Her magic awakens the senses, in sights of storied English Georgian, Greek Revival, Colonial, Victorian and Federal houses nestled beneath sensuous palms, moss-draped Live Oaks, in roads scented with honeysuckle and wisteria, and Confederate Jasmine and Magnolia blossoms, in the bursting colors of spring or the soft hues of autumn and winter, the blazing reds of summer.

It is likely that Savannah's spell was even cast on our founding father, General James Edward Oglethorpe, when he sailed up the river in February, 1733, looking for the right spot to found a colony for the British Monarch. He sought a place between the Spanish,who controlled Florida, and the thriving English colony in Carolina, to buttress the British strength in this part of the new world.

When he set eyes on this spot on the Yamacraw Bluff some 40 feet above the river and 15 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, he found his niche. He also found the same gracious hospitality for which Savannah has been known for the past 269 years, in the person of Chief Tomochichi, head of the Yamacraw Indians, who permitted the new arrivals to found their colony in peace and friendship.

Here, Oglethorpe reasoned, silk and wine would be manufactured. England would no longer be forced to import them from foreign nations. Mulberry trees, primary food of silkworms, then as now, grew in abundance. The climate was benign, with abundant vegetation, fruit trees and bounty from the sea.

No doubt Oglethorpe's little band of 115 people (drawn from debtor's prisons, the unemployed, a handful of foreigners fleeing religious persecution, and a few merchants and adventurers who no doubt added spice to the mix), in need of a second chance at life, also felt the spell of this spot which Oglethorpe named Savannah. He took the name from a band of Shawnee Indians known as the Savana.

Over the next dozen years, thousands of colonists from different nations and faiths came here to begin a new life, including Jews from Spain and Portugal, Moravians and Salzburgers from Germany, Scottish, French, Swiss, Greeks, and Italians. Since then, many more thousands of people have come, giving Savannah it's uniquely cosmopolitan aura and its lovely annual festivals: Greek, Asian, Italian, Scottish, and of course, the world-famous St. Patrick's Day bacchanalia.

More than a century after Oglethorpe's arrival, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman arrived at Savannah on his "March to the Sea," having left a burned swath of destruction forty miles wide from Atlanta. But when he arrived at Savannah, he was so beguiled by its beauty and the grace of its inhabitants, that instead of burning this city to the ground, he wired President Abraham Lincoln, on December 22, 1864, that he was giving to him the city of Savannah as a Christmas gift.

Today, more than another century has passed, visitors still succumb to the spell, and many simply never leave.

Here are some stories of those who can attest to the Magic of Savannah

Bob Wisener, a home maintenance specialist and his wife, Sharon, had lived all their lives in Ohio. They first came to Savannah because their oldest son, who was expecting his first child, was stationed at Ft. Stewart. The Wiseners wanted to see the birth of their first grandchild. The baby refused to arrive on time, and although the Wiseners delayed their return by several days, they never did see him on that trip. But they'd been smitten by Savannah.

"We fell in love with Savannah," Bob says now. "With the historic district, the moss-draped live oaks, the nice people, the weather, everything." A year and a half later, they moved here. Today, Bob says, he wouldn't consider moving anywhere else in America.

---

Barbara McFarland came to Savannah about three years ago from Key West, Florida. "I love Savannah," she says, "and I don't intend ever to move again."

Now a tour guide in the Historic District, Barbara also appreciates the friendliness and helpfulness of the residents here. "Everybody is nice," she says. And she echoes everyone with her fascination with Savannah's beautiful Historic District.

"Savannah has all the advantages of a big city -- the culture, the activities, the ease of getting around -- and none of the drawbacks.

"All the free things are great, too, like the concerts in Forsyth and other parks, in City Market, and on River Street. There's free shuttle bus service throughout the Historic District, the museums are free from time to time..."

---

Two who fell in love with Savannah and each other are the Bishops, John originally from Pennsylvania, and Patricia, from Hinesville, Georgia. They first met in Savannah in 1969, shortly after they both arrived here; he for advanced helicopter flight training at Hunter Army Airfield, she to teach school. Today, John is a well known consultant and a prime mover in preservation of the Historic District. Patricia is the leading sales associate at Savannah's number one agency, Cora Bett Thomas Realty.

"We both lived in apartment complexes on the Southside," John remembers now, "but the first time I saw Savannah's Historic District, I knew that was where I wanted to live." A short time later, John found an apartment downtown and moved there. Not long after that, he left for Vietnam, but he and Patricia kept up a steady correspondence and became engaged when he flew home for Christmas leave in December, 1970. In April, 1971, they were married in Wesley Monumental's chapel downtown.

The two have lived in the Historic Distict since 1973, and in their beautiful home near Troup Square for 17 years.

Today, Patricia says, "I wouldn't ever want to live anywhere but Savannah. Even on vacations, after about four days, I always want to come home."