Iron City, Georgia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Iron City, Georgia
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settlement_type = Town
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map_caption = Location in Seminole County and the state of Georgia


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Georgia
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Seminole
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area_total_km2 = 2.1
area_land_km2 = 2.1
area_water_km2 = 0
area_total_sq_mi = 0.8
area_land_sq_mi = 0.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0
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population_as_of = 2000
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population_total = 321
population_density_km2 = 152.9
population_density_sq_mi = 401.3
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timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd = 31 |latm = 0 |lats = 51 |latNS = N
longd = 84 |longm = 48 |longs = 43 |longEW = W
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 44
elevation_ft = 144
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 31759, 39859
area_code = 229
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 13-41344GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0332064GR|3
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Iron City is a town in Seminole County, Georgia, United States. The population was 321 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Iron City is located at coor dms|31|0|51|N|84|48|43|W|city (31.014217, -84.812070)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land.

When Iron City was reincorporated in 1908 the corporate limits of the town were to be one-half mile in every direction of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot, according to the Ladies Club. According to the Census Data for Iron City, the town has an area of 0.08 square miles. On the map, Iron City is located at 31.01333 N Latitude and -84.81306 W Longitude.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 321 people, 142 households, and 97 families residing in the town. The population density was 401.4 people per square mile (154.9/km²). There were 149 housing units at an average density of 186.3/sq mi (71.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.88% White, 19.63% African American, 0.31% Asian, 1.25% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.74% of the population.

There were 142 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 77.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $25,781, and the median income for a family was $29,250. Males had a median income of $22,500 versus $21,786 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,161. About 12.9% of families and 23.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.4% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

Brooklyn, Georgia was the original name of Iron City. The name was changed to Iron City when so much mail was being sent to Brooklet, Georgia. The change occurred when the town was incorporated on December 20, 1900. According to the Seminole County Historical Society, it is believed that the name Iron City came about when a new well was being dug and hit a spot of iron ore. The citizens of Iron City thought that the discovery would bring great wealth to the people of the town. The Alabama and Midland Railroad was built in the early 1890’s. Brooklyn, present day Iron City, had a big two story hotel that was used to house the railroad crews.Some of the first buildings on the site of Iron City were log cabins which sprang up around a Sawmill, Southern Supply Company, and Joe Ausley’s Turpentine Distillery. According to Chastine Burke, Iron City had a cotton gin around 1936, by the name of Strickland Cotton Gin. The citizens of Iron City originally had to travel to Rock Pond, a community just a few miles away, to pick up their mail. According to The Iron City Ladies Club, the first post office was established around 1889 with John L. Miller as the postmaster. It was in the back of a general merchandise store. Sara Robinson, who is a retired postmaster, stated that the new post office was built in 1962. In 1996 the town moved the post office to its present location on Highway 84 and 45.According to the Ladies Club, the first mayor was Ish Strickland who was appointed by the governor. His aldermen were J.L. Dickerson, E.S. Perry, John Lane, and W.D. Archer.

Economy

According to the 1990 Census in The Corner Stone of Georgia, there 503 citizens living in Iron City. In the early days of Iron City, citizens went out and bought farm land for two or three dollars an acre. In the present day a farmer will be lucky to buy land for $4,000 an acre. The times in Iron City have changed. In the early 1900’s there were several grocery stores, general stores, and, in the 1950’s, gas stations. Now there are no grocery stores, except for a convenience store where you can buy a loaf of bread. There is one gas station, a hardware store, Greene Poultry, which employees about 25 people, and a mechanic shop. Instead of the iron ore making the town larger with more businesses, the town has actually gone down in economy. The town is a small rural community that relies greatly on farming.

Schools

The first school in Iron City was held in a log cabin with dirt floors. That was a private school. According to the Ladies Club, the first teacher was Linnie Keen Campbell Lane. The second school was classified as a consolidated rural school. The teacher was Bryan Collier who taught grades one through ten. The school had a combination of a library and music room. There was an auditorium added in 1915 (Ladies Club). The second school was destroyed by a fire on June 15, 1931. A new school was built and ready for students by early fall of 1931. According to Chastine Burke, who moved to Iron City in 1930, and attended the school, Speck Newberry was her teacher. The new school housed only grades one through nine. “In 1963, Iron City School was closed and all students were sent to Donalsonville Elementary,” stated Sara Robison.

Churches

One of the first churches in Iron City was the Iron City Baptist Church. The first meetings were held on the south side of town in 1896. The church building was moved to its present location in 1904, according to the Ladies Club. In 1971, one half of an acre was donated to the church by John W. Bowen. All of the church property is estimated to be worth $350,000 (Ladies Club). The Iron City United Methodist Church was built in 1898 and it still stands today as a historical landmark building. That was first organized in 1897 in the office of J.L. Dickenson. The land upon which the church was built at its present location was purchased from the Iron City Board of School Trustees. There are six churches in Iron City. They names of the churches are Iron City Baptist, the Iron City United Methodist, Lighthouse Evangelical Mission, Macedonia Freewill Baptist, Cypress Pond Missionary Baptist, and Wesley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal.

References

Census Data. 14 Nov, 2007.

Seminole County Historical Society. Cornerstone of Georgia Seminole County. Georgia:W.H. Wolfe. 1991

Iron City Ladies Club. Our Town Our Story. 2000

Robinson, Sara. Personal Interview. 10 Nov, 2007

Burke, Chastine. Personal Interview. 9 Nov, 2007

External links