Everyone knows Georgia is called the Peach State and “Georgia On My Mind” is the official state song.
But did you know in Atlanta it's illegal to tie your giraffe to a street lamp or telephone pole? Several websites include this unusual law, but none lists a reason why this is on the books.
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That’s just one of several strange laws or factoids about Georgia. Here are four more:
Lakes are man-made
Although there are some natural ones near the coast, most of the lakes in Georgia are man-made.
According to Georgia.gov, these lakes "are usually created when humans build artificial dams in an existing river or stream." Thousands of man-made dams in Georgia's rivers and streams form ponds and lakes throughout the state.
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‘Oh, boy’
In Jonesboro, it's illegal to shout "Oh, boy." Why? According to the April 1987 edition of "Boys Life," it's because a man didn't like being taunted.
Then-City Clerk Katherine Smith said there once was a man who often needed yard work done. Whenever he saw a young boy nearby, he would snap his fingers and shout “Oh, boy,” as if he were calling a dog. Two older boys began taunting the man whenever they saw him in public, shouting “Oh, boy” at him.
The man went to the mayor and city council and demanded the phrase be outlawed, which is was.
The two older boys, the story goes, would still taunt the man, however. One would shout “Oh” and the other would shout “boy,” so neither was breaking the law.
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Eat fried chicken with your hands
In Gainesville, it’s illegal to eat fried chicken using a knife and fork, or anything other than your fingers.
The Gainesville Times in 2009 wrote about 91-year-old Louisiana resident Ginny Dietrick, who was having fried chicken for lunch at the Longstreet Cafe. "Gainesville Police Chief Frank Hooper told Dietrick to put down her fork and listen up — she was under arrest.
“Hooper informed Dietrick that it’s against city ordinance to eat fried chicken, ‘a culinary delicacy sacred to this municipality, this county, this state, the Southland and this republic,’ with anything other than your fingers.”
According to the Times, Hooper said the 1961 ordinance was a sort of public relations stunt to promote Gainesville as the poultry capital of the world.
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Macon is cursed
According to GatewayMacon.org, the elders of the Creek Nation cursed teh banks of the Ocmulgee River. "Way back in 1830 the US Government relocated the Creek Nation to the 'Indian Territory,' and it was around that time that the rumor started to spread about the curse."
The curse allegedly states that those who settle along the banks of the river would never be allowed to leave. Of course, it’s not much of a curse if you love living there.
Miscellaneous
There are lots of other obscure misdemeanor offenses that are often cited in lists. Among them:
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