Homerville, Georgia
| Homerville, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 31°2′13″N 82°45′5″W / 31.03694°N 82.75139°WCoordinates: 31°2′13″N 82°45′5″W / 31.03694°N 82.75139°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Clinch |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) |
| • Land | 2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 177 ft (54 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,456 |
| • Density | 1,113/sq mi (430/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 31634 |
| Area code(s) | 912 |
| FIPS code | 13-39748[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0356319[2] |
Homerville is a city in Clinch County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,803 at the 2000 census. The 2010 census shows a 12.38% decrease and a current population of approximately 2,456. The city is the county seat of Clinch County[3]. Homerville was incorporated February 15, 1869.
History
Clinch County was created on February 14, 1850, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, and was named for General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a decorated United States brigadier general and Georgia Congressman who had recently died. Clinch, Georgia’s 95th county, was formed from land originally inhabited by the Oconee Indians and consolidated portions of Ware County and Lowndes County. The Act creating the county named Elijah Mattox, Simon W. Nichol, Timothy Kirkland, Benjamin Sirmans, and John J. Johnson as commissioners charged with selecting a county seat and constructing a courthouse.
The designated commissioners quickly settled on a site just southwest of the present day Homerville and in memory of President James K. Polk decided to name the county seat Polk. Two years later, however, the Georgia General Assembly inexplicably changed the name of the county seat to Magnolia, just as the county’s first court house was completed. The first courthouse was quite small and was destroyed in 1856 when a citizen presumably dissatisfied with legal proceedings brought against him, decided to destroy the courthouse by fire.
In February 1853, Dr. John Homer Mattox and his family moved from their former home on the Suwannee River and settled on a tract of land adjacent to the Magnolia stage route. In recognition of his family name, he called the settlement “Homerville.” Shortly thereafter the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad expansion replaced the stage route and Mattox’s settlement was simply known as “Station No.11.”
Overtime the settlement grew and in 1860 approximately 275 citizens of Clinch County petitioned the Georgia General Assembly to move the county seat from the nearby Magnolia to Mattox’s settlement. Later the same year, the legislature relented and officially named Station No. 11 as the county seat of Clinch County. It would take approximately nine more years for the legislature to officially recognize the name Homerville and incorporate the city.
Dr. John Homer Mattox’s original dwelling is now the home of the Clinch County Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center. The home recently underwent an extensive restoration that not only restored many of the rooms to their former glory but also added modern plumbing and central heat and air for the convince of visitors. The structure now holds the administrative offices of the chamber and a museum dedicated to the early days of Clinch County.
Geography
Homerville is located at 31°2′13″N 82°45′5″W / 31.03694°N 82.75139°W (31.036832, -82.751302)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), all of it land. There is a lot of wooded areas and swampy marshes.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,803 people, 1,045 households, and 671 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,270.4 people per square mile (489.7/km²). There were 1,192 housing units at an average density of 540.2 per square mile (208.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.62% White, 40.03% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.
There were 1,045 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.1% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $26,058. Males had a median income of $23,788 versus $18,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,176. About 32.1% of families and 33.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.3% of those under age 18 and 30.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Clinch County School District
The Clinch County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of a elementary/middle school, a elementary school (Fargo), a high school, and a charter school.[5] The district has 96 full-time teachers and over 1,499 students.[6]
- Clinch County Elementary School
- Clinch County Middle School
- Clinch County High School
Charter School
- Fargo Charter School
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 4, 2010.
- ↑ School Stats, Retrieved June 4, 2010.
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