The City Laid Out Around Its Squares
On February 1, 1733, the first settlers landed at Yamacraw Bluff, the high ground above the Savannah River that James Oglethorpe chose for the town. He laid Savannah out as a grid of wards, each one built around a public square.
The plan was repeated as the city grew, and it is still there to walk. Savannah's historic district has been a National Historic Landmark since November 13, 1966, and the squares are free and always open (source: National Park Service).
