Macon, Georgia
| City of Macon | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Georgia |
| Counties | Bibb, Jones |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Robert Reichert (D) |
| Area | |
| - City | 56.3 sq mi (145.7 km²) |
| - Land | 55.8 sq mi (144.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.5 sq mi (3.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 381 ft (116 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - City | 97,606 |
| - Density | 1,742.8/sq mi (672.9/km²) |
| - Metro | 386,534 |
| - Demonym | Maconites |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 31200-31299 |
| Area code(s) | 478 |
| FIPS code | 13-49000[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332301[2] |
| Website: http://www.cityofmacon.net/ | |
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, USA. It is among the largest metropolitan areas in Georgia, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. It lies near the geographic center of Georgia, approximately 85 miles (136 km) south of Atlanta, hence the city's nickname as the Heart of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, Macon had a population of 97,606;[3] as of 2007, the Macon, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 229,846 and the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley Combined Statistical Area had an estimated population of 386,534.[4] Macon is the sixth-largest city (by population), fifth largest Metropolitan Statistical Area, and third-largest Combined Statistical Area in Georgia, behind Atlanta and Augusta. Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) includes 13 Georgia counties.
Robins Air Force Base, a major employer, is south of the city in Warner Robins. The area is also home to several institutions of higher education, as well as numerous museums and tourism sites. The area is served by the Middle Georgia Regional Airport and the Herbert Smart Downtown Airport. The current mayor of Macon is Robert Reichert, a former Democratic member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Perhaps its most colorful mayor with national recognition was Ronnie Thompson, who served from 1967-1975 and was the first of thus far two Republicans to have held the position, the other being George Israel (1979-1987).
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History
Macon lies on the site of the Ocmulgee Old Fields, which were home to Creek Indians and their predecessors for as long as 12,000 years before Europeans arrived. The fields and forests around Macon and what is now the Ocmulgee National Monument were cultivated by the Creeks, who built temple and funeral mounds that survive today.
Prior to its establishment as a city, Macon was the site of Fort Benjamin Hawkins. After the Creeks ceded their lands east of the Ocmulgee River, President Thomas Jefferson ordered the fort built in 1806 on the fall line of the Ocmulgee River to protect the new frontier, as it was a major military distribution point during the War of 1812 and the Creek War of 1813. Afterward, the fort became a trading post for a few more years before it fell to disuse. A replica of the fort, however, stands today on a hill in east Macon. By this time, many settlers had already begun to move into the area and later renamed Fort Hawkins “Newtown.” After the establishment of Bibb County in 1822, the city was chartered as the county seat in 1823 and officially named Macon, in honor of North Carolina statesman Nathaniel Macon because many of the city's early settlers hailed from North Carolina. The city planners of Macon envisioned "a city within a park" and went about creating a city of spacious streets and parks. They also designated 250 acres (1 km²) for Central City Park and citizens were required by ordinances to plant shade trees in their front yards.
The city thrived due to its location on the Ocmulgee River and cotton became the mainstay of Macon's early economy. Cotton boats, stage coaches, and later, in 1843, a railroad all brought economic prosperity to Macon. In 1836, Wesleyan College, one of the oldest women's colleges in the world, was founded in Macon. In 1855 a referendum was held to determine a capital city for Georgia. Macon came in last with 3,802 votes [1].
During the American Civil War, Macon served as the official arsenal of the Confederacy and Macon City Hall, which would serve as the temporary state capitol in 1864, was converted to use as a hospital for the wounded. However, Macon was spared by General William Tecumseh Sherman on his march to the sea. The nearby state capital of Milledgeville had been sacked and Maconites prepared for an attack. But General Sherman feared that Confederate forces were preparing a unified attack of their own and therefore bypassed Macon. Throughout the era of Reconstruction and into the twentieth century, Macon grew into a prospering town in Middle Georgia, and began to serve as a transportation hub for the entire state.
In 1994 Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in Florida dumping 24" inches of rain resulting in major flooding in Georgia. Macon was one of the worst flooded cities,
Macon was famous for being the home of the murderess Anjette Lyles,[5] as well as alleged axe murderer Thomas Woolfolk.[6]
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Geography
Macon is one of Georgia's three Fall Line Cities, along with Augusta and Columbus. The Fall Line is where the hilly lands of the Piedmont plateau meet the flat terrain of the coastal plain. As such, Macon has a varied landscape of rolling hills on the north side and flat plains on the south. The fall line causes rivers in the area to decline rapidly towards sea level, making it an ideal location for textile mills in the past. The Ocmulgee River is the major river that runs through Macon.
Macon is located at (32.834839, -83.651672).[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 56.3 square miles (145.7 km²), of which, 55.8 square miles (144.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it (0.82%) is water.
Macon is approximately 381 feet (116 m) above sea level.[2]
Climate
Macon has a humid, subtropical temperature. The summer often reaches its high in the mid-90s, and the winters have lows in the mid-40s. The city has an average annual precipitation of 45 inches (1,100 mm). Macon is often considered a dividing line or "natural snowline" of the southeastern United States with areas north of the city receiving snowfall annually, with areas to the south typically not receiving snowfall every year or at all.
 Weather averages for Macon, Georgia  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) |
85 (29) |
95 (35) |
96 (36) |
99 (37) |
106 (41) |
108 (42) |
105 (41) |
102 (39) |
100 (38) |
88 (31) |
82 (28) |
|
| Average high °F (°C) | 56.6 (14) |
60.9 (16) |
68.5 (20) |
75.9 (24) |
83.4 (29) |
89.5 (32) |
91.8 (33) |
90.5 (33) |
85.4 (30) |
76.8 (25) |
67.8 (20) |
59.2 (15) |
|
| Average low °F (°C) | 34.5 (1) |
37.0 (3) |
43.8 (7) |
49.5 (10) |
58.6 (15) |
66.6 (19) |
70.5 (21) |
69.5 (21) |
63.7 (18) |
51.1 (11) |
42.5 (6) |
36.3 (2) |
|
| Record low °F (°C) | -6 (-21) |
9 (-13) |
14 (-10) |
29 (-2) |
40 (4) |
46 (8) |
54 (12) |
55 (13) |
35 (2) |
26 (-3) |
10 (-12) |
5 (-15) |
|
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 5 (127) |
4.55 (115.6) |
4.90 (124.5) |
3.14 (79.8) |
2.98 (75.7) |
3.54 (89.9) |
4.32 (109.7) |
3.79 (96.3) |
3.26 (82.8) |
2.37 (60.2) |
3.22 (81.8) |
3.93 (99.8) |
|
| Source: USTravelWeather.com[8] 2007-10-03 | |||||||||||||
Surrounding cities and towns
Main Article: Macon Metropolitan Area
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Demographics
Macon is the largest principal city of the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Macon metropolitan area (Bibb, Crawford, Jones, Monroe, and Twiggs counties), the Warner Robins metropolitan area (Houston County), and the Fort Valley micropolitan area (Peach County),[9][10][11] which had a combined population of 346,801 at the 2000 census.[1]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 97,255 people, 38,444 households, and 24,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,742.8 people per square mile (672.9/km²). There were 44,341 housing units at an average density of 794.6/sq mi (306.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.45% African American, 35.46% White, 0.19% Native American, 0.65 Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 38,444 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.0% were married couples living together, 25.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 79.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,405, and the median income for a family was $33,699. Males had a median income of $29,950 versus $22,865 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,082. About 21.6% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.
Cultural
Musical heritage
Macon natives have had a great influence upon music of the United States. The kazoo was invented in the city during the 1840s. Macon has been the birthplace or hometown to such musicians as The Allman Brothers Band, Randy Crawford, Mark Heard, Lucille Hegamin, Lena Horne, Otis Redding, Little Richard, and Mike Mills and Bill Berry of R.E.M. as well as more recent names like violinist Robert McDuffie, rapper Young Jeezy, and country artist Jason Aldean. Rapper Jody Breeze (1/4 of the hip-hop group Boyz N Da Hood, currently signed to P. Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment) was discovered in Macon at a car show. Capricorn Records, run by Macon natives Phil Walden and briefly Alan Walden, made the city a hub for Southern rock music in the late 1960s and 1970's.[12]
Partly as a result of this musical heritage, Macon became the home of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.[13] Musicians from around the state are enshrined at the hall for their contributions, and the building features a museum showcasing Georgia's music history.
In 2007 the city hosted the Macon Symphony Orchestra,[14] which performed at the Grand Opera House in downtown Macon, as well as a youth symphony, the Middle Georgia Concert Band,[15] and other groups, some associated with the local universities.
Festivals
- International Cherry Blossom Festival - Macon has referred to itself as the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World." It has over 300,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees,more than any other city in the world. During mid-March of every year, the height of the trees' bloom, Macon holds a 10-day celebration of concerts, food festivals, arts and crafts shows, parades, street markets, picnics, dances, and exhibitions of artists from around the world. The city becomes bathed in pink, the symbolizing color of this event, reflecting the color of the blossoms. The festival has been Macon's largest and best-known event. In 2007, it was among the top 20 events in the South, top 50 in the United States, and one of the top 100 in North America.
- First Night Macon - First Night Macon is a family-oriented arts festival held in Macon on New Year's Eve. In the past it has featured concerts, dances, art shows, and theatrical performances at different venues and galleries around the downtown area, and a grand finale of fireworks at midnight.
- Pan African Festival - Macon has a African American cultural heritage. In April, Macon holds the Pan-African Festival featuring parades, African and Caribbean musical performances, African dancing, films, food festival, cultural shows, and exhibitions.
- Ocmulgee Indian Celebration - A celebration of Macon's original Native American Heritage, this festival is held every September at Ocmulgee National Monument. Representatives from backgrounds of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and other nations come to share stories, exhibit native art, perform dances, and play live music.
- The Georgia State Fair - The Fair is held in Central City Park every year starting in late September.
- The Georgia Music Hall of Fame hosts Georgia Music Week in September. During the museum's free Brown Bag Boogie concert series, artists from across the state perform outdoors at noon. Festivities have also included the annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards held in Atlanta.
- Macon's annual Bragg Jam festival features an Art and Kids' Festival along the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail and a nighttime Pub Crawl featuring local and national musical acts. The event pays tribute to the lives of musicians Brax and Taylor Bragg, brothers who were killed in an automobile accident. Proceeds benefit the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail.
Points Of Interest
- Ocmulgee National Monument is located near downtown Macon. It preserves some of the largest mounds in Georgia built by the Native Americans of the Mississippian culture a millennium ago. The park features a spiral mound, funeral mound, temple mounds, burial mounds, an earth lodge, as well as other smaller sites used for ceremonial purposes.
- Rose Hill Cemetery is one of Macon's oldest cemeteries. It is a popular attraction with many fans of the Allman Brothers Band, as two members of the band (Duane Allman and Berry Oakley), are interred there, as are many Civil War soldiers.
- Tubman African American Museum - the largest African American museum in Georgia[16]
- Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens
- Hay House - also known as the "Johnston-Felton-Hay House", it has been referred to as the "Palace of the South"
- Sidney Lanier Cottage - historical home to poet Sidney Lanier[17]
- Neel Reid Federated Garden Club Center
- Cannonball House and Civil War Museum
- Woodruff House
- Douglass Theatre, historical African-American theater
- The Grand Opera House, home to the Macon Symphony Orchestra.
- Museum of Arts and Sciences (Macon) and Planetarium
- Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum[18]
- Mercer University
- Fort Hawkins, the original white settlement in the area
- City Hall, Georgia's capitol for part of the Civil War
- City Auditorium, the world's largest copper dome
- Macon Little Theatre, established in 1934, the area's oldest community theatre producing 7 plays/musicals per season
- The Macon Terminal Station
- Wesleyan College - First Chartered Women's College
- The Georgia Children's Museum [19]- Five Stories of interactive education located in the downtown Museum District
- Ocmulgee Heritage Trail - a green way of parks, plazas, and landmarks along the Ocmulgee River in downtown Macon
- Cannonball House - Historic site[20]
- Georgia Music Hall of Fame[21]
Media
Newspapers
The Telegraph, a daily newspaper, is the primary newspaper in Macon.
Magazines
- Around Town Macon magazine - Monthly Community Magazine[22]
- M Food & Culture - Dining and Entertainment Magazine
- The 11th Hour
- Macon Magazine - bi-monthly publication
- Address Macon - Business Magazine, bi-monthly[23]
Television stations
- 03 WBMN - CW (Cable Only)
- 13 WMAZ - CBS
- 24 WGXA - FOX
- 29 WMUM-TV - PBS
- 31 WDMA-CA - Daystar
- 41 WMGT-TV - NBC
- 45 WGNM - CTN (Digital)
- 50 W50DA - TBN
- 55 WSST-TV - Ind. (Cordele, Georgia)
- 58 WPGA-TV - ABC
Radio stations
FM
- WBKG 88.9 - Macon (Religious)
- WMUM-FM 89.7 - Macon (Georgia Public Broadcasting/National Public Radio)
- WLZN 92.3 - Macon (Urban Hip-Hop - "Blazin' 92.3")
- WPEZ 93.7 - Macon (Z93.7)
- WMGB 95.1 ("B95.1") - Macon
- WPCH (FM) 96.5 - Macon (Oldies/Adult Contemporary - "The New Peach" - Simulcast)
- WDXQ 96.7 - Cochran (Classic Hits - "96Q")
- WQXZ 98.3 - Pinehurst/Hawkinsville/Warner Robins (Oldies - "Qwixie 98.3")
- WDEN 99.1 - Macon (Country)
- WQSA 99.9 - Unadilla/Warner Robins (AC - "Sunny 99.9FM")
- WMGZ 97.7 FM - Macon
- WIBB-FM 97.9 - Macon (Urban - Hip Hop "97.9 WIBB")
- WRBV 101.7 - Macon (Urban AC - "V101.7")
- WZCH 102.5 - Warner Robins (Oldies/Adult Contemporary - "The New Peach")
- WRPG 103.9 - Hawkinsville/Warner Robins (News/Talk - "103-9 The Patriot")
- WIFN 105.5 - Macon (105.5 "The Fan") Sports
- WQBZ 106.3 - Macon ( The Rock Station "Q106")
- WFXM 107.1 - Macon (Hip-Hop & R&B "Power 107")
AM
- WMVG AM - Macon
- WCEH 610 AM - Hawkinsville (Country - Real Country 610)
- WBML 900 AM - Macon (Religious)
- WMAC 940 AM - Macon (Talk)
- WPGA 980 AM - Macon (Talk)
- WDDO 1240 AM - Macon (Gospel)
- WIBB 1280 AM - Macon (Talk)
- WNNG 1350 AM - Warner Robins (News/Talk)
- WNEX 1400 AM - Macon (Radio Disney)
- WDCO 1400 AM - Cochran (Gospel - "Solid Gospel 1440")
- WAYS 1500 AM - Macon (Oldies)
- WVVM 1670 AM - Macon (Regional Mexican - "VIVA 1670")
Major venues
- Al Sihah Shrine Park
- Henderson Stadium
- Central City Park
- Luther Williams Field
- Macon Coliseum
- Macon City Auditorium
- Cox Capitol Theatre
- Macon Little Theater
- Douglass Theatre
- Grand Opera House
- Mercer's University Center
- Macon Coliseum
- Theatre Macon
- Arrowhead Park
Education
Colleges and universities
Colleges and Universities
- Central Georgia Technical College
- Fort Valley State University - main campus in Fort Valley, GA
- Georgia College and State University - main campus in Milledgeville
- Macon State College
- Mercer University
- Wesleyan College
- Troy University - main campus in Troy, Alabama
Public High Schools
- Central High School
- Howard High School
- Hutchings High School
- Northeast Magnet High School
- Rutland High School
- Southwest Magnet High School
- Westside High School
Private High Schools
- Fellowship Christian Academy
- First Presbyterian Day School
- Mount de Sales Academy
- Stratford Academy
- Tattnall Square Academy
- Twiggs Academy
- Windsor Academy
Specialty schools
- Butler
- Elam Alexander
- Georgia Academy for the Blind
- Neel
- Teen Parent Center
- Renaissance
Healthcare
Hospitals
- Central Georgia Rehabilitation Hospital
- Coliseum Medical Centers
- Coliseum Northside Hospital
- Medical Center of Central Georgia
Transportation
Air travel
Middle Georgia Regional Airport (IATA: MCN, ICAO: KMCN), provides public air service to Macon as well as cargo flights. The airport is situated 9 miles (14 km) south of downtown. Herbert Smart Downtown Airport (IATA: MAC, ICAO: KMAC) also provides air service to Macon.
Ground transportation
Interstate highways
Interstate 16
Interstate 75
Interstate 475
State highways
U.S. Route 23
U.S. Route 41
U.S. Route 80
U.S. Route 129
Other roads
State Route 11
State Route 19
State Route 22
State Route 74
Bus service
The Macon Transit Authority (MTA) is Macon's public-transit system, operating the bus system within Bibb County. However, many commuters in Macon and the surrounding suburbs use private automobiles as their primary transportation. This results in heavy traffic during rush hour and contributes to Macon's air pollution.
Macon Transit Authority has a trolley system. The trolleys offer tours in the downtown Macon area since 1999. The tours consist of all of the major historical sites such as the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Hay House, and the Tubman Museum. There are three trolleys; MITSI, Miss Molly, and Sweet Melissa and each holds up to 39 passengers. Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service between Macon and many locations throughout the United States and Canada. The Greyhound terminal is situated at 65 Spring Street, on the eastern edge of the downtown area.
Sports
| Club | Sport | League | Venue |
| Macon Music | Baseball | South Coast League | Luther Williams Field |
| Georgia Gwizzlies | Basketball | American Basketball Association | Macon Coliseum |
Sister cities
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Notable Maconites
See also
- Downtown Macon
- The Shoppes at River Crossing
- Macon Mall
- Notable Maconites
- Macon Metropolitan Area
- List of mayors of Macon, Georgia
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau Population Finder
- ↑ Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1 2000 to July 1, 2005 (Note: This is a Microsoft Excel-formatted file)
- ↑ Southern Scribe
- ↑ While Woolfolk was convicted and hung for the crime, he never confessed, and a note found on a lynched man has cast doubt on his guilt.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Macon Weather". Retrieved on Oct 3, 2007.
- ↑ METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.
- ↑ MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.
- ↑ COMBINED STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENT CORE BASED STATISTICAL AREAS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.
- ↑ Georgia Music Hall of Fame. "Alan Walden - Georgia Music Hall of Fame 2003 Inductee". georgiamusicstore.com. Retrieved August 27, 2008.
- ↑ Georgia Music Hall of Fame website
- ↑ Macon Symphony Orchestra Website
- ↑ Middle Georgia Concert Band website
- ↑ http://www.tubmanmuseum.com
- ↑ http://www.historicmacon.org/slc.html
- ↑ http://www.gshf.org/
- ↑ http://www.georgiachildrensmuseum.com/
- ↑ http://www.cannonballhouse.org/
- ↑ http://www.georgiamusic.org/
- ↑ www.aroundtownmacon.com
- ↑ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-128255644.html retrieved July 19, 2007
External links
- Official City Government Website
- Macon-Bibb County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Macon (the New Georgia Encyclopedia)
- Macon (Georgia) travel guide from Wikitravel
- Macon, Georgia is at coordinates
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