Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in Thomas County and the state of Georgia | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Thomas |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15 sq mi (38.7 km2) |
| • Land | 14.9 sq mi (38.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 279 ft (85 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 18,413 |
| • Density | 1,210.8/sq mi (469.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 31700-31799 |
| Area code | 229 |
| FIPS code | 13-76224[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0333216[2] |
| Website | http://www.thomasvillega.com |
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.
The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large farmer's market, and a 320 year old oak tree at the corner of Monroe and Crawford streets. The population was 18,413 at the 2010 census.[3]
History
Thomasville was founded in 1826 as seat of the newly formed Thomas County. It was incorporated as a town in 1831 and as a city in 1889. The community was named for Jett Thomas, a general in the War of 1812.[4]
Rose Festival
Thomasville plants and maintains more than 1,000 roses located throughout the city, as do a number of residents who have their own rose gardens. During the last week of April, rose growers from all over the world display their prize roses for a panel of judges.
Culture
Thomasville is home to several historic and cultural organizations, including the Thomas County Historical Society & Museum of History, the Thomasville Cultural Center, Jack Hadley's Black History Museum, Thomasville Landmarks, and Pebble Hill Plantation. Daily tours and research hours are available at each institution.
Geography
Thomasville is located at 30°50′11″N 83°58′42″W / 30.83639°N 83.97833°W (30.836444, -83.978199).[5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.9 square miles (39 km2), of which, 14.9 square miles (39 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.40%) is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Thomasville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[6]
| Climate data for Thomasville, Georgia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 86 (30) |
86 (30) |
96 (36) |
96 (36) |
102 (39) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
97 (36) |
89 (32) |
85 (29) |
106 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 63 (17) |
68 (20) |
73 (23) |
79 (26) |
86 (30) |
90 (32) |
92 (33) |
91 (33) |
87 (31) |
81 (27) |
73 (23) |
65 (18) |
79 (26) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 39 (4) |
42 (6) |
47 (8) |
53 (12) |
61 (16) |
69 (21) |
71 (22) |
71 (22) |
67 (19) |
57 (14) |
49 (9) |
41 (5) |
56 (13) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 5 (−15) |
11 (−12) |
19 (−7) |
30 (−1) |
41 (5) |
48 (9) |
56 (13) |
53 (12) |
37 (3) |
26 (−3) |
11 (−12) |
8 (−13) |
5 (−15) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.80 (122) |
4.88 (124) |
5.67 (144) |
3.08 (78) |
3.00 (76) |
5.84 (148) |
5.68 (144) |
5.72 (145) |
4.52 (115) |
3.02 (77) |
3.44 (87) |
3.65 (93) |
53.3 (1,353) |
| Source: The Weather Channel [7] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 1,651 | — | |
| 1880 | 2,555 | 54.8% | |
| 1890 | 5,514 | 115.8% | |
| 1900 | 5,322 | −3.5% | |
| 1910 | 6,727 | 26.4% | |
| 1920 | 8,196 | 21.8% | |
| 1930 | 11,733 | 43.2% | |
| 1940 | 12,683 | 8.1% | |
| 1950 | 14,424 | 13.7% | |
| 1960 | 18,246 | 26.5% | |
| 1970 | 18,155 | −0.5% | |
| 1980 | 18,463 | 1.7% | |
| 1990 | 17,457 | −5.4% | |
| 2000 | 18,162 | 4.0% | |
| 2010 | 18,413 | 1.4% |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 18,162 people, 7,021 households, and 4,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,221.4 people per square mile (471.6/km²). There were 7,788 housing units at an average density of 523.7 per square mile (202.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.39% African American, 42.83% White, 0.23% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.
There were 7,021 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 22.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% 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 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,926, and the median income for a family was $37,606. Males had a median income of $28,331 versus 12,312 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,910. About 15.1% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.1% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Thomasville City School District
The Thomasville City School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school which is Thomasville High Bulldogs. This is a cross-town rival of Thomas County Central.[8] The district has 204 full-time teachers and over 3,107 students.[9]
Academy
- Thomasville City Scholars Academy. The Thomasville City Scholars Academy is an I.B. school and is very diverse. (6-12)[10]
Thomas County School District
The Thomas County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and two high schools, Thomas County Central and Bishop Hall Charter School.[11] The district has 329 full-time teachers and over 5,466 students.[12]
Private Schools
- Calvary Christian School
- Favors Christian Academy
- Brookwood School (Pre-K-12)[13]
- Thomasville Christian School (K-8)[14]
- Vashti School
Higher Education
- Thomas University- Main Campus[15]
- Southwest Georgia Technical College- Main Campus[16]
Economy
The bakery company Flowers Foods is based in Thomasville.
Municipal Broadband Network Contributes to City's General Fund
The city has installed a fiber optic network, known as CNS, which provides affordable, high speed Internet access. The City's network has been in place since 1999. The City transfers excess revenues from CNS services and from its other utilities to the City's General Fund to pay for police and fire protection, street maintenance, and other essential services. In 2012, because of these revenues, the City was able to eliminate property fire tax for its residents and businesses.[17]
Newspaper
- Thomasville Times-Enterprise is a daily newspaper owned by Community Newspaper Holdings, CNHI. The newspaper publishes the glossy magazine Thomasville Scene.
Notable people
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2012) |
- William Andrews - NFL player for Atlanta Falcons[18]
- General Lloyd J. Austin, U.S. Army, Commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Multi-National Corps-Iraq[citation needed]
- Stephanie Bentley - country music artist[citation needed]
- Elbridge Bryant- singer and one of the founding members of The Temptations[citation needed]
- Joe Burns - running back for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and NFL's Buffalo Bills[19]
- Benjamin Butterworth, U.S. Representative from Ohio[20]
- Joelle Carter - actress[citation needed]
- Tashard Choice- running back for Georgia Tech and NFL's Dallas Cowboys[citation needed]
- Danny Copeland - NFL safety for Washington Redskins (Super Bowl XXVII championship team)[21]
- Henry Elrod - U.S. Marine captain, posthumously awarded Medal of Honor for actions on Wake Island, 1941
- Harris English - professional golfer[citation needed]
- Mary Lena Faulk - professional golfer, 1953 winner of US Women's Amateur Championship; one of the founders of the LPGA[citation needed]
- Henry Ossian Flipper or Henry O. Flipper - first African American Graduate of West Point in 1877[citation needed]
- Myron Guyton - NFL safety for New York Giants and New England Patriots[22]
- Raymond Hughes - conductor and Metropolitan Opera chorus master
- Clifford Ivory - NFL and CFL football player
- Shawn Jones - football player, quarterback for Georgia Tech including 1990 National Championship team, safety for the Minnesota Vikings
- Sam Madison - NFL defensive back for Miami Dolphins and New York Giants
- Guy McIntyre - NFL player for San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles
- Marcus Stroud - NFL defensive tackle
- Dina Titus Member of the U.S House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st District
- Charlie Ward Jr. - Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for Florida State football, basketball player for NBA's New York Knicks, assistant coach for Houston Rockets
- Bailey White - author
- Joanne Woodward - Academy Award-winning actress, philanthropist, wife of actor Paul Newman
References
- ^ a b "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.
- ^ "Thomasville (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". Quickfacts.census.gov. Retrieved 2012-12-22.
- ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 249. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ Climate Summary for Thomasville, Georgia
- ^ "Climate Statistics for Thomasville, Georgia". Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ "Schools in Thomasville City". Georgia Board of Education. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "School data for Thomasville City". School-stats. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Thomasville City Scholars Academy". Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Schools in Thomas County". Georgia Board of Education. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "School data for Thomas County". School-stats. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Brookwood School". Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Thomasville Christian School". Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Thomas University". Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Southwest Georgia Technical College". Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ http://timesenterprise.com/x325753402/City-fire-tax-extinguished
- ^ "William L. Andrews". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "Joe Frank Burns". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "BUTTERWORTH, Benjamin, (1837 - 1898)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "Danny Lamar Copeland". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ "Myron Guyton". databaseFootball.com. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
External links
- Thomasville Welcome Page
- Downtown Thomasville
- Thomasville Landmarks - Historic preservation organization
- The Thomasville Townie - The Insider's Guide to Thomasville
- South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive Digital Library of Georgia
Municipalities and communities of Thomas County, Georgia, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Town | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |