Douglas, Georgia Explained

Official Name:Douglas, Georgia
Settlement Type:City
Motto:Working Together to Serve You Better
Image Blank Emblem:Logo of Douglas, Georgia.png
Blank Emblem Type:Logo
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Georgia
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Coffee
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Tony Paulk
Leader Title1:City Manager
Leader Name1:Charles Davis
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:38.01
Area Land Km2:37.39
Area Water Km2:0.61
Area Total Sq Mi:14.67
Area Land Sq Mi:14.44
Area Water Sq Mi:0.24
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:11722
Population Density Km2:313.50
Population Density Sq Mi:811.94
Timezone:EST
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Coordinates:31.5075°N -82.8508°W
Elevation M:77
Elevation Ft:253
Postal Code Type:ZIP Codes
Postal Code:31533-31535
Area Code:912
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:13-23872[2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0313591[3]

Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,722. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County[4] and the core city of the Douglas micropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 50,731 as of the 2010 census.[5]

History

Douglas was founded in 1855 as the seat of the newly formed Coffee County.[6] It was named for Senator Stephen A. Douglas from Illinois, a renowned stump speaker who was the challenger to Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860.[7]

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.[8] 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 was founded as Georgia's first state-supported junior college.

During the 1920s and 1930s, Douglas was one of the major tobacco markets in the state. Much of this history is depicted in the Heritage Station Museum, located in the former Georgia and Florida Railway train station on Ward Street in downtown Douglas.

Douglas has two areas listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the downtown and Gaskin Avenue historic districts. They were added to the list in 1989.[9]

Geography

Douglas is located near the center of Coffee County at (31.507413, −82.850799).[10] It is driving distance northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, driving distance northwest of Jacksonville, Florida, and driving distance southeast of Atlanta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Douglas has a total area of 36.2km2, of which 34.7sqkm is land and 1.5sqkm, or 4.08%, is water.[11] Major water bodies include Twenty Mile Creek, the Seventeen Mile River (a tributary of the Satilla River), and Hilliard's Pond, which was once the ski show park "Holiday Beach".

Climate

Demographics

Douglas racial composition as of 2020[12] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White3,93933.6%
Black or African American6,11352.15%
Native American220.19%
Asian1100.94%
Pacific Islander70.06%
Other/Mixed3573.05%
Hispanic or Latino1,17410.02%
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 11,722 people, 4,339 households, and 2,610 families residing in the city.

Douglas micropolitan statistical area

Douglas is the principal city of the Douglas micropolitan statistical area, a micropolitan area that covers Atkinson and Coffee counties[13] and had a combined population of 50,731 at the 2010 census.[5]

Infrastructure

Highways

Airport

Utilities

Economy

Major employers

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 a major part of the economy.[18]

Tourism

Douglas is home to Heritage Station Museum, which displays artifacts of the city's history. The World War II Flight Training Museum (the old 63rd Army Air Forces Contract Pilot School),Broxton is home to the Broxton Rocks, and the Ashley-Slater House 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. There are four golf courses in and around the city.

Nearby, the 1490acres General Coffee State Park draws more than 100,000 visitors a year and is the most popular tourist attraction in the area.

Healthcare

Media

Education

Coffee County School District

The Douglas-Coffee County area is served by the Coffee County Board of Education. The Coffee County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of eight elementary schools, a middle school, three high schools, and an alternative education center.[19] The district has 438 full-time teachers and over 8,000 students.[20]

Private schools

Higher education

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. December 18, 2021.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. January 31, 2008.
  3. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. January 31, 2008. United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007.
  4. Web site: Find a County . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . May 31, 2011 .
  5. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Douglas, GA Micro Area. https://archive.today/20200212203154/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/320M100US1320060. dead. February 12, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. July 29, 2014.
  6. Book: Historical Gazetteer of the United States . Routledge . May 13, 2013 . November 30, 2013 . Hellmann, Paul T. . 228. 978-1135948597 .
  7. Book: Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins . Winship Press . Krakow, Kenneth K. . 1975 . Macon, GA . 64 . 0-915430-00-2.
  8. http://www.cityofdouglas.com/web/index.php City of Douglas - A Georgia City of Excellence. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  9. Web site: georgia.gov – City of Douglas. Retrieved 14 March 2008. . May 14, 2008 . April 18, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080418060454/http://douglas.georgia.gov/05/home/0,2230,8609704,00.html . dead .
  10. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  11. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Douglas city, Georgia. https://archive.today/20200212180652/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1323872. dead. February 12, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. July 29, 2014.
  12. Web site: Explore Census Data. 2021-12-09. data.census.gov.
  13. https://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/List5.txt MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS
  14. http://www.cityofdouglas.com/web/electric.php Public Utilities – Electric
  15. http://www.cityofdouglas.com/web/gas.php Public Utilities – Natural Gas
  16. http://www.cityofdouglas.com/web/water.php Public Utilities – Water Department
  17. http://www.cityofdouglas.com/web/street_sanitation.php Public Utilities – Public Works Department
  18. News: At Chicken Plant, a Recession Battle - WSJ. WSJ. Etter. Lauren.
  19. http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=634&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education
  20. http://www.school-stats.com/GA/COFFEE/COFFEE_COUNTY.html School Stats

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