Elberton, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elberton, Georgia
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A home along Elberton's Heard Street
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| Nickname(s):
Granite Capital of the World
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Location in Elbert County and the state of Georgia
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Georgia | |
| County | Elbert | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 4.57 sq mi (11.85 km2) | |
| • Land | 4.54 sq mi (11.76 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2) | |
| Elevation | 702 ft (214 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,640 | |
| • Density | 1,022.03/sq mi (394.64/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) | |
| ZIP Code |
30635
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| Area code(s) | 706 | |
| FIPS code | 13-26616 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0355658 | |
Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,653 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Elbert County.
Contents
History
Settled in the 1780s, Elbert was designated seat of the newly formed Elbert County in 1790. It was incorporated as a town in 1803 and as a city in 1896. Like Elbert County, Elberton is named for Samuel Elbert.
Elberton is known as the "Granite Capital of the World."
Geography
Elberton is located near the center of Elbert County at 34°6′35″N 82°51′56″W / 34.10972°N 82.86556°W (34.109628, -82.865669). State Routes 17 and 72 pass east-west through the center of town as College Avenue, while 77 crosses north-south on Oliver Street. GA 17 leads northwest 19 miles (31 km) to Royston and southeast 29 miles (47 km) to Washington, GA 72 leads east 15 miles (24 km) to the South Carolina border at Richard B. Russell Lake on the Savannah River and west 35 miles (56 km) to Athens, and GA 77 leads north 18 miles (29 km) to Hartwell and southwest 25 miles (40 km) to Lexington.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Elberton has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.4 km2), of which 4.7 square miles (12.3 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.72%, is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 122 | — | |
| 1840 | 210 | — | |
| 1880 | 927 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,572 | 69.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,834 | 143.9% | |
| 1910 | 6,483 | 69.1% | |
| 1920 | 6,475 | −0.1% | |
| 1930 | 4,650 | −28.2% | |
| 1940 | 6,188 | 33.1% | |
| 1950 | 6,772 | 9.4% | |
| 1960 | 710 | −89.5% | |
| 1970 | 6,438 | 806.8% | |
| 1980 | 5,686 | −11.7% | |
| 1990 | 5,682 | −0.1% | |
| 2000 | 4,743 | −16.5% | |
| 2010 | 4,653 | −1.9% | |
| 2020 | 4,640 | −0.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 2,244 | 48.36% |
| African American | 1,860 | 40.09% |
| Native American | 11 | 0.24% |
| Asian | 57 | 1.23% |
| Other/mixed | 148 | 3.19% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 320 | 6.9% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 4,640 people, 1,754 households, and 997 families residing in the city.
Transportation infrastructure
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Highways
Georgia State Routes 17, 72, 77 and 77 Connector pass through the city. Heard, Oliver, Church, and McIntosh streets are the primary thoroughfares downtown while College Avenue and Elbert Street bypass the downtown area and serve as the major routes through the city.
Interstate 85 exits for Elberton include exits 160 (State Routes 51), 173 (17) and 177 (77), all 31 to 33 miles (50 to 53 km) northwest of Elberton. The city can also be reached from Interstate 20 via two exits - State Route 77 (exit 154), 53 miles (85 km) southwest of the city, and U.S. Route 78/State Route 17 (exit 172), 51 miles (82 km) to the southeast.
State Route 72 connects Elberton with Athens to the west and Greenwood, South Carolina, to the east, while State Route 77 connects to Lexington and Hartwell. State Route 17 stretches from the North Georgia mountains to the coast at Savannah. State Route 368 begins just north of the city and links Elberton to Anderson, South Carolina.
Plans for the proposed Interstate 3 have the highway passing through Elberton.
Airports
Elberton and Elbert County are served locally by the Elbert County-Patz Field Airport, located just east of the city on State Route 72.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is located 110 miles (180 km) west of Elberton, while Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is located 75 miles (121 km) to the northeast.
Regional air transportation is available in the nearby cities of Athens, Georgia, and Anderson, South Carolina.
Railroad
For many years, Elberton was an important passenger and freight stop on the main line of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The line is now operated by CSX Transportation and remains in use for freight transportation. A spur line connects Elberton to a main line of the Norfolk Southern Railway (formerly Southern Railway).
Sister cities
Elberton has a sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
Mure, Japan (1983)
The program sends and receives high school students and chaperones each year. They stay in Elbert County with host families for 2 weeks. Many long term relationships have formed between the two cities. The thriving program will celebrate its 35th year in 2017.
Economy
Granite
Elberton claims the title "Granite Capital of the World", although there are no statistics that qualify such a claim. The city's post-Civil War history has largely revolved around the industry, following the opening of the first commercial quarry and manufacturing plant by Dr. Nathaniel Long in 1889. As the industry grew in the early 1900s, so did Elberton's importance on the passenger and freight railroad lines, bringing many travelers and businessmen to the city and leading to its heyday.
Several granite monuments, including the Georgia Guidestones, are located in or near Elberton.
Elberton's Granite Bowl seats 20,000 and formerly featured a retired Sanford Stadium (University of Georgia) scoreboard.
The city is home to the Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit, with a notable exhibit being "Dutchy", a Confederate monument made of granite that was removed from the town square due to its appearance.
Southeastern Power
Since 1950, Elberton has served as the headquarters of the Southeastern Power Administration, a division of the United States Department of Energy. The authority markets power generated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers across the southern United States. The authority recently moved from its downtown headquarters in the former Samuel Elbert Hotel to a new building on Athens Tech Drive on the western end of the city.
Nature's Harmony Farm
Founded in 2008, Nature's Harmony Farm mainly produces poultry, eggs, meats, and farmstead cheese. The farm has received local, national, and international praise, receiving the 2012 gold medal in the Jersey World Cheese Championships in England and the 2014 Grand Champion status in the Flavor of Georgia Competition.
Education
Elbert County School District
The city is served by the Elbert County School District. One learning center, one primary school, one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school are located within the city. The district has 194 full-time teachers and over 3,079 students. The school system is one of the county's largest employers.
Private education
Elberton Christian School was located on Rhodes Drive in the city, but has closed.
Colleges and universities
Athens Technical College operates a full satellite campus on the western end of the city, near the elementary school, middle school, and high school.
Notable people
- Brent Adams, NFL Offensive Lineman for Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams
- Amos T. Akerman, U.S. Attorney General under Ulysses S. Grant, fought railroad corruption and the Ku Klux Klan
- William Wyatt Bibb, appointed first governor of Alabama, U.S. senator, 1813–1816
- Paul Brown, 14-term U.S. congressman, 1933–1961
- Clark Gaines, NFL running back for New York Jets
- George Rockingham Gilmer, two-term governor of Georgia, U.S. congressman
- Derek Harper, University of Illinois and 16-year NBA point guard
- Corra May Harris, early 20th century author, lived at Farm Hill
- Nancy Hart, Revolutionary War heroine
- Stephen Heard, governor of Georgia, 1780–1781
- William H. Heard, former slave, clergyman and U.S. ambassador to Liberia
- Joseph Rucker Lamar, former United States Supreme Court justice
- Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, lived in Elbert County
- Juanita Marsh, third female judge in Georgia, 2020 Georgia Women of Achievement inductee
- Arnall Patz, discovered cause of blindness in premature infants and helped develop laser treatment of diabetic retinopathy
- Charles Tait, U.S. senator, 1809–1819
- Otha Thornton, White House Communications Agency J1 director and presidential communications officer (Bush and Obama administrations), 2013 Ebony Power 100, 53rd National Parent Teacher Association president and chairman of the board, and 2018 state Democratic nominee for state school superintendent
- Wiley Thompson, U.S. congressman and Indian agent, oversaw removal of Seminoles from Florida (Second Seminole War)
- Daniel Tucker, preacher, possible subject of "Old Dan Tucker" song
- Chester Willis, former NFL halfback
- Chester Webb, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
See also
In Spanish: Elberton para niños
