DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT SUPPORTING ANY POLITICAL PARTY AND IS PURELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES.
Immigration Research Project
Research Questions
- How does immigration affect schools and their overall performance?
- How does immigration affect the job market and the quality of how the jobs are done?
- How does immigration affect your everyday lives?
Timeline of Immigration in Georgia
Colonial Era (1730s–1770s)
- 1734: The first large group of European Protestant refugees, the Sulzberger’s, settles in Ebenezer.
- 1730s–1740s: Swiss, German, and Scottish Highlanders settle to act as a buffer against Spanish Florida.
- 1750s–1770s: Significant influx of British settlers and enslaved people from the Carolinas.
Antebellum & Early Statehood (1800s–1860s)
- 1800s–1830s: Forced removal of the Cherokee nation (Trail of Tears) and expansion of the cotton kingdom.
- 1840s–1860s: Early European arrivals (Irish, German) settle in Atlanta and other urban centers.
Post-War and Mid-Century (1870s–1960s)
- 1870s–1910s: Low international immigration; Georgia becomes an exporter of people.
- 1910s–1960s: The Great Migration of Black Georgians to northern cities.
- 1959–1960s: First significant wave of Cuban refugees arrives.
Modern Immigration Boom (1970s–Present)
- 1970s–1980s: Georgia shifts from net exporter to immigration magnet.
- 1990s: Immigration surges; foreign-born population surpasses 1 million by 2020.
- 2000s–Present: Rapid growth in Latin American (18.8%) and Asian (9.1%) populations.
- 2020s: Immigrants make up over 10% of Georgia’s population and 15.3% of its labor force.
Animated Visual Chart
Immigrant Population Growth (Conceptual Visualization)
1730s–1770s
1800s–1860s
1870s–1960s
1970s–Present
Source: Civil Rights and Labor History Consortium, University of Washington.
“Georgia Migration History 1850–2022.” Accessed 11 May 2026.