Fitzgerald, Georgia

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Fitzgerald, Georgia, USA
City
Fitzgerald City Hall
Fitzgerald City Hall
Motto(s): 
"History, Harmony, Heritage"[1]
Location in Ben Hill County and the state of Georgia
Location in Ben Hill County and the state of Georgia
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountiesBen Hill, Irwin
Government
 • MayorMark Massee
Area
 • Total7.3 sq mi (18.9 km2)
 • Land7.2 sq mi (18.8 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
361 ft (110 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total9,053
 • Density1,208.8/sq mi (466.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
31750
Area code229
FIPS code13-29528Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0355809Template:GR
WebsiteCity of Fitzgerald Georgia Official Website

Fitzgerald is a city in Ben Hill County in the U.S. state of Georgia.Template:GR It is the county seat of Ben Hill County.

As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 9,053.[3] Fitzgerald is the principal city of the Fitzgerald Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Ben Hill and Irwin counties.

History

Fitzgerald was developed in 1895 by Philander H. Fitzgerald, an Indianapolis newspaper editor and a former drummer boy in the Union army, who founded it as a community for Civil War veterans. The town is located less than fifteen miles from the site of the Union capture of Confederate president Jefferson Davis on May 10, 1865.

Fitzgerald was incorporated on December 2, 1896,[4] and named after Indiana attorney P.H. Fitzgerald.[5]

In recent years, the unofficial, and sometimes controversial, mascot of the city has become the Red Junglefowl, a wild chicken native to the Indian subcontinent. In the late 1960s, a small number were released into the woods surrounding the city and have thrived to this day.[6]

Geography

Fitzgerald is located at 31°42′56″N 83°15′23″W / 31.71556°N 83.25639°W / 31.71556; -83.25639 (31.715432, -83.256464)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), of which, 7.2 square miles (19 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.55%) is water.

Demographics

Ben Hill County Courthouse, Fitzgerald GA

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 8,758 people, 3,448 households, and 2,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,208.8 people per square mile (466.4/km²). There were 3,968 housing units at an average density of 547.7 per square mile (211.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.27% African American, 47.27% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 2.28% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.43% of the population.

There were 3,448 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.3% were married couples living together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,805, and the median income for a family was $26,577. Males had a median income of $26,674 versus $17,211 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,775. About 26.7% of families and 31.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.8% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Fitzgerald is home to the Dorminy-Massee Bed and Breakfast. Built in 1915 by J. J. (Captain Jack) Dorminy for his family, this two-story, colonial-style home is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bed and breakfast features eight bedrooms, each with a private bath, as well as a living room and parlor for visitors' use, and spacious grounds. The Inn is within walking distance of Fitzgerald's historic downtown area, as well as The Blue and Gray Museum.

Sports

Fitzgerald was home to a minor league baseball team in the Georgia State League being in the league's first season of operation in 1948 through 1952. The team was called the Fitzgerald Pioneers and the club had no affiliation with any major league club during the five seasons of operation in the Georgia State League. After the 1952 season the Fitzgerald Pioneers relocated to Sandersville and became the Sandersville Wacos and were affiliated with the then Milwaukee Braves for the 1953 season. After a season with no affiliation in 1954 the Sandersville Wacos became affiliated with the then New York Giants and became known as the Sandersville Giants for their final two seasons of operations 1955–56. Fitzgerald got a replacement team for the Pioneers in 1953 when the Moultrie Giants of the Georgia-Florida League moved to town. The Moultrie club was a charter member of the Georgia-Florida League when it began operations in 1946. The club began operations as an independent club with no affiliation with any major league baseball club and was known as the Moultrie Packers for the first two seasons of operations 1946-47. After the 1947 season the Moultrie club became an affiliate of the then Philadelphia A's and became known as the Moultrie A's for the 1948 and 1949 seasons. After a season as a Chicago Cubs affiliate in 1950 the Moultrie Cubs became an independent club again and was known as the Moultrie To-Baks for the 1951 season before becoming affiliated with the New York Giants and becoming the Moultrie Giants for the 1952 season. After relocating to Fitzgerald and becoming an affiliate of the Cincinnati Redlegs, the new edition of the Fitzgerald Pioneers lasted one season the next year 1954 saw the team name changed to the Fitzgerald Redlegs. After two years in Fitzgerald the club relocated back to Moultrie and remained a Cincinnati Reds minor league team known as the Moultrie Reds for the next two years 1955 through 1956. Moultrie became a Phillies minor league team in 1957 but the club relocated during the season to Brunswick, Georgia. The Brunswick Phillies were members of the Georgia-Florida during its final year of operations in 1958. After the Fitzgerald Redlegs left town, the city was without a team for the 1955 season, but the next year another longtime member of the Georgia-Florida League relocated to Fitzgerald. The Cordele club relocated to Fitzgerald after ten seasons in Cordele. During the club's years in the city of Cordele the team was affiliated with four different major league baseball clubs. First with the Chicago White Sox (the Cordele White Sox in 1946), then came three years as a Cleveland Indians minor league club (the Cordele Indians 1947-49) then four years as a then Philadelphia A's minor league club (The Cordele A's 1950-1953) and finally two seasons as a Baltimore Orioles minor league club (The Americus-Cordele Orioles 1954 Cordele Orioles in 1955). After the Cordele club came to town they changed affiliation back to the now Kansas City A's and the Fitzgerald A's played for the 1956 season. The next year the club changed affiliation again this time back the Baltimore Orioles and the club was known as the Fitzgerald Orioles for the 1957 season. The Fitzgerald club relocated to Dublin following the 1957 season and remained a Baltimore Orioles farm team and became the Dublin Orioles for the Georgia-Florida League's last year of operation. Fitzgerald has not had a minor league in the 52 years since. The manager Earl Weaver was a manager for of the Fitzgerald Orioles in 1957 and remained with them after they became the Dublin Orioles in 1958

Education

The Ben Hill County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of two pre-schools, an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.[7] The district has 217 full-time teachers and over 3,395 students.[8]

  • Ben Hill County PreK
  • Ben Hill County Primary School
  • Ben Hill County Elementary School
  • Ben Hill County Even Start
  • Ben Hill County Middle School
  • Fitzgerald High School

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College - Ben Hill-Irwin Campus is located on the southern end of the county.

Media

  • WRDO Real Radio 96.9
  • Herald Leader Newspaper (Fitzgerald)
  • WOKA Dixie Country 106.7
  • WOBB B-100
  • WSIZ Radio MyFM 102.3 (Fitzgerald) @ 99.9 (Douglas)

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "City of Fitzgerald Georgia Official Website". City of Fitzgerald Georgia Official Website. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  2. ^ "Fitzgerald". Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  3. ^ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/1329528.html
  4. ^ "Fitzgerald". Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  5. ^ "Profile for Fitzgerald, Georgia, GA". ePodunk. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  6. ^ Minor, Elliott (14 June 1998). "Town's wild jungle birds: blessing or curse?". Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  7. ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved May 30, 2010.
  8. ^ School Stats, Retrieved May 30, 2010.

Further reading

  • Around Fitzgerald, Georgia, in Vintage Picture Postcards, by Milton N. Hopkins, Jr., Arcadia Publishing
  • Confederates in the Attic, by Tony Horwitz, Pantheon Books
  • Fitzgerald: The Early Days, by Beth Davis, Privately Published

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fitzgerald,_Georgia&oldid=543013238"