Short answer
Georgia’s state bird is the brown thrasher, its state tree the live oak, its state fruit the peach, its state song “Georgia on My Mind” and its floral emblem the Cherokee rose. The Official Code of Georgia lists 51 official designations, from the state fossil (shark tooth) to the state stew (Brunswick stew), and the list keeps growing: cornbread, Brunswick stew and cotton were all added in 2025 and 2026.
Checked against the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Title 50, Chapter 3 (state symbols), read from Justia’s copy of the code. Justia warns its copy may not be the latest version, so treat the year column as the year of the act, and check the General Assembly’s own site before you quote a symbol in anything formal.
Download the data: CSV · JSON · Column definitions (51 designations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link to It’s Georgia).
Quick answers: Georgia’s best-known state symbols
- State bird: brown thrasher (§ 50-3-50). The bobwhite quail is the state game bird.
- State flower: the Cherokee rose is the official floral emblem (§ 50-3-53); native azaleas are the state wild flower (§ 50-3-54).
- State tree: live oak (§ 50-3-55).
- State song: “Georgia on My Mind” (§ 50-3-60).
- State fruit: peach (§ 50-3-70). The state vegetable is the Vidalia sweet onion, the state crop the peanut and the state nut the pecan.
- State mammal: white-tailed deer (§ 50-3-87). The state reptile is the gopher tortoise and the state fish the largemouth bass.
- State gem and mineral: quartz and staurolite; the state fossil is the shark tooth.
All of Georgia’s official state designations
Bird
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State bird | Brown thrasher | § 50-3-50 | 1970 |
| State game bird | Bobwhite quail | § 50-3-51 | 1970 |
Plants
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State floral emblem | Cherokee rose | § 50-3-53 | 1916 |
| State wild flower | Native azaleas (Rhododendron sp.), collectively | § 50-3-54 | 1979; amended 2013 |
| State tree | Live oak | § 50-3-55 | 1937 |
Animals
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State fish | Largemouth bass | § 50-3-52 | 1970 |
| State insect | Honeybee | § 50-3-58 | 1975 |
| State butterfly | Tiger swallowtail | § 50-3-62 | 1988 |
| State reptile | Gopher tortoise | § 50-3-63 | 1989 |
| State amphibian | Green tree frog | § 50-3-81 | 2005 |
| State cold water game fish | Southern Appalachian brook trout | § 50-3-82 | 2006 |
| State salt-water fish | Red drum | § 50-3-83 | 2006 |
| State mammal | White-tailed deer | § 50-3-87 | 2015 |
| State dog | Adoptable dog | § 50-3-88 | 2016 |
| State riverine sport fish | Shoal bass | § 50-3-90 | 2020 |
| State crustacean | White shrimp | § 50-3-93 | 2024 |
| State heritage horse breed | Marsh tacky horse | § 50-3-96 | 2026 |
| State heritage cattle breed | Pineywoods cattle | § 50-3-97 | 2026 |
Earth
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State fossil | Shark tooth | § 50-3-56 | 1976 |
| State gem | Quartz | § 50-3-57 | 1976 |
| State mineral | Staurolite | § 50-3-59 | 1976 |
Food
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State fruit | Peach | § 50-3-70 | 1995 |
| State vegetable | Vidalia sweet onion | § 50-3-65 | 1990 |
| State crop | Peanut | § 50-3-72 | 1995 |
| State prepared food | Grits | § 50-3-78 | 2002 |
| State nut | Pecan | § 50-3-91 | 2021 |
| State grape | Muscadine grape | § 50-3-89 | 2020 |
| State stew | Brunswick stew | § 50-3-94 | 2025 |
| State bread | Cornbread | § 50-3-95 | 2025 |
Culture
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State song | “Georgia on My Mind” (lyrics Stuart Gorrell, music Hoagy Carmichael) | § 50-3-60 | not stated |
| State waltz | “Our Georgia” | § 50-3-61 | 1951 |
| State folk dance | Square dancing | § 50-3-73 | 1996 |
| State tartan | Georgia tartan | § 50-3-76 | 1997 |
| State fabric | Cotton | § 50-3-98 | 2026 |
| State ‘Possum | Pogo ‘Possum (created by Walt Kelly) | § 50-3-68 | 1992 |
| State language | English | § 50-3-100 | 2002 |
Places and events
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State theater | Springer Opera House (Columbus) | § 50-3-66 | 1992 |
| State historic drama | The Reach of Song | § 50-3-64 | 1990 |
| State musical theatre | Peach State Summer Theatre | § 50-3-69 | 1993 |
| State folk festival | Georgia Folk Festival | § 50-3-67 | 1992 |
| State soap box derby | Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby (Lyons) | § 50-3-92 | 2024 |
| State railroad museum | Central of Georgia Railroad Shops Complex (Savannah) | § 50-3-74 | 1996 |
| State transportation history museum | Southeastern Railway Museum (Duluth) | § 50-3-77 | 2000 |
| State civil rights museum | Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum (Savannah) | § 50-3-85 | 2009 |
| State peanut monument | Peanut monument, Ashburn (Turner County) | § 50-3-72 | 1998 |
| First Mural City | Colquitt | § 50-3-84 | 2006 |
| Center for character education | Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum (Pooler) | § 50-3-79 | 2003 |
| Frontier and Southeastern Indian Interpretive Center | Funk Heritage/Bennett Center, Reinhardt University (Waleska) | § 50-3-80 | 2003 |
| Barbecue championship cookoffs | Beef: “Shoot the Bull” (Hawkinsville); pork: “Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig” (Dooly County) | § 50-3-75 | 1997 |
Titles
| Designation | Official choice | Code section | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poultry Capital of the World | State of Georgia | § 50-3-71 | 1995 |
| Purple Heart State | Georgia | § 50-3-86 | 2014 |
What changed recently
- 2026: marsh tacky horse (state heritage horse breed, § 50-3-96), pineywoods cattle (heritage cattle breed, § 50-3-97) and cotton (state fabric, § 50-3-98), all effective July 1, 2026.
- 2025: Brunswick stew (state stew, § 50-3-94) and cornbread (state bread, § 50-3-95), effective July 1, 2025.
- 2024: white shrimp (state crustacean, § 50-3-93) and the Southeast Georgia Soap Box Derby in Lyons (§ 50-3-92).
The state flag and seal
The state flag has a square canton on a field of three horizontal bands of equal width, scarlet at top and bottom and white in the middle (§ 50-3-1); the law has been amended several times, most recently in 2019 and 2021. The Great Seal was adopted in 1914 (§ 50-3-30): one side shows a seashore with a ship flying the U.S. flag, the other three pillars supporting an arch marked “Constitution.”
For the story behind the state’s symbols and places, see Georgia’s state parks and the local legends guide.
FAQ
What is Georgia’s state flower?
Georgia’s official floral emblem is the Cherokee rose, adopted in 1916 (Official Code § 50-3-53). The native azaleas are the state wild flower (§ 50-3-54). Some sources list the magnolia, which is a popular symbol of the South but not the state flower in the code text we checked.
What is Georgia’s state bird?
The brown thrasher, designated in 1970 (§ 50-3-50). The bobwhite quail is the state game bird.
What is Georgia’s state song?
“Georgia on My Mind,” with lyrics by Stuart Gorrell and music by Hoagy Carmichael (§ 50-3-60). “Our Georgia” is the official state waltz.
What is Georgia’s state fruit?
The peach, designated in 1995 (§ 50-3-70). Georgia’s state vegetable is the Vidalia sweet onion and its state nut is the pecan.
What is Georgia’s state tree?
The live oak (§ 50-3-55), adopted in 1937.
How many official symbols does Georgia have?
Our table lists 51 designations from Title 50, Chapter 3 of the Official Code of Georgia, including natural symbols, foods, songs, museums and events. Counts elsewhere differ because sources group the entries differently.
Does Georgia have a state food?
Grits are the official prepared food (2002), the Vidalia sweet onion the state vegetable, Brunswick stew the state stew and cornbread the state bread (both 2025).
How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on . Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.
Sources
- Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Title 50, Chapter 3, Article 3 (state symbols)
- Official Code of Georgia, Title 50, Chapter 3, Article 1 (state flag)
- Official Code of Georgia, Title 50, Chapter 3, Article 2 (Great Seal)
- Georgia General Assembly (check current law)
Hank Whitlock is the pen name of the It's Georgia editor. Every guide is built around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each guide shows the date it was last updated.
More from Things to Do
Cite this page: It's Georgia, “Georgia State Symbols: Bird, Flower, Tree, Song and All Official Designations”, itsgeorgia.com/things-to-do/georgia-state-symbols/ (updated ). Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page.