Editing Georgia (U.S. state) (section)

=== Major cities ===
{{See also|Georgia census statistical areas}}
[[File:Atlanta cityscape.jpg|thumb|[[Downtown Atlanta]]]]

[[Atlanta]], located in north-central Georgia at the [[Eastern Continental Divide]], has been Georgia's [[List of capitals in the United States|capital city]] since 1868. It is the most populous city in Georgia, with a 2020 U.S. Census population of just over 498,000.<ref name="PopEstCities">{{cite web|url= https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-cities-and-towns.html|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2010–2019|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division|access-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref>

The [[Atlanta metropolitan area]] is the cultural and economic center of the [[Southeastern United States|Southeast]]; its official population in 2020 was over 6&nbsp;million, or 57% of Georgia's total. Atlanta is the nation's [[table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|ninth largest metropolitan area]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://proximityone.com/metros0010.htm|title=Metropolitan Area Population & Housing Patterns: 2000–2010|publisher=Proximityone.com|access-date=October 23, 2012}}</ref>

The state has seventeen cities with populations over 50,000, based on official 2020 U.S. Census data.<ref name="PopEstCities" />

{{Largest cities
| country      = Georgia
| stat_ref     = [[2020 United States census|2020 U.S. census]] populations
| name_link    = List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)
| div_link     = List of counties in Georgia{{!}}County
| city_1 = Atlanta{{!}}Atlanta
| div_1 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton{{Square bracket close|2}}, {{Square bracket open|2}}DeKalb County, Georgia{{!}}DeKalb
| pop_1 = 498,715
| img_1 = Atlanta Skyline from Buckhead.jpg
| city_2 = Columbus, Georgia{{!}}Columbus
| div_2 = Muscogee County, Georgia{{!}}Muscogee
| pop_2 = 206,922
| img_2 = Columbus Georgia skyline.jpeg
| city_3 = Augusta, Georgia{{!}}Augusta
| div_3 = Richmond County, Georgia{{!}}Richmond
| pop_3 = 202,081
| img_3 = Augustagaskyline.jpg
| city_4 = Macon, Georgia{{!}}Macon
| div_4 = Bibb County, Georgia{{!}}Bibb
| pop_4 = 157,346
| img_4 = MaconSkyline.JPG
| city_5 = Savannah, Georgia{{!}}Savannah
| div_5 = Chatham County, Georgia{{!}}Chatham
| pop_5 = 147,780
| city_6 = Athens, Georgia{{!}}Athens
| div_6 = Clarke County, Georgia{{!}}Clarke
| pop_6 = 127,315
| city_7 = Sandy Springs, Georgia{{!}}Sandy Springs
| div_7 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton
| pop_7 = 108,080
| city_8 = South Fulton, Georgia{{!}}South Fulton
| div_8 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton
| pop_8 = 107,436
| city_9 = Roswell, Georgia{{!}}Roswell
| div_9 = Cobb County, Georgia{{!}}Cobb{{Square bracket close|2}}, {{Square bracket open|2}}Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton
| pop_9 = 92,833
| city_10 = Johns Creek, Georgia{{!}}Johns Creek
| div_10 = Fulton County, Georgia{{!}}Fulton
| pop_10 = 82,453
}}

Along with the rest of the Southeast, Georgia's population continues to grow rapidly, with primary gains concentrated in urban areas. The U.S. Census Bureau lists [[List of metropolitan areas in Georgia (U.S. state)|fourteen metropolitan areas]] in the state. The population of the Atlanta metropolitan area added 1.23&nbsp;million people (24 percent) between 2000 and 2010, and Atlanta rose in rank from the eleventh-largest metropolitan area in the United States to the ninth-largest.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/national/atlanta-moves-9th-largest-metro-area/MZ3Ns1PQ5w8pUAzZrnLqlJ/ |title=Atlanta moves to 9th largest US Metro area |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |publisher=www.ajc.com |access-date=June 4, 2021|last1=Tagami |first1=Ty }}</ref>