Warm Springs, Georgia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Warm Springs, Georgia
City
Broad Street in Warm Springs
Location in Meriwether County and the state of Georgia
Warm Springs, Georgia Location in Georgia (U.S. state) Show map of Georgia (U.S. state) Warm Springs, Georgia Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Meriwether
Area
• Total	1.53 sq mi (3.98 km²)
• Land	1.50 sq mi (3.89 km²)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.09 km²)
Elevation	930 ft (280 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	465
• Density	309.79/sq mi (119.62/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31830
Area code(s)	706
FIPS code	13-80480
GNIS feature ID	0324851

Warm Springs is a small city in Meriwether County, Georgia, United States. In 2020, about 465 people lived there. The city is famous for its natural warm springs. These springs have played a big role in the city's history.

Exploring the History of Warm Springs
Geography and Location
- Transportation Routes
- Waterways and Land Area
Population and People
Famous People from Warm Springs
Images for kids
More Information
See also

Exploring the History of Warm Springs

Warm Springs in 1935

Warm Springs in 1933

Warm Springs was first called "Bullochville." It became well-known in the 1800s as a spa town. People visited for its natural mineral springs. These springs flow constantly at about 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).

Early Visitors and the Springs

People from Georgia, especially Savannah, started vacationing here. They came in the late 1700s to escape diseases like yellow fever. The warm springs were a big attraction. Later, in the late 1800s, people from Atlanta would travel by train to relax here. The Meriwether Inn was a popular place to stay. When cars became common, people started traveling to other places. This led to the inn's decline.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Connection

In 1921, Franklin Roosevelt became ill. He had a paralytic illness, which was thought to be poliomyelitis (polio). He came to Warm Springs in October 1924. He hoped the warm water would help him regain strength in his legs. The natural spring was 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius).

Roosevelt visited Warm Springs often for 20 years. He loved the place so much that he renamed the town from Bullochville to Warm Springs.

The Little White House

In 1932, Roosevelt had a cottage built in Warm Springs. It became known as the Little White House. He used it as a vacation spot while he was president. He died there in 1945. Today, the Little White House is a public museum.

Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute

The city is still home to the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. This was Roosevelt's polio hospital. It is now a famous center for rehabilitation. It helps people with physical therapy and job training. The springs are used by the Institute for therapy. They are not open to the public for bathing.

Recent Visits

On October 27, 2020, former Vice-President Joe Biden visited Warm Springs. He gave a speech about racial harmony and voting rights.

Geography and Location

Warm Springs is located in the southern part of Meriwether County. It is near the border of Talbot County. To the west is F. D. Roosevelt State Park, which includes the Little White House. Pine Mountain is south of the city. It rises about 400 feet (122 meters) higher than the city center.

Transportation Routes

U.S. Route 27 Alternate goes through the middle of Warm Springs. It leads north to Greenville, the county seat. It goes southwest to Columbus. Georgia State Route 41 goes southeast to Manchester. State Route 85 goes northeast to Woodbury.

Waterways and Land Area

Warm Springs covers about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers). A small part of this area is water. Warm Springs Branch and Cold Branch flow through the city. They both lead to Cane Creek, which flows into the Flint River. The southern part of the city on Pine Mountain also drains into the Flint River.

Population and People

Warm Springs has a small population. Here's how the population has changed over the years:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	204	—
1920	332	62.7%
1930	400	20.5%
1940	608	52.0%
1950	557	−8.4%
1960	538	−3.4%
1970	523	−2.8%
1980	461	−11.9%
1990	407	−11.7%
2000	485	19.2%
2010	425	−12.4%
2020	465	9.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

In 2010, there were 485 people living in Warm Springs. About 67% of the people were White, and about 32% were African American. The city had 172 households. About 27% of these households had children under 18. The average age of people in Warm Springs was 45 years old.

Famous People from Warm Springs

Many interesting people have connections to Warm Springs:

Helen Gurley Brown: A famous editor for Cosmopolitan magazine. Her family moved to Warm Springs.
George W. Jenkins: He was born in Warm Springs. He later founded the popular grocery store chain, Publix.
George Foster Peabody: A kind person who gave a lot of money to good causes. He retired in Warm Springs.
Cpl. Maoma L. Ridings: She was a soldier who worked as a nurse for President Roosevelt. Her unsolved murder made national news.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The 32nd U.S. President. He lived in the Little White House when he wasn't in Washington. He also passed away there.

Images for kids

The Little White House, located in the Warm Springs Historic District, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's personal retreat and was the site of his death. The house was opened to the public as a museum in 1948.
Georgia Hall, the main building of the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute, was built in 1933. Roosevelt often hosted Thanksgiving dinners in its dining hall for those who were using the Springs. For much of its existence, the institute was the only such facility "exclusively devoted" to polio patients.
The Polio Hall of Fame (or the Polio Wall of Fame) consists of a linear grouping of sculptured busts of fifteen scientists and two laymen who made important contributions to the knowledge and treatment of poliomyelitis. It is found on the outside wall of what is called Founder's Hall of the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation in Warm Springs, Georgia.
The Eleanor Roosevelt School in Warm Springs was built in 1936 and opened in 1937. It was the last Rosenwald school built in the United States using funds provided by the Julius Rosenwald Fund. The school operated from 1937 until 1972. The building was purchased privately in 1977. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 2010.
The Benjamin F. Bulloch House was built in the Queen Anne style in 1893 by Warm Springs' co-founder, Benjamin F. Bulloch. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 26, 1994. For many years, the house was the location of The Bulloch House Restaurant. The Benjamin F. Bulloch House was completely destroyed by a fire on June 10, 2015.
The Bulloch Family House is located at 5634 Spring St. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 11, 2002.
The Oakland Plantation Inn was built in 1829. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 28, 1982.
Warm Springs was originally named "Bullochville". The historic district of Old Bullochville is located in the center of town and is the site of the annual Watermelon Festival.
Downtown Warm Springs