Thomaston, Georgia

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Coordinates: 32°53′30″N 84°19′37″W / 32.89167, -84.32694
City of Thomaston
Image:ThomastonCityscape.jpg Northside Thomaston skyline.
Nickname: T-Town
Location in Upson County and the state of Georgia.
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Upson
Area
- Total	9.2 sq mi (23.8 km²)
- Land	9.1 sq mi (23.4 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²)
Elevation	784 ft (239 m)
Population (2006)
- Total	9,638
- Density	1,022.9/sq mi (395.4/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	30286
Area code(s)	706
FIPS code	13-76168^[1]
GNIS feature ID	0324093^[2]

Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County^[3], Georgia, United States. The population was 9,638 at the 2006 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, Georgia-Alabama (part) Combined Statistical Area.

1 History
2 National recognition
3 Demographics
4 Notable Residents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Thomaston was incorporated on June 11, 1825, and designated as the seat of Upson County. The town was named for General Jett Thomas, an Indian fighter in the War of 1812. He is also credited with assisting in the construction of the state capitol at Milledgeville in 1805-7 and Franklin College on the campus of the University of Georgia in 1806.

The town was laid out with parallel streets running north and south, east and west, with the courthouse square in the center of town. Courtesy of Thomaston-Upson Archives Peach Crate Label The judges of the inferior court had the authority to sell lots to individuals on a one-third cash basis with two years to complete the payment. This money was used to build the first courthouse, which was completed in 1828. The second courthouse was completed in 1852, and the present courthouse was erected in 1908. In the southeast corner of the square is a cannonball mounted on a marble base, said to be the first fired at Fort Sumter, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. P. W. Alexander, a noted correspondent during the Civil War (1861-65) and a citizen of Upson County, retrieved it.

A few miles north of the square is one of the oldest houses in Thomaston, the Pettigrew-White-Stamps House. Built by John E. Pettigrew in 1833, it currently serves as the Upson Historical Society Museum. The African American Museum is housed in a late 1920s three-room shotgun-style house.

The Civil War erupted on Thomaston's soil on April 18, 1865, nine days after Confederate general Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, when Union cavalry raiders moving from Columbus to Macon embarked on three days of devastation in Upson County. The raiders, led by Major General James Harrison Wilson, looted homes, destroyed three of Upson's cotton mills, and set fire to a steam locomotive. In 1866 Thomaston's African Americans held an emancipation celebration, which has continued every year since; celebrated in May, it is the country's longest-running commemoration of freedom from slavery.

During the twentieth century Thomaston's economy was primarily based on the manufacture of textiles and tire cord. Granted a charter in 1899, Courtesy of Thomaston-Upson Archives Thomaston Mills Thomaston Mills shipped textiles worldwide and served as a major source of economic stability and urban growth, along with B. F. Goodrich's tire cord mill, Martha Mills. East Thomaston (established by Thomaston Mills) and Silvertown (for workers at Martha Mills, later WesTek) were typical of southern mill towns of the time. Thomaston's mill-town era ended when its main employer, Thomaston Mills, declared bankruptcy in 2001.

Even with the closing of Thomaston Mills, Thomaston's population has remained stable at just under 9,500. Many of the mill's former employees enrolled in Thomaston's Flint River Technical College to acquire skills that would enable them to find other employment.

[edit] National recognition

In 1986 Thomaston was chosen to be one of the Top 100 Small Towns in America Towns.

Thomaston was once again chosen among 120 towns across the nation to be listed in Norman Crampton's new book, "Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns." According to an article in the The Thomaston Times, dated November 4, 2002, the new book described Thomaston as "a perfect place for people looking to leave the fast-paced city life for a more relaxing environment". A press release says the book is for those "looking to raise a family in a storybook American town."

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 9,411 people, 3,862 households, and 2,386 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,039.4 people per square mile (401.5/km²). There were 4,152 housing units at an average density of 458.6/sq mi (177.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.75% White, 35.30% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population.

There were 3,862 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 77.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,695, and the median income for a family was $33,093. Males had a median income of $31,168 versus $20,420 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,193. About 18.4% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.3% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable Residents

John Brown Gordon – One of Robert E. Lee's most trusted Confederate generals during the American Civil War, and was the governor of Georgia from 1886 to 1890.