Q: What’s the history behind The Varsity on North Avenue? How long has it been there and who started it?
A: It took a college dropout to create the iconic drive-in. Frank Gordy, who had attended nearby Georgia Tech after going to Reinhardt College in Waleska, already owned a joint called the Yellow Jacket Restaurant, but thought Tech students needed some cheap eats, so he opened The Varsity in 1928. Gordy spent $1,860 on his new venture, putting it on a lot that was 70 feet by 120 feet. There was even a picket fence. "What'll ya have?" is the phrase eventually made famous by The Varsity's employees, and what Gordy got was a fast track to success. By 1939, The Varsity was so renowned that Clark Gable stopped by while he was in town for the premiere of "Gone with the Wind." Gordy kept adding onto the building and parking lot, which at one time could accommodate 630 cars and 800 people. The naked truth about the place with the naked dogs is that by 1950, it had 100 bellhops and was declared the world's largest drive-in. Now there are five other locations -- Alpharetta, Athens, Dawsonville, Kennesaw and Norcross – with another slated to touch down at Concourse C at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Q: What are the largest counties in Georgia by population and by area?
A: As expected, more Georgians live in metro Atlanta counties than anywhere else, if you couldn't already tell by the traffic. Only three counties outside the metro area broke the top 10. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Georgia's most populated counties are: Fulton (920,581 people), Gwinnett (805,321), DeKalb (691,893), Cobb (688,078), Chatham (265,128), Clayton (259,424), Cherokee (214,346), Henry (203,922), Richmond (200,549) and Muscogee (189,885). The census pegged Georgia's total population at 9,687,653 people. In contrast to the state's population centers, the state's largest counties in terms of area are in the middle and southern portions of Georgia. According to UGA's Carl Vinson Institute of Government, here is the top 10: Ware (906.6 square miles), Burke (835.1), Clinch (824.2), Laurens (816.6), Charlton (783), Camden (782.5), Emanuel (690.4), Bulloch (688.9), Washington (684.4) and Screven (655.7). Even though Ware County is the largest, only 597 square miles of it is land. The rest is water, thanks to the Okefenokee Swamp. Fulton, at 534.6 square miles, is the largest county in metro Atlanta and 21st in the state.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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