The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion.

Augusta, the third most populous city in Georgia (following Atlanta and Columbus), is situated in the Fall Line region of the state.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Augusta had a 2020 population of 202,081,[5] not counting the independent cities of Blythe and Hephzibah located within the boundaries of Augusta-Richmond County.

[11] Augusta's warm climate made it a major resort town of the Eastern United States in the early and mid-20th century.

The site of Augusta was used by Native Americans as a place to cross the Savannah River, because of its location on the fall line.

The expedition was led by Noble Jones, who the following year created a settlement as a first line of defense for coastal areas against potential Spanish or French invasion from the interior.

[13] Oglethorpe named the town in honor of Princess Augusta, the mother of King George III and the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales.

[14] There, he had met with a convention of 7,000 Native American warriors and concluded a peace treaty with them in their territories in northern and western Georgia.

Many of the slaves were brought from the Lowcountry, where their Gullah culture had developed on the large Sea Island cotton and rice plantations.

The city experienced the Augusta Fire of 1916, which damaged 25 blocks of the town and many buildings of historical significance.

A protest against his death broke out in a riot involving 500 people, after six black men were killed by police,[17] each found to have been shot in the back.

[18] The noted singer and entertainer James Brown was called in to help quell lingering tensions, which he succeeded in doing.

[19] Air, groundwater, and soil were all believed to be contaminated, and people living in the area were hoping for government assistance to move away from Hyde Park.

At the time the article was written, the citizens still questioned why the EPA and ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Disease Registry) did not consider these chemicals as a threat to them.

Hyde Park also has higher rates of certain illnesses (such as cancer, infections, rashes) than the average in America, and the citizens question why that is not considered.

The city marks the end of a navigable waterway for the river and the entry to the Georgia Piedmont area.

Farther downstream, near the border of Columbia County, is the Stevens Creek Dam, which generates hydroelectric power.

The heaviest recorded snowfall was in February 1973 with 14.0 inches (36 cm)[22] Freezing rain is also a threat in wintertime.

[26] Augusta also includes the: At the 2020 United States census, there were 202,081 people, 66,838 households, and 41,517 families residing in the city.

Citizens of Hephzibah and Blythe, also located in Richmond County, voted against joining in the merger, which took effect January 1, 1996.

The consolidation charter deems the sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer of Richmond County.

[51] The city's three largest employers are Augusta University, the Savannah River Site (a Department of Energy nuclear facility) and the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower, which oversees training for Cyber, Signal Corps, and Electronic Warfare.

[55][56] Augusta plays host to TechNet on a yearly basis which brings in various military, government, and private sector leaders to the area to showcase new cyber related products as well as discussions on cyber based collaboration efforts between the public and private sectors.

Companies that have facilities, headquarters or distribution centers in the Augusta metro area include CareSouth, NutraSweet, T-Mobile, Covidien, Solo Cup Company, Automatic Data Processing, Clearwater Paper, Solvay S.A., Bridgestone, Teleperformance, Olin Corporation, Sitel, E-Z-GO, Taxslayer, Elanco, KSB Company (Georgia Iron Works), Club Car (Worldwide Headquarters), Halocarbon, MTU Friedrichshafen (subsidiary of Tognum), Kimberly Clark Corporation, Nutrien (formerly PotashCorp), John Deere, Kellogg's and Delta Air Lines' baggage call center.

The Lynx, who played in the ECHL, had affiliations with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL.

[62] Augusta has an all-female flat track roller derby team, the Soul City Sirens.

The event benefited the Augusta Chapter of the Georgia Special Olympics with over 100 racing teams from 25 states competed annually for $140,000 in purse and prizes while trying to beat the course record of 252.94 mph (407.07 km/h).

I-520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) extends from I-20 exit 196 through Augusta's western and southern suburban areas, eventually crossing the Savannah River to South Carolina, in which it is known as Palmetto Parkway.

US 278 bypasses Aiken and serves as a connecting route to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Augusta Regional Airport is served by two passenger airlines, including Delta Connection, which offers service to Atlanta, and American Eagle, which offers service to Charlotte, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Washington D.C. Until the 1960s, the city's Augusta Union Station was a passenger rail hub, with trains arriving from the Atlantic Coast Line (as spur sections from Florence, South Carolina, from trains such as the Champion, Everglades and Palmetto), Georgia Railroad and Southern Railway (for example, the Aiken-Augusta Special from New York City).