Tides & Towns
Coastal Georgia · GA

Savannah

Georgia's first city, laid out around public squares in 1733.

Population
147,780 (2020 census)
Founded
February 12, 1733
Squares
22 of the city's historic squares remain
Tides
Two highs, two lows a day

Then

  1. 1733

    On February 12, James Oglethorpe and settlers from the ship Anne land at Yamacraw Bluff, where they are greeted by the Yamacraw leader Tomochichi. Oglethorpe lays out the first four squares that year.

  2. 1779

    American and French forces, including soldiers from Haiti, fail to retake the city from the British in the Siege of Savannah. The British hold Savannah until July 1782.

  3. 1800s

    Cotton, grown under the plantation system, becomes the city's dominant trade and flows out through the port.

  4. 1851

    The city's grid of squares has grown to 24.

  5. 1864

    On the night of December 20–21, city leaders negotiate a peaceful surrender, and Sherman's troops march in at dawn.

  6. 1955

    After the City Market is torn down for a parking garage and the Isaiah Davenport House is threatened, Anna Colquitt Hunter and six friends start the Historic Savannah Foundation. Saving one house grows into a movement that saves the old city.

  7. 1994

    John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, set downtown, becomes a bestseller, and Clint Eastwood's film follows. Both bring a wave of visitors.

  8. 2010

    Ellis Square, lost to a parking garage in the 1950s, reopens as a square, bringing the count back to 22.

Now

Savannah's historic district still follows Oglethorpe's plan, with 22 squares breaking up the grid. River Street's restored 19th-century cotton warehouses now hold shops, bars and restaurants along the Savannah River.

The Port of Savannah is the fourth-largest container port in North America, handling 4.9 million containers (measured in 20-foot units) in 2023. Tourism is the other giant: the city drew 14.8 million visitors in 2019.

On the water

From NOAA's predictions for Savannah, GA over the next 365 days. Heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).

Pattern
Two highs and two lows a day, close in size
Typical daily range
8.2 ft
Biggest swing
11.5 ft on Jan 23
Smallest swing
5.3 ft on Mar 30
Highest high
10.1 ft, Oct 27 at 9:59 AM
Lowest low
−2.1 ft, Jan 23 at 2:55 AM

Tide stations around Savannah

Sources