answer: three major components of georgia’s transportation system are vital to the state’s economy - the interstate highway system, hartsfield-jackson atlanta international airport, and the deepwater ports of savannah and brunswick. georgia has over twelve hundred miles of interstate highways which connect georgia to neighboring states and the rest of the nation, connect georgia’s major cities, and move workers from their homes to places of employment in the major cities. three of the interstate highways converge in atlanta, making it (along with hartsfield-jackson atlanta international airport) the transportation hub of the southeast. atlanta is one of only five cities in the nation to be served by three separate interstate highways. another highway (i-285) completely encircles atlanta. i-75 extends from northwest georgia to the southern border with florida, passing through atlanta and macon. i-85 extends from northeast georgia to the western border with alabama, passing through atlanta and near columbus. i-20 crosses georgia from east to west, passing through augusta and atlanta. i-95 extends along georgia’s coast, passing near savannah, while i-16 connects macon and savannah. other interstate highways (see map below) run through smaller portions of georgia, while others provide bypasses around major cities or spurs to other areas of georgia. combined, all of these interstate highways make moving products and people from one point in georgia to another - or from georgia to another state - relatively easy.
for more on the interstate highway system in georgia, see the new georgia encyclopedia.
the construction of these interstate highways was instrumental in the booming growth of atlanta in the latter part of the 20th century. the highways attract business, industry, and more transportation facilities to the atlanta area. following that came parks, warehouses, office buildings, shopping centers and malls, and new home and apartment construction. all of these advantages have led to many companies establishing offices in atlanta, some of them even headquartered there. georgia economic products can now reach approximately 80% of americans overnight using the interstate highway system, while products coming into georgia can reach georgians in every part of the state just as quickly. over half of georgia’s total population now resides in the greater atlanta metropolitan area.
for more on hartsfield-jackson atlanta international airport, see the new georgia encyclopedia.
two of the interstate highways - i-85 and i-285 - pass very near hartsfield-jackson atlanta international airport - another component of georgia’s transportation system that is vital to the state’s economy. hartfield-jackson is always one of the busiest airports in the nation. all of those people moving through atlanta add enormous impact to georgia’s economy. some are business travelers, visiting the state’s many corporate offices. some are tourists - headed for georgia’s beaches, mountains, theme parks, or one of the many other tourist destinations georgia has to offer. even those just passing through atlanta often add to the economy by eating at restaurants or staying at hotels. but hartfield-jackson does more than just transport people. there are three air cargo complexes at the airport, totaling over two million square feet in area. all of these cargo areas have docks with convenient access to the interstate highways in and around atlanta. hartfield-jackson also hosts the only perishables complex in the southeast - allowing for rapid movement of agricultural products. in addition, hartsfield-jackson is also home to the georgia foreign trade zone, where georgia companies can produce products at reduced cost, to facilitate trade and increase the overall competitiveness of companies doing business in georgia. with such advantages offered at hartfield-jackson, combined with the interstate highway system, georgia products are withing two hours of eighty million u.s. consumers! combining all aspects of hartfield-jackson’s effect on the regional economy of atlanta, georgia, and the southeast, it generates $23.5 billion on an annual basis.
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