Georgia's railroad history began in the early 1830s with the construction of the Georgia Railroad between Augusta and Athens and the Monroe Railroad between Macon and Forsyth, and the establishment of the Georgia Railroad Company in 1833. By 1850 Georgia had the most rail miles of any southern state, and Atlanta had become a rail hub for the entire South, thus making it a key military target during the Civil War. After the war, the Georgia railroad system continued to expand until the 1920s when it started to decline due to the coming of the automobile. In the process, many of the small towns that had sprung up along the railroad lines started to decline as well, and their depots were torn down, moved, used for other purposes or simply left to decay. Sometimes I come across a small town that has an old depot, but no longer any railroad tracks. 80 years and several railroad mergers later, the Georgia rail system has stabilized and is a strong, 5,000-mile network served by the Norfolk Southern and CSX.