- McDonough, Georgia
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McDonough, Georgia — City — The Henry County Courthouse
Official seal of McDonough, Georgia
SealNickname(s): The Geranium City Location in Henry County and the state of Georgia
Location of McDonough in Metro Atlanta
McDonoughCoordinates: 33°26′42″N 84°8′57″W / 33.445°N 84.14917°WCoordinates: 33°26′42″N 84°8′57″W / 33.445°N 84.14917°W Country United States State Georgia County Henry 1821 1821 Area – Total 12.9 sq mi (33.4 km2) – Land 12.7 sq mi (32.9 km2) – Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) Elevation 863 ft (263 m) Population (2010) – Total 22,084 – Density 1,737.4/sq mi (670.6/km2) Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) – Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP codes 30252-30253 Area code(s) 770470 FIPS code 13-48624[1] GNIS feature ID 0317901[2] Website http://www.mcdonoughga.org McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 22084 at the 2010 census. Inclusion of the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding McDonough, which are not part of a town/city, raises the population to approximately 30,000 from an estimate in 2008. The city is the county seat of Henry County[3]. It is the home of AM radio station Classic Country 1410 WKKP and SCB-TV cable Channel 15 television station.
The census-designated place of Blacksville and the unincorporated communities of Flippen, Kelleytown, and Ola are located near McDonough, and addresses in those communities have McDonough postal addresses.
Contents
Major highways
Interstate 75
U.S. Highway 23
Georgia State Route 20
Georgia State Route 42
Georgia State Route 81
Georgia State Route 155
Georgia State Route 351
Georgia State Route 401
History
Named for naval officer Commodore Thomas MacDonough and founded in 1823 around a traditional town square design. The buildings surrounding the square are intact although there are some vacancies. The county courthouse and historic jail building are on the north side near the Welcome Center in a historically maintained Standard Oil service station 1920 prototype. The station also houses the Main Street Program Office and Hospitality and Tourism Office. In the center of the square is a monument to Henry County's Confederate dead. One block east of the square, the town's original cotton warehouse has been replaced with the Henry County Judicial Center. In the same area the Henry County Courthouse Annex has an original oil on canvas "Cotton Gin" (4½ by 11 feet) by Jean Charlot. He painted this oil in 1942 for the town post office. His works can be found all over the world in everything from children's books to large murals.
The town was a relay station on the New York to New Orleans stagecoach line and was connected by other stage lines with Fayetteville and Decatur, and with Macon by way of Jackson.[4]
In 1900, a washout during a thunderstorm caused a train wreck about 1½ miles (2.4 km) north of town. The runoff undermined about 100 feet (30 m) of the Southern Railway (Macon division) prior the accident, and the passenger train subsequently caught fire, killing 35. [2]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33 km2), of which 12.7 square miles (33 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (1.6%) is water.
Notable natives
- Darrell Armstrong — former NBA player; lives in McDonough
- Erasmus W. Beck — United States Congressman; born in McDonough in 1833.
- Herman Cain — businessman and candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination; lives in McDonough[5]
- Jason Heyward — Atlanta Braves prospect and first-round selection in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.
- James T. Holtzclaw — Confederate general in the American Civil War; born in McDonough in 1833.
- Kristal Marshall — former WWE Diva.
- Matt Murton — Oakland Athletics outfielder; went to high school in McDonough.
- J.R. Pinnock — George Washington Colonials guard; went to high school in McDonough.
- Renford Reese, Ph.D. — son of pioneer sports writer Earnest Reese (Atlanta Journal Constitution); professor, author, founder, Colorful Flags program at Cal Poly Pomona University; grew up/went to high school in McDonough (graduated 1985). [3].
- Andrew Sloan — United States Congressman; born in McDonough in 1845.
- James W. Wise — United States Congressman; born in McDonough in 1868.
- The Emotron — (b. Jason Kyle Knight); one man punk and electronic band; from McDonough and played many shows at the McDonough American Legion.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,493 people, 3,069 households, and 2,102 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,093.8 people per square mile (422.6/km²). There were 3,234 housing units at an average density of 416.5 per square mile (160.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.4% White, 34.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population.
There were 3,069 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,482, and the median income for a family was $46,818. Males had a median income of $34,669 versus $28,318 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,029. About 9.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.
Although it is considered to be located in Stockbridge, many of the Eagle's Landing Country Club's homes are within McDonough's 30253 zip code.
Events and festivals
Geranium Festival
The city hosts a Geranium Festival each springtime on the third Saturday in May, celebrating the locally grown flowers and community. The one day festival serves as a showcase of local artistry and talent through the open-air craft markets and live musical performances. The festival is sponsored by the McDonough Lions Club, and held on the McDonough Square. 2009 marks the 32nd anniversary of the festival.
Sports
The city is home to the annual AABC Roberto Clemente World Series for seven- and eight-year-old baseball players.
Movies
- Scenes for the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit" were filmed in the town.
- Scenes for the 1989 Oscar winning civil war epic, "Glory" were filmed in the town.
- A pilot episode for the WB show "Roswell" were filmed on the city square at the old Phillips 66 service station.
- A scene from the movie "We Are Marshall" was filmed on Hw. 155 near Miller's Mill.
- "The McDonough Road" is mentioned by one of the characters in the 1939 classic, Gone with the Wind.
Music
Members of the Christian Band Casting Crowns are ministers at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church, where the band plays during services.
Education
Henry County School District
The Henry County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. The district has twenty eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, and ten high schools.[6] The district has 1,543 full-time teachers and over 27,734 students.[7]
McDonough Public Schools
- Eagle's Landing High School
- Henry County Evening Academy
- Henry County High School
- Ola High School
- Union Grove High School
Private schools
- Eagle's Landing Christian Academy[8]
- Lake Dow Christian Academy
- Living Word Christian
- McDonough Christian Academy
- The Sharon School
- Community Christian School[9]
- Strong Rock Christian School
- New Creation Center[10]
- Creekside Christian Academy[11]
Higher Education
Mercer University has a Regional Academic Center in McDonough. The center, opened in 2003, offers programs through the university's College of Continuing and Professional Studies.
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.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ [1], Accessed 24 April 2009
- ^ Reinhard, Beth (2011-05-20). "Home is Where the Votes Are". National Journal. http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/home-is-where-the-votes-are-20110520?page=1. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ Eagle's Landing Christian Academy, Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ Community Christian School, Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ New Creation Center, Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ Creekside Christian Academy, Retrieved August 8, 2010.
External links
- City of McDonough
- Henry Herald
- Henry County School System
- The Henry County Times Newspaper
- Geranium Festival
- Taste of Henry
- Kelleytown, GA
- A Friend's House
- Community Gardens of Henry County
- The Hack Line Learn about what goes on in Henry County, GA
Municipalities and communities of Henry County, Georgia County seat: McDonoughCities Hampton | Locust Grove | McDonough | Stockbridge
CDP Unincorporated
communitiesFlippen | Kelleytown | Ola
Categories:- Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Populated places in Henry County, Georgia
- County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)
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