Macon, Georgia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Also know as The Mac-Town, The 478, M.A.C. and The Heart.
Macon is a city located in central Georgia. It is among the top five largest metropolitan areas in Georgia, and the county seat of Bibb County, It lies near the geographic center of Georgia, approximately 80 miles (129 km) south of Atlanta, hence the city's nickname as the Heart of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, Macon had a city proper population of 141,255, and a metropolitan population of 356,801. Macon is also one of the major factors of Georgia's economy. It is a diversified transportation, commercial, and manufacturing city. Products include zippers, tobacco products, textiles, printed materials, and aerospace equipment. Robins Air Force Base, a contributor to the city's economy, is to the south. The area is served by the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. The current (as of 2006) mayor of Macon is the Honorable Clarence Jack (C. Jack) Ellis.
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[edit] Geography
Macon is one of Georgia's three Fall Line Cities, along with Augusta and Columbus. Because the Fall Line is where the hilly lands of the Piedmont plateau meet the flat terrain of the coastal plain, Macon has a varied landscape of rolling hills on the north side and flat plains on the south.
At the fall line, rivers are marked by rapidly falling water and thus became ideal locations for textile mills in the past. The Ocmulgee River is the major river that runs through Macon.
The Macon metropolitan area includes Bibb County, Twiggs County, Jones County, Houston County, Peach County, Crawford County, and Monroe County.
Macon has a humid, subtropical temperature. The summer often reaches its high in the mid-90s, and the winters have lows in the mid-40s. The city has an average annual precipitation of 45 inches. Macon is often considered a dividing line or "natural snowline" of the southeastern United States with areas north of the city receiving snowfall annually, while areas to the south typically not receiving snowfall every year or at all.
Macon is located at (32.834839, -83.651672)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 145.7 km² (56.3 mi²). 144.5 km² (55.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (0.82%) is water.
Macon is approximately 381 feet (116 meters) above sea levelGR3.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 97,255 people, 38,444 households, and 24,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 672.9/km² (1,742.8/mi²). There were 44,341 housing units at an average density of 306.8/km² (794.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 35.46% White, 62.45% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 38,444 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.0% were married couples living together, 25.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 79.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,405, and the median income for a family was $33,699. Males had a median income of $29,950 versus $22,865 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,082. About 21.6% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
Macon lies on the site of the Ocmulgee Old Fields, which were home to Creek Indians and their predecessors for as long as 12,000 years before Europeans arrived. The fields and forests around Macon and what is now the Ocmulgee National Monument were cultivated by the Creeks, who built temple and funeral mounds that survive today.
Prior to its establishment as a city, Macon was the site of Fort Benjamin Hawkins. After the Creeks ceded their lands east of the Ocmulgee River, President Thomas Jefferson ordered the fort built in 1806 on the fall line of the Ocmulgee River to protect the new frontier, as it was a major military distribution point during the War of 1812 and the Creek War of 1813. Afterwards, the fort became a trading post for a few more years before it fell to disuse. A replica of the fort, however, stands today on a hill in east Macon. By this time, many settlers had already begun to move into the area and later renamed Fort Hawkins “Newtown.” After the establishment of Bibb County in 1822, the city was chartered as the county seat in 1823 and officially named Macon, in honor of North Carolina statesman Nathaniel Macon because many of the city's early settlers hailed from North Carolina. The city planners of Macon envisioned "a city within a park" and went about creating a city of spacious streets and parks. They also designated 250 acres for Central City Park and citizens were required by ordinances to plant shade trees in their front yards.
The city thrived due to its location on the Ocmulgee River and cotton became the mainstay of Macon's early economy. Cotton boats, stage coaches, and later, in 1843, a railroad all brought economic prosperity to Macon. In 1836, Wesleyan College, the oldest women's college in the world, was founded in Macon. During the Civil War, Macon served as the official arsenal of the Confederacy and Macon City Hall, which would serve as the temporary state capitol in 1864, was converted to use as a hospital for the wounded. However, Macon was spared by General William Tecumseh Sherman on his march to the sea. The nearby state capital of Milledgeville had been sacked and Maconites prepared for an attack. But General Sherman feared that Confederate forces were preparing a unified attack of their own and therefore bypassed Macon. In 1855 a referendum was held to determine a capital city for Georgia. Macon came in last with 3,802 votes[1]. Throughout the era of Reconstruction and into the twentieth century, Macon grew into a prospering town in Middle Georgia, and began to serve as a transportation hub for the entire state.
Macon was famous for being the home of the serial killer Anjette Lyles.
[edit] Musical Heritage
Macon natives have had a great influence upon music of the United States. The kazoo was invented in the city during the 1840s. Macon has been the birthplace or hometown to such musicians as The Allman Brothers Band, Mark Heard, Lucille Hegamin, Lena Horne, Otis Redding, and Little Richard, as well as more recent names like violinist Robert McDuffie, rapper Young Jeezy, and country artist Jason Aldean. Partly as a result of this musical heritage, Macon is also the home of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, where musicians from around the state are enshrined for their contributions.
Today, the city remains the cultural hub of Middle Georgia, hosting the Macon Symphony Orchestra, which performs at the historic Grand Opera House in downtown Macon, as well as a youth symphony, the Middle Georgia Concert Band, and numerous other groups, many associated with the local universities.
[edit] Festivals
- International Cherry Blossom Festival - Macon is known as the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World." It boasts over 300,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees, more than any other city in the world. During mid-March of every year, the height of the trees' bloom, Macon holds this 10-day celebration of concerts, food festivals, arts and crafts shows, parades, street markets, picnics, dances, and exhibitions of artists from around the world. The city becomes bathed in pink, the symbolizing color of this event, reflecting the color of the blossoms. The festival is by far Macon's largest and most well-known event. It has become among the top 20 events in the South, top 50 in the United States, and one of the top 100 in North America.
- First Night Macon - First Night Macon is a family-oriented arts festival held in Macon every New Year's Eve. It features many concerts, dances, art shows, and theatrical performances at different venues and galleries around the downtown area, and a grand finale of fireworks at midnight.
- Pan-African Festival - Macon has a rich African American cultural heritage. Each year in April, Macon holds the Pan-African Festival featuring parades, African and Caribbean musical performances, African dancing, films, food festival, cultural shows, and exhibitions.
- Ocmulgee Indian Celebration - A celebration of Macon's original Native American Heritage, this festival is held every September at Ocmulgee National Monument. Representatives from diverse backgrounds of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and other nations come to share stories, exhibit native art, perform dances, and play live music.
- The Georgia State Fair - The Fair is held in Central City Park every year starting in late September.
[edit] Attractions
- Ocmulgee National Monument is located near downtown Macon. It preserves some of the largest mounds in Georgia built by the Native Americans of the Mississippian culture a millennium ago. The park features a spiral mound, funeral mound, temple mounds, burial mounds, an earth lodge, as well as other smaller sites used for ceremonial purposes.
- Harriet Tubman African American Museum - the largest African American museum in Georgia
- Hay House - also known as the "Johnston-Felton-Hay House", it has been referred to as the "Palace of the South"
- Sidney Lanier Cottage - historical home to poet Sidney Lanier
- Cannonball House and Civil War Museum
- Woodruff House
- Douglass Theatre, historical african-american theater
- The Grand Opera House, home to the Macon Symphony Orchestra.
- Museum of Arts and Sciences and Planetarium
- Georgia Music Hall of Fame
- Fort Hawkins, the original white settlement in the area
- City Hall, Georgia's capitol for part of the American Civil War
- City Auditorium, the world's largest copper dome
- Macon Mall, one of Georgia's largest shopping centers outside of metro
- Macon Little Theatre, established in 1934, the area's oldest community theatre producing 7 plays/musicals per season
- The Georgia Children's Museum - Five Stories of interactive education located in downtown
- Ocmulgee Heritage Trail - a greenway of parks, plazas, and landmarks along the Ocmulgee River in downtown Macon
- Nu-Way Wieners - Macon is home to the first Nu-Way Weiners, built in 1916.
[edit] Sports
| Club | Sport | League | Venue | Logo |
| Macon Music | Baseball | South Coast League | Luther Williams Field |  |
[edit] Sister Cities
Mâcon, France
Elmina, Ghana
Kurobe, Japan
Ulyanovsk, Russia
Gwacheon City, South Korea
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
[edit] Education
Colleges and Universities
- Central Georgia Technical College
- Georgia College and State University - main campus in Milledgeville; some programs offered at Macon State College's campus
- Macon State College
- Mercer University
- Wesleyan College
High Schools
- Central Fellowship Christian Academy
- Central High School
- First Presbyterian Day School
- Gilead Christian Academy
- Hutchings High School
- Mount de Sales Academy
- Northeast Magnet High School
- Rutland High School
- Southwest Magnet High School
- Stratford Academy
- Tattnall Square Academy
- Westside High School
- Windsor Academy
Special facilities
- Georgia Academy for the Blind
[edit] Fun Facts
- The first kazoo was invented in this by an African American named Alabama Vest in the 19th century.
- The Color Purple was based in Macon.
- Norm Nixon, a former professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association, was born in Macon.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
