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We've got Georgia on our
minds (We confess, one of us was born there). Georgia,
perhaps more than any other southern state, exemplifies
the paradox of the "New South": history and progress
existing stubbornly together, each one refusing to give
in completely to the other. The result is a surprisingly
well-blended mix of old-world charm and southern
hospitality, with an easy acceptance of 20th century
growth and change. Anyone who watched the closing
ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games will have
to agree that something unique is going on here.
During the last decade, Atlanta in particular has
experienced major booms in both population and economic
development. It is without question the urban center of
the southeast, and the paradigm of all that the New
South represents. Contrast this metropolitan buzz with
Atlanta's more traditional sister Savannah, made
notorious by John Berendt's 1994 book, Midnight in
the Garden of Good and Evil, and you have even
further confirmation of the balance of old and new that
keeps things so interesting around here.
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