Why is Georgia called the Peach State? When did it become the official state fruit?

ATLANTA — August 27 is National Peach Day. Everyone knows Georgia as the Peach State. But how did the state get its fruity moniker?

Today in Georgia History, a project between Georgia Public Broadcasting and Georgia Historical Society’s, says it goes back hundreds of years.

“Franciscan monks introduced peaches to St. Simons and Cumberland Island in the 16th century. Cherokee Indians grew peaches here in the 18th century. Raphael Moses, a Columbus planter, was marketing peaches in Georgia in 1851 and gets credit for being the first to sell peaches successfully outside the South.”

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After the Civil War, many farmers pivoted from cotton to peaches, which quickly became one of the most successful crops for the state.

It wasn’t until April 7, 1995 though that the peach became the official state fruit.

The University of Georgia says the state’s central region accounts for 75% of the state population with 1.6 million peach trees in the region.

Despite the state’s nickname, Georgia isn’t the leader in peach production in the United States. It still accounts for 130 million peaches every year, according to UGA.

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Move over peaches -- the citrus industry is now booming in Georgia A decade ago, the state had 4,700 citrus trees. Today it has more than half a million.

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