian.^{[83][84][85][86]}
• Several of Caitlín R. Kiernan's works are set in Savannah, including In the Garden of Poisonous Flowers (novella, 2002) and "Houndwife" (short story, 2010).

Dance

• Savannah Ballet Theatre – established in 1998 as a nonprofit organization, it has grown to become the city's largest dance company.^[87]

Music

• The Coastal Jazz Association – presents a variety of jazz performances throughout the year in addition to hosting the annual Savannah Jazz Festival.^[88]
• Savannah Children's Choir – non-profit, auditioned choir for children in 2nd through 8th grades that performs throughout the community and in annual holiday and spring concerts.^[89]
• Savannah Concert Association – presents a variety of guest artists for chamber music performances each season. Performances are generally held in the Lucas Theatre for the Arts.^[90]
• Savannah Music Festival – an annual music festival of diverse artists which is Georgia's largest musical arts festival and is nationally recognized as one of the best music festivals in the world.
• The Savannah Orchestra – Savannah's professional orchestra presents an annual season of classical and popular concert performances.^[91]
• The Savannah Philharmonic – a professional orchestral and choral organization that presents year-round concerts (classical, pops, education).^[92]
• The Savannah Winds – amateur concert band hosted by the music department of Georgia Southern University.^[93]
• The Armstrong Youth Orchestra – Savannah's professional orchestra for elementary, middle school, high school, and some college students.^[94]
• Annual Haitian Flag Day – an annual festival of diverse artists, music, and various festivities.

Theater and performance

• The American Traditions Vocal Competition – an annual vocal competition that desires to foster and preserve traditions of musical expression significant in the culture of the United States in the past and present. The Competition includes the Johnny Mercer Award.^[95]
• Savannah Children's Theatre – a nonprofit, year-round drama theater company geared toward offering elementary through high school students (and adults) opportunities for participation in dramatic and musical productions.^[96]
• Savannah Community Theatre – a full theater season with a diverse programming schedule featuring some of Savannah's finest actors in an intimate, three-quarter-round space.^[97]
• Little Theatre of Savannah – founded in 1950, The Little Theatre of Savannah, Inc., is a nonprofit, volunteer-based community organization dedicated to celebrating the theater arts. Recognizing the unique social value, expressive fulfillment, and opportunity for personal growth that theater provides its participants, the Little Theatre of Savannah invites all members of the community to participate both on- and off-stage.^[98]
• The Savannah Theatre – Savannah's only fully professional resident theater, producing music revues with live singers, dancers, and the most rockin' band in town. Performances happen year-round, with several different titles and a holiday show.^[99]
• The Savannah Repertory Theatre – part of the cultural fabric of Savannah since 2016 and the city's only nonprofit professional theater.
• Lucas Theatre for the Arts – founded in December 1921, the Lucas Theatre is one of several theaters owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. It hosts the annual Savannah Film Festival.
• Trustees Theater – once known as the Weis Theater, which opened on February 14, 1946, this theater reopened as the Trustees Theater on May 9, 1998, and hosts a variety of performances and concerts sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design. SCAD also owns the building.
• Odd Lot Improv – founded in 2010, a family-friendly improv comedy troupe performing weekly shows on Mondays and Fridays.^[100]
• House of Gunt – alternative drag collective founded in 2013 with monthly shows at Club One on top of other performances around the city throughout the year.^[101]

Visual and community arts

• Art Rise Savannah, Inc. – a local community nonprofit devoted to increasing access to the arts and improving opportunities for artists in the city.^[102]

Culture

Savannah's architecture, history, and reputation for Southern charm and hospitality are internationally known. The city's former promotional name was the "Hostess City of the South", which the city government still uses.^[103][104] An earlier nickname was "the Forest City", in reference to the large population of live oak trees that flourish in the Savannah area. These trees were especially valuable in shipbuilding during the 19th century.^[105] In 2019, Savannah attracted 14.8 million tourists from across the country and around the world.^[106] Savannah's downtown area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark districts in the United States.^[10]

The city's location offers tourists access to the coastal islands and the Savannah Riverfront, both popular tourist destinations. Tybee Island, formerly known as "Savannah Beach", is the site of the Tybee Island Light Station, the first lighthouse on the southern Atlantic coast. Other picturesque towns adjacent to Savannah include the shrimping village of Thunderbolt and three residential areas that began as summer resort communities for Savannahians: Beaulieu, Vernonburg, and the Isle of Hope.

The Savannah International Trade & Convention Center is located on Hutchinson Island, across from downtown Savannah and surrounded by the Savannah River. The Savannah Belles Ferry connects the island with the mainland, as does the Talmadge Memorial Bridge.

The Georgia Historical Society is an independent educational and research institution with a research center in Savannah. The center's library and archives hold the oldest materials related to Georgia's history.

The Savannah Civic Center on Montgomery Street hosts more than nine hundred events annually.

Savannah has consistently been named one of "America's Favorite Cities" by Travel + Leisure. In 2012, the magazine rated Savannah highest in "Quality of Life and Visitor Experience".^[107] Savannah was also ranked first for "Public Parks and Outdoor Access", visiting in the Fall, and as a romantic escape.^[108] Savannah was also named as America's second-best city for "Cool Buildings and Architecture", behind only Chicago.^[109]

The mile-long Jones Street has been described as one of the most charming streets in America.^[110][111]

Squares

Savannah is noted for its 22 squares and small parks along five historic streets running north to south. Each street has between three and five squares. The squares vary in size and character, from the formal fountain and monuments of the largest, Johnson, to the playgrounds of the smallest, Crawford. Elbert, Ellis, and Liberty Squares are classified as the three "lost squares" destroyed in the course of urban development during the 1950s. Elbert and Liberty Squares were paved over to make way for a realignment of U.S. Route 17, while Ellis Square was demolished to build the City Market parking garage. The city restored Ellis Square after razing the parking garage. The garage was rebuilt as an underground facility, the Whitaker Street Parking Garage, and opened in January 2009. The restored Ellis Square opened in March 2010.^{[112][113][114]} Separate efforts are now underway to revive Elbert and Liberty Squares.

Franklin Square is the site of Savannah's Haitian Monument, which commemorates the heroic efforts of the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue in the 1779 Siege of Savannah and for an independent America. One of the few black regiments to fight for the American side in the Revolutionary War, the soldiers were recruited from present-day Haiti, which was the French colony of Saint-Domingue until its independence in 1804. Chippewa Square honors the Battle of Chippawa during the War of 1812. It features a large statue of James Oglethorpe, the city's founder. In popular culture, the square is the location of the park bench seen in the 1994 film Forrest Gump from which the title character dispenses wisdom to others waiting for a bus.^[115]

Because both Calhoun Square (the official name until 2022)^[116] and Whitefield Square were named for prominent slaveholders, a movement was begun in 2021 to rename them Sankofa Square and Jubilee Square, respectively.^[117] Calhoun Square was renamed Taylor Square in 2024.^[118]

Historic homes

Among the historic homes that have been preserved are: the Olde Pink House, the Sorrel–Weed House, Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace, the Davenport House Museum, the Green–Meldrim House, the Owens–Thomas House, the William Scarbrough House, and the Wormsloe plantation of Noble Jones. Mercer Williams House, the former home of Jim Williams in Monterey Square, is the main location of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Opulent buildings that succumbed to fire include the mansions at Bonaventure Plantation and Greenwich Plantation.

Historic cemeteries

Colonial Park Cemetery was the city's principal burial ground for much of the eighteenth century when Georgia was a British colony. Laurel Grove Cemetery, with the graves of many Confederate soldiers and enslaved African Americans, was Savannah's chief municipal cemetery during the nineteenth century. Bonaventure Cemetery is a former plantation and the final resting place for some illustrious Savannahians. Also located in Savannah are the Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery and the Levi Sheftall Family Cemetery, which both date back to the second half of the eighteenth century.

Historic forts

Fort Jackson (named for the Georgia politician James Jackson, not Andrew Jackson) lies on the Savannah River, one mile east of Savannah's Historic District. Built between 1808 and 1812 to protect the city from attack by sea, it was one of several Confederate forts defending Savannah from Union forces during the Civil War. Fort Pulaski National Monument, located on Cockspur Island, 17 miles (27 km) east of Savannah, preserves the largest fort protecting the city during the war. The Union Army bombarded Fort Pulaski in April 1862 with the aid of a new rifled cannon. Confederate troops soon surrendered, and the cannon rendered all brick fortifications obsolete.

Other historic sites

• Savannah Historic District (buildings) and the Savannah Victorian Historic District
• Forsyth Park
• Juliette Gordon Low Historic District
• Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities and Central of Georgia Depot and Trainshed – a 33.2-acre (134,000 m²) historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.^[119][120]
• John P. Rousakis Riverfront Plaza
• Factors Walk and River Street's pedestrian promenade, restored nineteenth-century cotton warehouses, and passageways include shops, bars, and restaurants.
• City Market – Savannah's restored central market and popular nightlife destination features antiques, souvenirs, small eateries, and two large outdoor plazas.^[121]
• Savannah State University campus and Walter Bernard Hill Hall – The Georgia Historical Commission and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources have recognized both the Savannah State campus and Hill Hall as a part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program.^[122] Hill Hall, which was built in 1901, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.^[123]
• Telfair Museum of Art and Telfair Academy of Arts of Sciences – the South's first public art museum.
• Wormsloe Plantation – the partially restored house and grounds of an 18th-century Georgia plantation.

Shopping

Various shopping centers exist throughout the city, including Abercorn Common, Savannah Historic District, Oglethorpe Mall, Savannah Mall, and Abercorn Walk.

Other attractions

• American Prohibition Museum – Located in Savannah's City Market, this unique museum displays the history of prohibition in America from 1907 to 1933. It also traces the roots of NASCAR, which developed from the era's bootlegging operations.
• Clary's Cafe – featured in both the 1994 book and 1997 film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
• Club One – former home of The Lady Chablis and also featured in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.^[124]
• Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens – a developing botanical garden located at Bamboo Farm, a former USDA plant-introduction station south of Savannah that began operations in 1919.
• Crystal Beer Parlor, the city's oldest restaurant.^[125]
• Oatland Island Wildlife Center – located east of Savannah, a facility owned and operated by the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education featuring wildlife from surrounding coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
• Leopold's Ice Cream, a popular ice cream parlor.
• Ossabaw Island – an environmentally protected and commercially undeveloped barrier island south of Savannah.
• Pinkie Masters Bar – a popular Savannah watering hole and the site of presidential visits and political campaigns. Pinkie Masters was a local political figure and a friend of President Jimmy Carter, who visited the bar and the city several times.
• Pirates' House – historic restaurant and tavern located in downtown Savannah.
• Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum – a museum dedicated to African-American history in Savannah.
• Skidaway Island – an affluent suburban community south of Savannah that hosts Skidaway Island State Park, the University of Georgia Aquarium and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.
• Tybee Island – popular Atlantic resort town 17 mi (27 km) east of Savannah, with public beaches, a lighthouse, and other attractions.
• Waving Girl statue, honoring Florence Martus.

Professional sport teams

Collegiate sports teams

State representation

Derek Mallow (D) and Ben Watson (R) represent the Savannah area in the Georgia State Senate.^[128][129] Carl Gilliard (D), Anne Allen Westbrook (D), Ron Stephens (R), Edna Jackson (D) and Jesse Petrea (R) represent the area in the Georgia House of Representatives.^[130]

Transportation

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is located off Interstate 95 west of Savannah.

Amtrak operates a passenger terminal at Savannah for its Palmetto and Silver Service trains, which run between New York City and Miami. Two southbound and three northbound trains make daily stops at the Savannah terminal.

Public transit throughout the region is assured by Chatham Area Transit (CAT). There are 17 fixed routes, plus the CAT's dot (downtown transportation)^[135] system, which provides fare-free bus service on the Forsyth Loop and Downtown Loop, as well as free passage between River Street and Hutchinson Island via the Savannah Belles Ferry.^[136] The Georgia Queen and Savannah River Queen paddle steamers are also berthed on River Street.^[137]

The 211-mile (340 km) Georgia Hi–Lo Trail, established in 2024, will connect Savannah to Athens, Georgia, when completed.^[138][139]

Police and fire departments

In 2003, Savannah and Chatham County voted to merge their city and county police departments. The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department was established on January 1, 2005, after the Savannah Police Department and Chatham County Police Department merged.

In February 2018, the city and county governments ended the police department merger. This reestablished both the Savannah Police Department and the Chatham County Police Department, and they now operate as two separate agencies.^[140] The departments have several specialty units, including K-9, SWAT, Bomb Squad, Marine Patrol, Dive, Air Support and Mounted Patrol. The 9-1-1 Communications Dispatch Center handles all 9-1-1 calls for service within the county and city, including fire and EMS. The Savannah Fire Department serves the City of Savannah, and there are separate municipal firefighting organizations elsewhere in Chatham County.