Brooks, Georgia

Brooks, Georgia
Town

Location in Fayette County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°17′46″N 84°27′32″W / 33.29611°N 84.45889°WCoordinates: 33°17′46″N 84°27′32″W / 33.29611°N 84.45889°W
Country United States
State Georgia
County Fayette
Area
 • Total 4.1 sq mi (10.5 km2)
 • Land 4.1 sq mi (10.5 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 837 ft (255 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 524
 • Density 134.9/sq mi (52.7/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 30205
Area code(s) 770
FIPS code 13-11056[1]
GNIS feature ID 0354866[2]

Brooks is a town in Fayette County, Georgia, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 524.[3] The city should not be confused with Brooks County, Georgia.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Brooks has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km2), of which, 4.1 square miles (11 km2) of it is land and 0.25% is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 553 people, 195 households, and 165 families residing in the town. The population density was 136.0 people per square mile (52.5/km²). There were 208 housing units at an average density of 51.2 per square mile (19.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.01% White, 0.36% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.27% Asian, and 0.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 195 households out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.4% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.9% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,000, and the median income for a family was $70,625. Males had a median income of $47,841 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,199. About 1.6% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

Before white settlers came on the land, Creek Indians lived in the Brooks area. The first white settlers to reside in the area were the Haisten family. At first the town was called Haistentown but, finally after several other names, Brooks became the name of the town in 1905. Brooks was named after a local planter, Hillery Brooks, who gave a lot to the construction of the railroad and a much needed depot. During the Civil War the town sent many young men to fight in the Confederate Army. Several of these men were killed during the war.

Economy

Past

By the 1900s Brooks began to grow due to the rail road. According to Daniel Langford Jr. several stores were built including a bank, a drugstore, cotton gins, grist mills, blacksmith shops, and several other stores were built. Although businesses were on the rise in the small town, the main source of economy for the town was farming. Cotton was the number one crop for a long time until 1921 when the boll weevil appeared quickly destroying crops and placing the town into an economic depression which also caused the town to lose its charter. By the time the country hit the Great Depression, Brooks had been suffering alone for eight long years. Brooks began to come out of the depression in 1939 after electricity was installed in the town. Around this time Brooks received its town charter again. Another factor in the growth of the town was due to the rise in airline industry. Airline employees from Atlanta began to buy large tracks of farmland. Farming also changed as it moved away from the cotton industry changing to the cattle industry.

Present

Today Brooks is still considered to be rural but, agriculture is no longer the main source of economy. Much of Brooks is being divided into small 5-acre (20,000 m2) to 10-acre (40,000 m2) lots ready for the construction of a generally nice homes. Brooks is now a residential area that many people are moving to since it is still considered to be rural. People are trying to get out of the fast pace city and moving to close rural areas such as Brooks. Besides construction, much of the economy of the citizens of Brooks come from the city in which the people drive to work in metro areas such as Fayetteville or even in Atlanta. Brooks now has some stores in town that also contribute to the economy such as a women’s hair salon and tanning shop, a barber shop, deer processor, storage center, and several convenient stores.

Education

Brooks’ education falls under the Fayette County Board of Education. The only public school in Brooks is Brooks Elementary. Middle school students attend Whitewater Middle and high school students attend Whitewater High in Fayetteville, both of which are of recent construction.

Religion

There are a few Churches in Brooks, including County Line Christian Church, Brooks Christian Church and Brooks United Methodist Church.

Cemeteries

In the town of Brooks there are many small cemeteries. According to Tyler Brown most of the cemeteries are small family cemeteries often still kept up by family members who reside in the town.

Utilities

Brooks has all the utilities that any other town would have but, they do not come as easily. To get water you have to have a well. Natural gas must be brought to a house and put into a large tank. Due to the drought a few of the old residents are needing to have new well drilled to make up for the lack of water.

Activities

Besides activities at church and school, there is a youth recreational park which has baseball fields and football fields for the brooks youth league. Brooks’ road ways are often filled with bike riders. Many bicycle races come through the area and often you can see bikers practicing for the races. Many other activities in the area are just personal pleasures such as horse riding, riding ATVs, fishing, hunting, and other things. Many people like to go up to a local gas station, called Huckaby's, to maybe get a pizza and hang out for a little while as well.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_GCTP2.ST13&prodType=table

Further reading

External links