Sylvester, Georgia

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Coordinates: 31°31′53″N 83°50′10″W / 31.53139, -83.83611
Sylvester, Georgia
Location in Worth County and the state of Georgia
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Worth
Settled	1893
Incorporated (City)	December 21st, 1898
Area
- Total	5.7 sq mi (14.9 km²)
- Land	5.7 sq mi (14.8 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	387 ft (118 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	5,990
- Density	1,050.9/sq mi (402/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	31791
Area code(s)	229
FIPS code	13-75188^[1]
GNIS feature ID	0356576^[2]

Sylvester is a city in Worth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,990 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat and business center of Worth County^[3] and is claimed to be the Peanut Capital of the World due to its ability to produce more peanuts per acre than anywhere else in the world.

Sylvester is part of the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Education
- 4.1 Schools
5 Entertainment
- 5.1 Local Attractions
- 5.2 Peanut Festival
6 Notable People
7 Future
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Geography

Sylvester is located at 31°31′53″N, 83°50′10″W (31.531425, -83.836233)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.9 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (14.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.

Sylvester is located on U.S. Highway 82 at the junction of Georgia State Route 33.

[edit] History

Sylvester started as a "beautiful nowhere" in 1893 and was first called "Isabella Station". When the Brunswick and Albany Railroad came through Southwest Georgia, the county seat was Isabella, which is located three miles north of the railroad. Slowly, however, the center of gravity for trade and commerce shifted south along the railroad. Two other towns, Poulan and Sumner, sprang up along the railroad in Worth county, but it was "Isabella Station" that grew and prospered the fastest. In 1894, the citizens voted to change the name to "Sylvester". In 1898, Sylvester voted to incorporate and then on December 21st, 1989, the Georgia Legislature agreed to incorporate Sylvester as a city.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 5,990 people, 2,151 households, and 1,537 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,049.1 people per square mile (405.0/km²). There were 2,378 housing units at an average density of 416.5/sq mi (160.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 39.15% White, 59.97% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.

There were 2,151 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 27.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 80.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,114, and the median income for a family was $33,707. Males had a median income of $29,010 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,387. About 24.6% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.5% of those under age 18 and 29.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

[edit] Schools

Worth County Primary School
Sylvester Elementary School and Pre-K
Holley Elementary School
Worth County Middle School
Worth County High School
Worth County Elementary (Slated to be opened in 2010)

[edit] Entertainment

[edit] Local Attractions

T.C. Jeffords Park
- A shaded public park located in town near the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and Georgia State Route 33. The park features a stage for public performances, several covered shelters, picnic tables, a playground, tennis courts, a cooled club house, a fountain, Ole Engine 100 and Christmas decorations during the holiday season. The Peanut Festival is currently held in T.C. Jeffords Park each year.

Ole Engine 100 - Front

Ole Engine 100
- Ole Engine 100 is a steam locomotive that ran the rails of the Georgia-Ashburn Sylvester-Camilla Railways from 1930 to 1948 until she was replaced with the next generation of train - The Diesel. In 1957, The Little Engine That Could was donated to the Worth County/Sylvester Chamber of Commerce and the City of Sylvester by GASC railways for a well deserved rest. It now sits under a protective awning in T.C. Jeffords Park at the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and Georgia State Route 33.
Pope Park
Shipp Park
Gervaise Lawhorne Park
Tyson Steel Wildlife Museum
- A museum that contains animals from around the world displayed in their natural habitat. Admission is free to the public.

Peanut Parade

[edit] Peanut Festival

The Peanut Festival is an annual festival held on the third weekend of October in T.C. Jeffords Park to celebrate the city's status as Peanut Capital of the World. The event is sponsored by the Sylvester/Worth Chamber of Commerce and ConAgra Foods, makers of Peter Pan peanut butter. Activities include one of the largest parades in the Southeast and a beauty pageant with up to 100 contestants. Craftsmen from all over the state come to Sylvester to showcase their creations at the festival and some live entertainment and carnival attractions are usually on hand as well.

[edit] Notable People

Marion Butts - NFL Running Back from 1989 to 1995 who played for the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, and Houston Oilers. Born in Sylvester.
Rickey Claitt - NFL Running Back that played for the Washington Redskins. Born in Sylvester.
James Andrew Dixon Jr, Also known as Dru is a recording artist who recorded with Rollover Records from 2001-2004. He is currently signed to the Sekal Muzik Group. Dru recorded what some consider to be a classic album alongside partner Darkbrown. The album was titled "Kuntryversy", which featured Grammy Award winner Killer Mike on the albums first single "Ridin Chevys". The album has sold 35,000 copies to date.
Mary Hood - Award-winning author of How Far She Went, And Venus Is Blue and Familiar Heat. Graduated from Worth County High School.
Sue Monk Kidd - Author of the New York Times bestseller, The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair. Born in Sylvester.
Robert L. F. Sikes - U.S. Representative for Florida. Born in Isabella.

[edit] Future

Sylvester is continuing to modernize and grow. Downtown storefronts are occupied and there are several ongoing downtown revitalization projects. Sylvester's progressive changes include an ongoing fiber optic project linking all of the County schools with high-speed internet, revitalizing street scape, the courthouse, and other sites of beauty that include City Hall, the Woolard Hotel Apartments, and the turn of the century homes located on Isabella Street.