Alma, Georgia

Alma, Georgia
City
Alma City services in Bacon County Courthouse
Logo
Nickname:  "Georgia's Blueberry Capital"
Location in Bacon County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°32′30″N82°28′0″W / 31.54167°N 82.46667°W / 31.54167; -82.46667
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Bacon
Government
• Mayor	Larry Taylor
Area [1]
• Total	6.22 sq mi (16.11 km2)
• Land	6.09 sq mi (15.78 km2)
• Water	0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
Elevation	200 ft (61 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,433
• Density	563.53/sq mi (217.57/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31510
Area code	912
FIPS code	13-01612 [2]
GNIS feature ID	0310492 [3]
Website	www.cityofalmaga.gov

Bacon County Courthouse

Alma is a city in Bacon County, Georgia, United States, and the county seat. ^[4] As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,433. ^[5]

Alma is known as Georgia's blueberry capital, and hosts a Blueberry Festival each June.

History

Alma was founded in 1900 as a stop on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It was incorporated as a city in 1906 and designated seat of the newly formed Bacon County in 1914. ^[6] There are two theories about the origin of the name of the town. The first is that it was named for the wife of a traveling salesmen, Alma Sheridan; the other is that it was named for the initial letter of the four state capitals Georgia has had: Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville, and Atlanta. ^{[7] [8]}

There are four sites in Alma listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Alma Depot, Bacon County Courthouse, Bacon County School, and the Rabinowitz Building.

Geography

Alma is located in southeastern Georgia at 31°32′30″N82°28′0″W / 31.54167°N 82.46667°W / 31.54167; -82.46667 (31.541543, -82.466666). ^[9]

The city is located along U.S. Routes 1 and 23 (Pierce Street). The two run through the center of the city together before splitting just north of the city. U.S. 1 connects the city with Baxley, 19 mi (31 km) to the north, and U.S. 23 connects the city with Hazlehurst, 25 mi (40 km) to the northwest. U.S. 1/23 also lead south together 29 mi (47 km) to Waycross. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes 32 (16th Street) and 64 (Market Street).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²), of which 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²) is land and 0.69 square miles (1.8 km²), or 11.27%, is water. ^[10]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	458		—
1920	1,061		131.7%
1930	1,235		16.4%
1940	1,840		49.0%
1950	2,588		40.7%
1960	3,515		35.8%
1970	3,756		6.9%
1980	3,819		1.7%
1990	3,663		−4.1%
2000	3,236		−11.7%
2010	3,466		7.1%
2020	3,433		−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 1850-1870 [12] 1880 [13] 1890-1910 [14] 1920-1930 [15] 1930-1940 [16] 1940-1950 [17] 1960-1980 [18] 1980-2000 [19]

Alma racial composition as of 2020 ^[5]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	1,599	46.58%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,455	42.38%
Native American	2	0.06%
Asian	25	0.73%
Pacific Islander	3	0.09%
Other/Mixed	105	3.06%
Hispanic or Latino	244	7.11%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,433 people, 1,005 households, and 620 families residing in the city.

Education

Alma is served by the Bacon County School District. ^[20] The district has 126 full-time teachers and over 1,900 students, ^[21] and operates these schools:

• Bacon County Elementary School
• Bacon County Primary School
• Bacon County Middle School
• Bacon County High School

Alma is also served by Coastal Pines Technical College.

Notable people

• Harry Crews, novelist, playwright, short story writer and essayist
• Braswell Deen, U.S. Representative from Georgia; moved to Alma
• Daniel W. Lee, recipient of Congressional Medal of Honor
• Walter J. Leonard, former president of Fisk University
• William M. Wheeler, U.S. Representative from Georgia

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bacon County, Georgia

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
6. Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 216. ISBN   978-1135948597 . Retrieved November 30, 2013.
7. "Alma". Georgia.gov. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
8. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 4. ISBN   0-915430-00-2.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Alma city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
11. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
12. "1870 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1870.
13. "1880 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1880.
14. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930.
15. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930. p. 253.
16. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1940.
17. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
18. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
19. "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 2000.
20. Georgia Board of Education ^{[ permanent dead link ]}, Retrieved July 28, 2010.
21. Free District Report, Retrieved May 29, 2010.

External links

• City of Alma official website
• Alma/Bacon County Development Authority