Claxton, Georgia

Claxton, Georgia
City
The city hall in Claxton, Georgia, seat of the city's local government
Nickname(s): "The Fruitcake Capital of the World"
Location in Evans County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°9′39″N 81°54′31″W / 32.16083°N 81.90861°W / 32.16083; -81.90861Coordinates: 32°9′39″N 81°54′31″W / 32.16083°N 81.90861°W / 32.16083; -81.90861
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Evans
Founded	May 1890
Incorporated	April 1894
Government
• Mayor	Luther Royal
• City Clerk	Gayle Durrence
• City Administrator	Gayle Durrence
Area
• Total	1.6 sq mi (4.0 km2)
• Land	1.6 sq mi (4.0 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	184 ft (56 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,746
• Density	1,716.3/sq mi (686.5/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	30414, 30417
Area code(s)	912
FIPS code	13-16600 [1]
GNIS feature ID	0312697 [2]

Claxton is a city in Evans County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,746 at the 2010 census, up from 2,276 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Evans County.^[3]

History

The petition to incorporate the town of Claxton was approved by Tattnall Superior Court in April 1894.

The town had its visionary, W.R. Hendricks.^[4] In May 1890 there were only a couple of dwellings scattered around the area that is Claxton. W.R. Hendricks, son of Glenn and Nancy Hendricks, had been given a large tract of land by his parents. The Hendricks' ambition was to secure a railroad station at the site but they met considerable opposition from railroad company officials who maintained that existing stations in the area were sufficient to meet the needs. W.R. Hendricks made a proposition to railroad officials that a well be dug and pump installed free of charge so that trains could stop for water.^[4] The deal was made and actual construction began in the latter part of June 1890. The vision of building a town was fully supported by his mother who offered to give a lot to anyone who would erect a building upon it. A number of people accepted her offer so she revised the plan and proposed to sell one lot and give the adjoining parcel to those who desired to build.

With the establishment of a town well underway, efforts were begun to establish a post office at the settlement already widely known as Hendricks. Postal officials in Washington, D.C., upon receiving an application from George E. Wood, declined to approve the name Hendricks because a post office in the state was already operating under that name in Upson County.^[5] Two other names were then submitted, Jenny and Claxton. Postal officials agreed to Claxton and the post office opened in 1890.^[5]

There is some dispute about the origin of the name. Some local historians contend that the name of a popular actress, Kate Claxton, was the source while others believe it was in honor of Philander Priestly Claxton, a noted educator of the time.^[6]

Shortly after the Claxton post office opened, D.C. Newton, one of the partners in a naval stores company, laid out on a sheet of brown wrapping paper what became the original map of Claxton. Newton drew in the streets, laid out lots and later added street names. The whereabouts of the original map is not known; however, it is believed that this first map remained in his possession until his death and was passed down to his son who died in the 1990s. Another map, believed to be similar to the original, was in the possession of R.R. 'Bobby' Tippins, president of Tippins Bank and Trust Company and descendant of the family that founded the bank in Claxton, who died in the early 2000s.

Geography

Claxton is located at 32°9′39″N 81°54′31″W / 32.16083°N 81.90861°W / 32.16083; -81.90861 (32.160932, -81.908674).^[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), all of it land. Claxton is in the coastal plain region of Georgia. Several trees, including pine, oak, sycamore, chinaberry, live oak, sweetgum, poplar, are prevalent in the area.

Climate

Claxton has a humid subtropical climate according to the Köppen classification. The city has hot and humid summers with average highs of 94 degrees and lows of 70 degrees in July. Winters are mild with average January highs of 61 degrees and lows of 36 degrees. Winter storms are rare, but they can happen on occasion.^[8]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 2,746 people, 991 households, and 589 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,457.2 people per square mile (563.3/km²). There were 1,032 housing units at an average density of 660.7 per square mile (255.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.03% White, 39.59% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 2.42% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.56% of the population.

There were 991 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.6% were married couples living together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 35.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 77.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,705, and the median income for a family was $26,450. Males had a median income of $30,500 versus $14,718 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,742. About 34.4% of families and 35.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.6% of those under age 18 and 27.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Claxton is governed by a mayor and city council. The mayor is elected at large, while the seven member council is elected by district.^[10] Other officials in the city include the city manager, city attorney, police chief, street superintendent, public works director, personnel director, finance officer, purchasing agent, code enforcement, fire chief, municipal court judge, municipal court clerk, zoning administrator, gas superintendent, and the water superintendent.^[11]

Education

Public education in Claxton is supervised by the Evans County School District. The current superintendent is Dr. Joy S. Collins.

All schools have been fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as well as the Georgia Accrediting Commission.^[12] The public schools in Claxton are: Claxton Elementary School; Claxton Middle School; and Claxton High School.

Claxton Fruit Cake

The water tower for Claxton, Georgia, celebrating its fruitcake manufacture.

The city is known as the home of the Claxton Fruit Cake which is exported from the world-famous Claxton Bakery and The Georgia Fruitcake Company. (See fruitcake.)

Claxton meteorite

On December 10, 1984, a meteorite fell in Claxton and hit a mailbox.^[13] The mailbox sold for $83,000 because it is said that it is the only meteorite to have struck a mailbox.<ref name=""mailbox'">Associated Press (29 October 2007). "The Claxton Mailbox: The Only Mailbox in the World Hit by a Meteorite!". Fox News. Retrieved 11 June 2013. </ref> The meteorite is also classified as an L6 meteorite.

References

External links

• Claxton Enterprise city profile
• Claxton Fruit Cake Company
• Heart of Georgia Altamaha Workforce Investment Board Web Site

Municipalities and communities of Evans County, Georgia, United States County seat: Claxton Cities Bellville Claxton Daisy Hagan