Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 10,639 at the 2000 census and 11,413 as of estimates conducted by the United States Census Bureau for a 12-month period ending 1 July 2008.[3] Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County[4] and the core city of the Douglas, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area which has a population of 48,708 as of the 2008 census estimates.[5]
[edit] History
Douglas was established in 1858 on 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land donated by J.S. Pearson at the confluence of Twenty Mile Creek and Seventeen Mile Creek. It was named for Senator Stephen A. Douglas, a renowned stump speaker and Congressman who was the presidential challenger to Abraham Lincoln in the Election of 1860. Douglas was chartered as a town in 1895 and as a city in 1897. In 1895, the railroad came to Douglas and the community began to boom.[6] In 1909, the Georgia and Florida Railway located its offices in Douglas. The Eleventh District Agricultural & Mechanical School was established in Douglas in 1906. In 1927, South Georgia College became Georgia's first state supported junior college. During the 1920s and 1930s, Douglas became one of the major tobacco markets in the state. Much of this history is depicted in the Heritage Station Museum, which is located in the old Georgia and Florida Railway train station on Ward Street in downtown Douglas.
Douglas has two areas listed on the National Register of Historic Places: downtown and Gaskin Avenue historic districts. They were added to the list in 1989.[7]
[edit] Geography
Douglas is located at 31°30′27″N 82°51′3″W / 31.5075°N 82.85083°W / 31.5075; -82.85083 (31.507413, -82.850799)[8]. Douglas is 62 miles (100 km) driving distance NE of Valdosta, Georgia, 116 miles (187 km) driving distance NW of Jacksonville, Florida, and 205 miles (330 km) driving distance SE of Atlanta, Georgia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33.5 km²), of which, 12.9 square miles (33.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.46%) is water. Major water bodies include Twenty Mile Creek and Seventeen Mile Creek.
[edit] Demographics
Location of the Douglas Micropolitan Statistical Area in Georgia
Douglas is the principal city of the Douglas Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Atkinson and Coffee counties[9] and had a combined population of 45,022 at the 2000 census.[1]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 10,639 people, 3,977 households, and 2,656 families residing in the city. The population density was 825.7 people per square mile (318.9/km²). There were 4,692 housing units at an average density of 364.2/sq mi (140.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.41% White, 45.33% African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.80% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.92% of the population.
There were 3,977 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,946, and the median income for a family was $36,349. Males had a median income of $26,551 versus $20,145 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,652. About 17.9% of families and 24.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.2% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] Highways
[edit] Utilities
- The Electric Department, locally-owned and a member of Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, services Douglas with power.[10]
- The Natural Gas Department, member of both Georgia & American Public Gas Association and the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia, provides gas to the area.[11]
- Water and sewer service is conducted by the city's Water Department.[12]
- The Public Works Department handles yard clippings, junk items, and animal control for the city.[13]
[edit] Economy
[edit] Major employers
[edit] Agriculture Farming plays a large role in the area's economy. Major agricultural products from the town and surrounding county include peanuts, corn, tobacco, and cotton. Chicken is also considered a major part of the economy. [1] In February 2009, It was announced that Pilgrim's Pride, a chicken processing plant employing 900 workers, would shut down. [2] This led to a significant economic downturn in the town, causing more businesses to close. [3] [edit] Tourism Douglas is home to Heritage Station Museum which displays artifacts of the city's history. The WWII Aviation Museum and the Broxton Rocks are also popular tourist attractions in the area. All three were recently named among "Georgia's Hidden Treasures" in a segment on WSB-TV. Douglas has ten public parks that offer year-round activities for all ages and interest groups. Also, there are four golf courses in and around the city. Nearby, the 1,490 acre (6 km²) General Coffee State Park draws more than 100,000 visitors a year and is the most popular tourist attraction in the area. [edit] Healthcare Coffee Regional Medical Center [edit] Education [edit] Public schools The Douglas-Coffee County area is serviced by the Coffee County Board of Education, which operates the following schools:[4] - Pre-K Center
- Ambrose Elementary School
- Broxton Mary-Hayes Elementary School
- Eastside Elementary School
- Indian Creek Elementary School
- Nicholls Elementary School
- Satilla Elementary School
- West Green Elementary School
- Westside Elementary School
- Coffee Middle School
- Coffee High - Freshman Campus
- Coffee High School
[edit] Private schools Citizens Christian Academy and Faith Christian Academy are both K-12 private schools. First United Methodist Church (Douglas, Georgia) provides private Pre-Kindergarten [edit] Colleges South Georgia College is a public two-year institution of the University System of Georgia. Adjoining the college is a satellite campus of East Central Technical College, which has its main campus in Fitzgerald, Georgia. [edit] Notable residents and natives - Jennifer Nettles, one-half of the country music duo Sugarland, is a native of Douglas.
- Maureen Tucker, drummer and occasional singer of Sixties and Seventies rock group The Velvet Underground lives in Douglas.
- Greg Walker, former first baseman and current hitting coach for the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox, is a native of Douglas.
- Dr. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and former president of Georgia Institute of Technology (1994-2008), spent his early years in Douglas. His father served as mayor.
- James Brown, singer, lived here for a short time while working at a local saw mill.
- Bobby Bowden, FSU football coach, first head coaching job was with the football team at South Georgia College.
- Greg Holland, country singer
- Matt Childers, MLB player for the Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves.
- Joel Parrish, former Guard for Cincinnati Bengals. Now serving a prison sentence in Australia for attempting to smuggle 2,457 pounds of cocaine into the Western Australian Coast with William Roger Reaves, another former Coffee Country resident.
[edit] References - ^ a b c "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.
- ^ Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Georgia, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008 U.S. Census Bureau, 2009. Retrieved 01 July 2009.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008, U.S. Census Bureau, 2009. Retrieved 01 July 2009.
- ^ City of Douglas - A Georgia City of Excellence. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- ^ georgia.gov - City of Douglas. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-07-27.
- ^ Public Utilities - Electric, City of Douglas - A Georgia City of Excellence. Copyright 2002-7. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
- ^ Public Utilities - Natural Gas, City of Douglas - A Georgia City of Excellence. Copyright 2002-7. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
- ^ Public Utilities - Water Department, City of Douglas - A Georgia City of Excellence. Copyright 2002-7. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
- ^ Public Utilities - Public Works Department, City of Douglas - A Georgia City of Excellence. Copyright 2002-7. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
[edit] External links
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