<P> Georgia is a state located in the Southern United States . According to the 2010 United States Census, Georgia is the 9th most populous state with 7006968868100000000 ♠ 9,688,681 inhabitants and the 21st largest by land area spanning 57,513.49 square miles (148,959.3 km) of land . Georgia is divided into 159 counties and contains 535 incorporated municipalities consisting of cities, towns, consolidated city - counties, and consolidated cities . </P> <P> There is no legal difference in Georgia between cities and towns . Eight municipalities have merged with their counties to form consolidated city - counties: Athens with Clarke County, Augusta with Richmond County, Columbus with Muscogee County, Cusseta with Chattahoochee County, Georgetown with Quitman County, Macon with Bibb County, Statenville with Echols County, and Webster County unified government with Webster County . Of these seven, Athens and Augusta also have municipalities independent of the consolidated governments and are considered consolidated cities . </P> <P> The largest municipality by population in Georgia is Atlanta with 420,003 residents, and the smallest municipality by population is Edge Hill with 24 residents . The largest municipality by land area is Augusta, a consolidated city - county, which spans 302.47 sq mi (783.4 km), while Edge Hill and Santa Claus are tied for the smallest at 0.18 sq mi (0.47 km) each . </P> <Ul> <Li> Largest municipalities in Georgia by population </Li> <Li> <P> Skyline of Atlanta, capital and largest city in Georgia </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Augusta, second largest city in Georgia </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Downtown Columbus, Georgia's third largest city </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Macon, Georgia's fourth largest city </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Savannah, Georgia's fifth largest city </P> </Li> <Li> <P> Sandy Springs, Georgia's sixth largest city </P> </Li> </Ul>

What is the largest city in georgia by population