Blackshear, Georgia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blackshear is a city in Pierce County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,283 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Pierce County^GR6.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Notable residents
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Blackshear is located at 31°17′56″N, 82°14′52″W (31.298941, -82.247726)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.3 km² (4.4 mi²). 11.1 km² (4.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.06%) is water.

[edit] History

The city is named in honor of General David Blackshear. The city once contained a Confederate Prison Camp that is currently marked by a historical landmark sign.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 3,283 people, 1,354 households, and 894 families residing in the city. The population density was 296.2/km² (766.6/mi²). There were 1,518 housing units at an average density of 136.9/km² (354.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.03% White, 21.35% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 1,354 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,285, and the median income for a family was $38,414. Males had a median income of $30,263 versus $22,067 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,611. About 16.9% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable residents

KaDee Strickland, actress (b. 1977)
Nikki DeLoach, actress (b. 1979) Born in Waycross, but was raised in Blackshear, GA.
Robert Briscoe Evans, actor (b. about 1955) Grew up in Blackshear.
Bob House, won $1 Million dollars on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
Thomas Bennett, 2001 Scholastic Georgia State Chess Champion (b. 1985).