Now it’s time to take a look at the most popular news stories of 2022 in Georgia. These are differ widely from the most important news stories of 2022, which we already wrote about.
The list below is based on the stories our readers read the most this year. As is often the case, these are going to be more about the stories of the moment or about crime than the stories that rank among the most impactful stories.
Take a look below at what readers like you have been interested in. These are in order, starting with the most popular.
#1. Who has the lowest rent in Georgia?
In May, we reported that the city of Dalton has the lowest rent in Georgia. Readers flocked to the story.
Comparison stories like this — who pays the most in taxes, what is the richest city in Georgia, what is the poorest city in Georgia — tend to get a good amount of attention, and this one was no exception.
#2. Weather is king
Whether it was snow in January, snow in March, a Tornado outbreak later in the year, or the below freezing temperatures at the end of the year, Georgia residents have become quite obsessed over the years with the weather — and 2022 was no different.
While it is fully expected that stories about snow will conjure up fears of snowpocalypse or the blizzard of ’93, readers throughout the state like to read stories about upcoming rain and heat waves as well.
We list weather as #2 on the list, but it is really a catch-all. Of our most read stories, weather came in at #2, #4, #5, #7, and #9. That’s right, if this were a top 10 list, weather-related stories would be half of it.
#3. Chased Away
In June, ProPublica told the story of an educator from Maryland, named Cecilia Lewis, who was hired in Cherokee County and promptly became the target of a smear campaign.
After parents successfully lobbied the school board to terminate her position, she got a job in neighboring Cobb County.
The parents from Cherokee County then crossed school district lines to bully her out of Cobb County as well.
#4. Guns and Curfews
In July, Blakely Mayor Travis Wimbush declared a state of emergency throughout the city due to gun violence and enacted a curfew in response.
The emergency declaration came on the heels of a rash of gun violence throughout the city. Three people were shot on May 31, two people were shot on June 8, and on June 26, seven people were shot resulting in one death.
#5. Paging Gen. Beauregard Lee
Groundhog Day comes every February, and every February Georgians can’t wait to learn what Georgia’s Groundhog, Gen. Beauregard Lee, has predicted.
Some of our readers are avid followers of the beloved furball general, while others don’t really realize Georgia has a groundhog until they learn about him each and every groundhog day.
In case you have forgotten, the good general predicted an early spring in 2022.
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