Introduction to Plains

80 miles SE of Callaway Gardens; 85 miles SW of Macon; 10 miles W of Americus

This aptly named town with a population of 716 is both plain and sited on the plains. Humble though it is, Plains, Georgia, is closely identified with Jimmy Carter as his hometown. "Jimmy," as he is called locally, was -- and still is -- a man of the people, the most approachable president in recent history, and a Nobel Prize winner, to boot.

You'll know Plains by the little green-and-white train depot, its water tower brightly painted with the Stars and Stripes. A small-town charm still clings to Plains and its people. The early-1900s buildings are much as they were before the Depression shut them down (most were warehouses until Jimmy brought business back to town).