Augusta GA news

• The biggest construction boom in years is underway. The QTS "Project Eisenhower" data center at 2883 Gordon Highway calls for 6 buildings and 2.15 million square feet on a $2 billion investment, with 160 to 200 permanent jobs at about $70,000 average pay. Construction estimates run 600 to 1,000 workers depending on the source. (Augusta Chronicle, March 27, 2026)
• The data centers are a regional story. Google's campus between Appling and Harlem was announced July 23, 2026; Meta's $800 million AI facility in Graniteville, SC, is under construction targeting spring 2027 with about 100 permanent staff; and Thomson's Project Azalea won rezoning approval on March 17, 2026 with a development review estimating about 125 full-time jobs. The honest framing: construction is the jobs story through 2028; permanent operations number in the hundreds. (data-centers guide)
• Who actually employs Augusta is now mapped. The October 1, 2026 employers guide breaks down the region's biggest employers: the federal workforce at Fort Gordon, the medical district (Wellstar MCG Health, Piedmont, Doctors Hospital), Augusta University, and the private-industry anchors. (largest employers guide)
• The tax picture is documented. Richmond County's sales tax is 8.5 percent at the register, per the Georgia Department of Revenue rate chart effective July 1, 2026. The full Georgia vs. South Carolina comparison covers income, property, vehicle, and retirement taxes for the border towns. (taxes guide)

Augusta is the center of the CSRA: the Richmond County consolidated government, downtown, the medical district, Augusta University, and Fort Gordon at the southwest edge. Everything else in the region orbits it.

The 2026 story is growth colliding with a city that has to absorb it. The data-center wave brings construction jobs and long-term tax base, but also questions about power, water, and who benefits. The school system, the commute corridors, and the housing market are all downstream of the same pressure.

For newcomers, the practical facts: Augusta-Richmond County is one consolidated government, so there is no separate city hall and county courthouse to sort out. The schools are the Richmond County system, separate from Columbia County's. And the sales tax at the register is 8.5 percent.

The Augusta guide covers neighborhoods, schools, the commute, housing, and daily life in full.

Deeper on specific topics: Augusta's largest employers · Is Augusta, GA safe? · Augusta GA schools · Augusta neighborhoods · Augusta property tax · Getting around the CSRA · Georgia vs South Carolina taxes

More town news: Grovetown GA news · Evans GA news · Harlem GA news · North Augusta SC news · Martinez GA news · CSRA news