Augusta (also known as Augusta-Richmond County) is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia. The City of Augusta and Richmond County governments merged operations in 1996; as of 2008, the Augusta-Richmond county estimated population was 194,149,^[6] not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.

Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area, which as of 2008 had an estimated population of 534,218. Augusta is thus the second largest city in Georgia and the second-largest metro area in the state after Atlanta, as well as the 113th largest city in the U.S.^[7] Internationally, Augusta is best known for hosting The Masters golf tournament each spring, and for being the hometown of funk singer James Brown.