- Newnan, Georgia
-
Newnan, Georgia — City — 
SealMotto: City of Homes Location in Coweta County and the state of Georgia
Location of Newnan in Metro Atlanta
NewnanCoordinates: 33°22′35″N 84°47′19″W / 33.37639°N 84.78861°WCoordinates: 33°22′35″N 84°47′19″W / 33.37639°N 84.78861°W Country United States State Georgia County Coweta Incorporated (city) December 20, 1828 Area - Total 18.1 sq mi (46.9 km2) - Land 17.9 sq mi (46.4 km2) - Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) Elevation 971 ft (296 m) Population (2008) - Total 33,293 - Density 1,389.5/sq mi (577.8/km2) Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) Area code(s) 770, 678 FIPS code 13-55020[1] GNIS feature ID 0332499[2] Newnan is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, about 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. The population was 16,242 at the 2000 Census. Newnan is one of the fastest growing cities in Georgia, with an estimated population of 27,097 in 2006 and 33,293 in July 2008. The city is the county seat of Coweta County.
Contents
History
Newnan was established as county seat of Coweta County (replacing the defunct town of Bullsboro) in 1828 and was named for North Carolinian General Daniel Newnan. Newnan quickly became a prosperous magnet for lawyers, doctors, other professionals and merchants. Much of Newnan's prosperity was due to the thriving cotton industry, which relied on slavery. Newnan was largely untouched by the American Civil War due to its status as a hospital city (for Confederate troops), and as a result still features much antebellum architecture. Celebrated architect Kennon Perry designed many of the town's 20th Century homes. During the Atlanta Campaign, Confederate cavalry badly defeated Union forces at the nearby Battle of Brown's Mill.
Newnan was host to the trial in 1948 of wealthy landowner John Wallace, the first white man in the south to be condemned to death by the testimony of African Americans, two field hands who were made to help with burning the body of murdered white sharecropper Wilson Turner. These events were portrayed in the novel Murder in Coweta County. The film version starred Johnny Cash, Andy Griffith, and June Carter.
The Newnan/Sharspburg area is home to three high schools, Newnan High School (founded in 1887), East Coweta High School (founded in 1946), and Northgate High School (founded in 1996). Newnan is also home to The Heritage School, a small private school. Newnan is served by the Coweta County School System.
The city is home to one of the few Georgia counties with a museum that focuses mainly on African American history. The Coweta County African American Heritage Museum and Research Center, or Caswell House, was opened in July 2003 in a donated mill village house once owned by Ruby Caswell. The museum sits on Farmer St. on an old, unmarked, slave cemetery. It has collected hundreds of family genealogical records by interviewing residents and going through the census records. The museum also houses the Coweta Census Indexes from 1870 to 1920.[3] The first black library in the county was the Sara Fisher Brown Library. Built in the 1950s, the library has since been converted into the Community Action For Improvement Center.[4]
Geography
Newnan is located at 33°22′35″N 84°47′19″W / 33.37639°N 84.78861°W (33.376411, -84.788648)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.1 square miles (47 km2) of which 17.9 square miles (46 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (1.05%) is water.
Climate
Climate data for Newnan Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °F (°C) 52
(11)58
(14)65
(18)73
(23)80
(27)86
(30)89
(32)88
(31)83
(28)73
(23)64
(18)55
(13)89 Average low °F (°C) 31
(−1)33
(1)40
(4)47
(8)56
(13)64
(18)68
(20)67
(19)62
(17)49
(9)41
(5)33
(1)31 Precipitation inches (mm) 5.49
(139.4)5.14
(130.6)5.95
(151.1)4.17
(105.9)4.37
(111)3.99
(101.3)4.66
(118.4)4.00
(101.6)3.24
(82.3)2.86
(72.6)4.18
(106.2)4.27
(108.5)52.32
(1,328.9)Source: The Weather Channel[6] Shopping
Newnan is a shopping hub and has experienced rapid commercial development. One of the new developments is Ashley Park, an open-air shopping mall near I-85, anchored by Dillard's, and Belk department stores along with a large movie theater and dozens of other well-known retailers and restaurants.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 16,242 people, 5,939 households, and 3,973 families residing in the city. The population density was 906.4 people per square mile (349.9/km²). There were 6,464 housing units at an average density of 360.7 per square mile (139.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.08% White, 42.15% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.59% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.96% of the population.
There were 5,939 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,142, and the median income for a family was $43,243. Males had a median income of $36,786 versus $25,314 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,081. About 17.6% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Coweta County School District
The Coweta County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of eighteen elementary schools, six middle schools, and three high schools.[7] The district has 1,164 full-time teachers and over 18,389 students.[8]
- Arbor Springs Elementary
- Arnco-Sargent Elementary
- Atkinson Elementary
- Canongate Elementary
- Eastside Elementary
- Elm Street Elementary
- Grantville Elementary
- Jefferson Parkway Elementary
- Moreland Elementary
- Newnan Crossing Elementary
- Northside Elementary
- Poplar Road Elementary
- Ruth Hill Elementary
- Thomas Crossroads Elementary
- Western Elementary
- Welch Elementary
- White Oak Elementary
- Willis Road Elementary
Middle schools
- Arnall Middle School
- East Coweta Middle School
- Evans Middle School
- Lee Middle School
- Madras Middle School
- Smokey Road Middle School
- The Heritage School
High schools
- Newnan High School
- East Coweta High School
- Northgate High School (Newnan)
- Central Educational Center(Chartered Coweta County School System School)
- The Pentecostal Church of God Christian Academy
- The Heritage School
Higher education
Mercer University has a Regional Academic Center in Newnan. The center, opened in 2010, offers programs through the university's College of Continuing and Professional Studies. The University of West Georgia has a campus located in Newnan, near I-85. This campus is currently holding two undergraduate programs- Bachelors of Science in Nursing and Early Childhood Education. [9] Newnan is also home to a campus of West Georgia Technical College. [10]
Notable natives and residents
- Ellis Arnall, governor of Georgia (1943–1947)
- Hamilton Bohannon, musician and record producer
- Jack Tarpley Camp Jr., jurist
- Drew Hill, former National Football League wide receiver with the Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Rams, and Atlanta Falcons
- Jerome Walton, former Major League Baseball player and 1989 Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winner.
- Keith Brooking, current National Football league linebacker with Georgia Tech, Atlanta Falcons, and Dallas Cowboys.
- Lewis Grizzard, author
- Alan Jackson, CMA award winner
- Joe M. Jackson, United States Air Force colonel, Medal of Honor recipient
- Stephen W. Pless, Marine Corps major, Medal of Honor recipient
- Rocky Roquemore, international golf course designer
- Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith II, (1860–1898), infamous 19th century gambler, confidence man and crime boss
- Doug Stone, country music singer-songwriter
- Steve Young, pioneer country rock musician
Television and movie
- The ABC television series October Road was filmed in Newnan,[11] though it is actually set in the fictional town of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts.
- In the 1978 feature film The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid (original Italian title: Uno Sceriffo extraterrestre - poco extra e molto terrestre) featuring Bud Spencer his character is depicted as being the Sheriff of Newnan and the plot to take place in said city.
- "Murder in Coweta County" TV Movie (1983) Based on the same titled book[12] by Margaret Anne Barnes that chronicles actual events around 1948. Lead actors in the movie are Johnny Cash, Andy Griffith & Earl Hindman.[13]
- The NBC series I'll Fly Away was filmed in Newnan from 1991–1993
- The 1995 movie Fluke was filmed in Newnan.
- Significant portions of Fried Green Tomatoes were filmed in Newnan and Senoia.
- The movie Zombieland released October 2009. The court square in Newnan, GA was transformed into a battlezone on Sunday, March 29, 2008. The Newnan set (Downtown 'Old' Newnan) has been depicted as a Texas town that was a U.S. Army outpost which fought off zombies before being overrun.
- Many scenes from the Lifetime Channel series Drop Dead Diva are being filmed in Newnan
- Pet Sematary Two (1992).[14]
- The popular AMC series, "The Walking Dead", will be filming scenes for its second season in the city. It is currently scheduled to begin shooting in July, at the Newnan High School.
- The Fat Boy Chronicles, a movie about overcoming obesity, was filmed in Newnan High School in summer of 2010. Students were invited to take part as extras in the movie.
- 'Drop Dead Diva', a television series, was filmed in the neighboring city of Senioa, also located in Coweta County.
Airports, major roads and highways
Major roads
- Interstate 85
- Outer Perimeter
- Georgia State Route 34
- Georgia State Route 34 Bypass
- Georgia State Route 16
- Georgia State Route 70
- Lower Fayetteville Road
- Newnan Crossing Boulevard East
- United States Route 29
- United States Route 27
Airports
- Newnan-Coweta County Airport which provides chartered air service and flight training.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ The Coweta County Museum, Newnan Georgia: Black Firsts in Coweta County
- ^ The Coweta County Museum, Newnan Georgia: 03/01/2008 - 04/01/2008
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Monthly Averages for Newnan, GA". Weather.com. 2010. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/USGA0408. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
- ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ "University of West Georgia- Newnan." University of West Georgia. N.p., 2011. Web. 24 Aug 2011. <http://www.westga.edu/newnan/>.
- ^ "Coweta Campus Central Educational Center ." West Georgia Technical College. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Aug 2011. <http://www.westgatech.edu/locations/coweta.htm>.
- ^ Filming locations of October Road at the IMDb
- ^ "Good Reads Page for Murder in Coweta County book". http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3911596-murder-in-coweta-county.
- ^ "Murder in Coweta County IMDB". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085977/.
- ^ "Movies". New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/79436/Pet-Sematary-Two/details.
External links
- Newnan City website
- The Soapy Smith Preservation Trust, Infamous badman born and raised between 1860-1876 in Newnan.
- Cowetanet Local website for Newnan and Coweta County Georgia.
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United StatesMunicipalities and communities of Coweta County, Georgia County seat: Newnan Cities Grantville | Newnan | Palmetto‡ | Senoia
Towns Corinth‡ | Haralson‡ | Moreland | Sharpsburg | Turin
CDP Unincorporated
communityFootnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Historic Districts in Metro Atlanta Clayton County 
Cobb County Coweta County Grantville · Newnan: Cole Town · Greenville St.-LaGrange St. · Newnan Commercial · Newnan Cotton Mill and Mill Village · Northwest Newnan Residential · Platinum Point · Roscoe: Roscoe-Dunaway Gardens · Sargent · SenoiaDeKalb County Atlanta: Candler Park · Druid Hills · Inman Park-Moreland · Kirkwood · Avondale Estates · Brookhaven: · Oglethorpe University · Decatur: South Candler Street-Agnes Scott College ·Winnona Park · Druid Hills: Emory Grove · Emory University District · University Park-Emory Highlands-Emory Estate · Stone MountainDouglas County Fulton County Atlanta: Adair Park · Ansley Park · Atkins Park · Atlanta University Center · Berkeley Park · Brookhaven · Brookwood Hills · Cabbagetown · Castleberry Hill · Collier Heights · Druid Hills · Fairlie-Poplar · Fox Theatre Historic District · Garden Hills · Georgia Tech · Grant Park · Hotel Row · Howell Interlocking · Knight Park-Howell Station · Inman Park · Inman Park-Moreland · Knox Apts., Cauthorn House and Peachtree Rd. Apts. · Lakewood Heights · Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site · Means St. · Midtown · Mozley Park · Oakland City · Peachtree Highlands-Peachtree Park · Pittsburgh · Reynoldstown · Southern Ry. North Ave. Yards · Sunset Ave. (proposed) · Sweet Auburn · Techwood Homes · Underground Atlanta · Virginia Highland · Washington Park · West End · Whittier Mills
College Park · East Point: Industrial District · Fairburn · Hapeville · RoswellGwinnett County Hall County Clermont · Flowery Branch · Gainesville: · Brenau College · Chicopee Mill and Village · Gainesville Commercial · Green Street · Green St.-Brenau · Gillsville · LulaNewton County Covington · Covington Mills and Mill Village · Floyd Street · Newborn · North Covington · Oxford · Porterdale · StarrsvilleRockdale County Categories:- Atlanta metropolitan area
- Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Populated places in Coweta County, Georgia
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