SS8G2 The student will explain how the Interstate Highway System, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Georgia’s deepwater ports, and the railroads help drive the state’s economy. Georgia’s four transportation systems have played a major role in the state’s economic development. When the colony of Georgia was founded its location on the Atlantic Ocean and its deepwater ports such as Savannah and Sunbury made it part of England’s international trading empire. Later, the development of the railroad created the city of Atlanta making it one of the first cities in America that was not built near a navigable water route. In the 1920s Atlanta sought to and became a hub for the budding airline industry. During the 1950s, Atlanta continued to be a major player in transportation as it became the southeastern center for three major interstate highways.
After studying this standard students will be able to explain how the four transportation systems interact to provide domestic and international goods to Georgia’s citizens. Students will also be able to explain how these four transportation systems interact to provide producers with the ability to send their goods to national and international markets. Finally, students will be able to explain how these four transportation systems create jobs for Georgians.
a. Explain how the four transportation systems interact to provide domestic and international goods to the people of Georgia.
b. Explain how the four transportation systems interact to provide producers and service providers in Georgia with national and international markets.
c. Explain how the four transportation systems provide jobs for Georgians. / Georgia’s Four Transportation Systems
Georgia’s four major transportation systems (air, water, rail, and highway) have been instrumental in the economic growth and development of the state. The city of Savannah began as a major trading port, and with each new technological advance Georgia, and primarily Atlanta, has been at the forefront of bringing these transportation innovations to the state. Each of these advancements has made it easy for the state to be involved in national and international trade, while creating thousands of jobs in Georgia.
The Interstate Highway System
In the 1930s the United States government began planning to create an interstate highway system that would connect the major cities of the nation. It hoped that these highways would encourage economic growth and development, along with improving the nation’s defense. However, the project did not go into full effect until the 1950s under President Eisenhower, who had seen the benefits of the German Autobahn firsthand during World War II.
The state benefited from the highway system even more when Georgian Lucius D. Clay was appointed to lead the development and construction. General Clay, who was from Marietta, made sure that three of the intestates (i.e., I-20, I-75, I-85) went through Atlanta. This continued the city’s role as the southeast’s most important transportation hub.
According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, today Georgia has 1,244 miles of interstate highway. Interstate 95 connects Georgia to 16 states and important cities such as Miami, Richmond, Washington D.C., New York City, and Boston. Interstate 75 connects Georgia to the cities of Chattanooga, Cincinnati, and Detroit. Both of these interstates make it easy to transport goods to and from these major manufacturing centers.
Six interstates are also used by Georgians to commute to their jobs in the metro Atlanta area. While these highways (I-20, I-75, I-85, I-285, I-585, and I-675) have been blamed for causing “urban sprawl” in the state, they can also be credited for bringing major national and international corporations to the city. In turn, suburbs were able to develop outside of Atlanta which has resulted in major road and housing construction throughout the area resulting in more jobs in the area
Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport one of the busiest airports in the world and is often in competition with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for the title of “busiest,” with more than 1000 planes en route to or from the airport per day. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia in an average month there are over 80,000 flights, 7 million passengers, and 53,700 metric tons of cargo that come into or out of Atlanta. As the interstate highways connect Georgia to the rest of the United States, the airport connects the state to the rest of the world. Flights from Atlanta go to five continents and are able to make it to these locations with no more than two stops.
With its 32 airlines and 200 concession outlets the airport is one of the largest employers in the state. This does not include the thousands of other jobs such as M.A.R.T.A. employees, taxi cab drivers, and rental car customer service representatives that stem from the airport’s existence. Today, Hartsfield-Jackson continues to expand and its most recent addition, a new runway, occurred in 2006.
Georgia’s Deepwater Ports
The vast majority of products that are imported and exported arrive to their destinations via shipping. Georgia’s deepwater ports in Brunswick and Savannah are important in America’s international trade.
The Brunswick port was key during World War II for building liberty ships (see Teacher Note SS8H9). Today it has three terminals and imports and it exports general cargo, dry bulk commodities, and seafood. It is also a primary port for the automobile industry, importing international brands such as Jaguar, Porsche, and Volvo, while exporting American brands Ford and General Motors.
The Savannah port is located on the same site as Mary Musgrove’s trading post (see Teacher Note SS8H2). It too was an important ship building facility during World War II. From 2001-2005 it was the nation’s fasted growing port and, as of 2007, it became the fourth busiest port in the United States. It primarily handles automobile and container cargo. In addition, national and international businesses such as Target and IKEA have built distribution centers at the port.
Railroads
Georgia has a long history with the railroad industry. While South Carolina was the first state in the nation to build a railroad line in 1830, Georgia soon followed by creating several of their own, which were created to link cities such as Athens, Augusta, and Savannah. Eventually, Georgia had more rail lines than any other state in the Deep South. In turn, many of Georgia’s towns and cities, including Atlanta, were created due to the railroad (see Teacher Note SS8H5).
While the railroad dominated transportation in the state for over 130 years, the development of the interstate highway system led to a decline of the railroads in the 1960s and 1970s. However, railroads are still important to the state’s economy today. Georgia has over 5000 miles of railroad track bringing goods into and away from the state. For the most part Georgia’s railroad freight industry is dominated by two companies, CSX and Norfolk Southern, while Amtrak provides passenger service to New York, Washington D.C., and New Orleans.
These transportation systems are interconnected. For example, automobiles that arrive in Georgia’s ports are loaded onto both trains and trucks (that use the interstate highway system) and are transported throughout the United States. In
turn, American companies use trains and trucks to send their goods to the port of Savannah to be shipped to foreign markets.
*Georgia’s four transportation systems (rail, highway, air, and shipping) are important to Georgia’s economic development. *In an expository paragraph, choose one of the transportation systems and explain how it creates jobs for Georgia’s citizens. Make sure to cite specific examples that you learned in class.
c. Explain how the four transportation systems provide jobs for Georgians. / Georgia’s four transportation systems (rail, highway, air, and shipping) are important to Georgia’s economic development. In an expository paragraph, choose one of the transportation systems and explain how it creates jobs for Georgia’s citizens. Make sure to cite specific examples that you learned in class.
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