Roberta, Georgia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Roberta, Georgia
City
Roberta City Hall
Motto(s): A small town with a big heart
Location in Crawford County and the state of Georgia
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Crawford
Area
• Total	1.51 sq mi (3.90 km²)
• Land	1.49 sq mi (3.86 km²)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km²)
Elevation	505 ft (154 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	813
• Density	546.00/sq mi (210.80/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31078
Area code(s)	478
FIPS code	13-65856
GNIS feature ID	0321670

Roberta is a small city located in Crawford County, Georgia, in the United States. It's known for its motto: "A small town with a big heart." In 2020, about 813 people lived there. Roberta is part of the larger Macon area.

History of Roberta
Where is Roberta Located?
People Living in Roberta
Education in Roberta
- Crawford County Schools
Things to See in Roberta
Images for kids
See also

History of Roberta

How Roberta Began

Long ago, in the early 1800s, a man named Benjamin Hawkins had a large farm near the Flint River. This place was also a trading post where people could trade goods.

From Knoxville to Roberta

Originally, there was a town called Knoxville in Crawford County. But in 1888, a new train track, the A&F Railroad, was built about a mile away. A new train station was built, and a new town started to grow around it. People moved to this new town, which they called "New Knoxville."

A man named Hiram David McCrary let the railroad use some of his land. Because of this, he got to name the new town. He decided to name it "Roberta" after his 7-year-old daughter. Mr. McCrary was a very important person in early Roberta. He owned the first general store, was the first elected mayor, and even worked for the railroad.

In 1910, Roberta officially became a city. It grew bigger, expanding in all directions. The original train station burned down in 1949. A smaller building replaced it, but in 2003, a new building was built to look just like the old one. Today, it's a welcome center for visitors.

Roberta's Changes Over Time

When the A&F Railroad and U.S. Highway 341 were built, Roberta became a popular stop for travelers. Many restaurants and hotels opened. However, things changed in the 1940s when passenger trains stopped coming to Roberta. Then, in the 1950s, a big highway called Interstate 75 was built, but it went around Roberta. This meant fewer travelers came through the city. After these changes, Roberta became a quieter, smaller town.

Where is Roberta Located?

Downtown Roberta

Roberta is located in the middle of Crawford County. You can find it at coordinates 32°43′17″N 84°0′45″W.

Two main roads meet in Roberta:

U.S. Route 80 goes east to Macon (about 26 miles away) and west to Columbus (about 69 miles away).
U.S. Route 341 crosses US 80 in the city. It goes north to Barnesville (about 27 miles away) and southeast to Perry (about 27 miles away).

The city is also located on something called the fall line. This means it's between the hilly Piedmont area to the north and the flatter Atlantic coastal plain to the south. Roberta covers about 1.5 square miles of land.

People Living in Roberta

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	252	—
1910	227	−9.9%
1920	404	78.0%
1930	449	11.1%
1940	535	19.2%
1950	673	25.8%
1960	714	6.1%
1970	746	4.5%
1980	859	15.1%
1990	939	9.3%
2000	808	−14.0%
2010	1,007	24.6%
2020	813	−19.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850-1870 1870-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Roberta's Population in 2020
Group	Number	Percentage
White (not Hispanic)	475	58.43%
Black or African American (not Hispanic)	301	37.02%
Asian	5	0.62%
Pacific Islander	1	0.12%
Other/Mixed	21	2.58%
Hispanic or Latino	10	1.23%

In 2020, there were 813 people living in Roberta. These people lived in 354 households, and 206 of those were families.

Education in Roberta

Crawford County Schools

The Crawford County School District serves students from pre-school all the way to twelfth grade. The district has about 127 full-time teachers and teaches over 2,090 students.

The schools in the district are:

Crawford County Elementary School
Crawford County Middle School
Crawford County High School

Things to See in Roberta

The Benjamin Hawkins Monument.

In downtown Roberta, you can see a restored 1962 Seaboard Coastline caboose. It's next to the train depot and shares a bit of Roberta's railroad history. It also remembers the people who worked for the Southern Railroad.

Also downtown is the Benjamin Hawkins Monument. This monument was built in 1931 to honor Benjamin Hawkins, who was important in the area's early history.