I realized I might have left some info out. The place I want to plant is on the western side of my house, full sun, along a fence that runs north to south. We have a lot of squirrels, but our three large dogs keep the deer away. No small children anymore. I'm confused about the Zone thing. I've looked it up in a couple of places (zip code is 30633, just north of Athens, GA. We MIGHT have two days a year of temps in the teens, but it is rare that it gets that cold. Hope this clarifies some things

I like Thuja Green Giant...I would also suggest Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria). I think they are beautiful...you have the space for them, and, sounds like...good growing conditions. They are fast growers...about 30-40 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide.

whatever you do, just don't plant bamboo.

we have a cryptomeria in the yard...had two till i cut the smaller one down weekend before last to replace it with two smaller, more productive trees. i would recommend this and also arizona cypresses (avoid leyland cypress due to potential for canker)

In a large area like that, I'd go for something more natural looking - especially a mixed screen. In a big open space, a row of matching plants would be way too formal looking and out of place.

Wax myrtle is native to this area and very beneficial to birds. Throw in a few hollies ('Savannah' holly is a native hybrid). A few loblolly pines (they'd be far enough away to be useful but not fall on anything) would be good and they are fast growers. For deciduous trees, try tulip poplar (a member of the magnolia family, not a poplar, very fast growing) and some black cherries for the birds (Prunus serotina) Cherry laurel is also nice. Pin oaks, red oaks and maples would help fill it out and give you good fall color against the evergreens.

No need to look through catalogs, there are some good nurseries in the Athens area.

Esh, you have reccomended two trees I would avoid. Cherry Laurel and Black Cherry. Both are quick to reproduce and a forest of these tress would soon spread across the landscape if unchecked. Black Cherries tend to drop tons of trash constantly and attract tent caterpillars while Cherry laurels produce suckers and babies by the thousand.
Liriodendron (Tulip Tree), also sluff off many branches as they grow to maturity. I reccomend sticking with the other choices and adding a few other trees with varying spring and fall colors like Dogwoods, Eastern Redbud, Crapes, and Ginko even. Of course, this is only my opinion as I hate extra yardwork.

Well, she said full sun, so that's why I didn't suggest Dogwoods, but redbuds could certainly do well.

Cherry laurel is preferred by some, especially the cultivar 'Bright N Tight' for it's evergreen qualities. Black cherry is a favorite wildlife plant (and yes, even the tent caterpillars have to eat, but they are themselves food for other creatures). I don't personally plant it in my yard, but I have many of them naturally.

And yes, Tulip poplar does shed it's lower branches as it grows, but that has never been a problem for me. They are usually young, small branches and do no harm in falling. I suppose that picking them up could be considered extra yardwork! Unless they are in a big open area and having it "tidy" is not a concern like it might be for a suburban garden.

WOW! This is wonderful! Ya'll have given me so many wonderful ideas! I never thought of how it would look to have all of one thing across the front. You're right. I don't think it would really be me. Somebody told me that I need to have my soil tested or something? How do I do that? (By the way, my respect for any one who does all of this has hit an all time high. I've spent the last three days just clearing out stuff and trying to get my yard ready to even start anything and it is so much work!)

Here's a link about soil testing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Soil testing in Georgia