Augusta is known around the world as the home of the Masters Tournament. Tens of thousands of golf fans visit the city for the prestigious event during the first week of April. But other events and attributes help define the city's character the rest of the year.

Augusta is rich in history. Founded in 1736 by Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe, Augusta is the second-oldest city in Georgia behind Savannah. It is the state's second-largest city behind Atlanta. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the combined population of the six counties in the Augusta area -- Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie and Burke counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina -- is 523,249.

Augusta has several professional sports teams, including the Augusta Lynx, of the East Coast Hockey League, and the Augusta GreenJackets, a minor league (Class A) baseball team owned by Ripken Baseball and affiliated with the San Francisco Giants.

Water recreation is also prominent. Nearby Thurmond Lake is one of the largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River.

Augusta has a vibrant arts community that includes a symphony, an opera company and numerous choral and community theater organizations.

The city's most famous resident, soul singer James Brown, died on Christmas Day 2006. A statue of the Godfather of Soul in downtown Augusta draws tourists year-round.

A quarter of the area's work force is employed in education, health care or social services. Major employers include the Medical College of Georgia, E-Z-Go Textron, International Paper Co., Thermal Ceramics, the city of Augusta and the school system.

IT'S A FACT

Augusta is 140 miles east of Atlanta, on the South Carolina border in east-central Georgia. Downtown Augusta sits beside the Savannah River, making the nearby South Carolina cities of North Augusta and Aiken major parts of the community. The Aiken-Augusta area also includes Columbia County, a growing suburban community west of Augusta.