Claxton, Georgia | |
---|---|
Nickname: "The Fruitcake Capital of the World" [1] | |
Coordinates: 32°9′39″N81°54′31″W / 32.16083°N 81.90861°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Evans |
Founded | May 1890 |
Incorporated | April 1894 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Terry Branch |
• City Clerk | Gayle Durrence |
• City Administrator | Gayle Durrence |
Area | |
• Total | 1.75 sq mi (4.54 km2) |
• Land | 1.74 sq mi (4.50 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
Elevation | 184 ft (56 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,602 |
• Density | 1,497.12/sq mi (577.90/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP codes | 30414, 30417 |
Area code | 912 |
FIPS code | 13-16600 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 0312697 [4] |
Website | cityofclaxton |
Claxton is a city in Evans County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,602 in 2020. It is the county seat of Evans County. [5]
The town had its visionary, W.R. Hendricks. [6] In May 1890 there were only a couple of dwellings scattered around the area that is Claxton. Hendricks, son of Glenn and Nancy Hendricks, had been given a large tract of land by his parents. The Hendricks's ambition was to secure a railroad station at the site, but they met considerable opposition from railroad company officials who maintained that existing stations in the area were sufficient to meet the needs. W.R. Hendricks made a proposition to railroad officials that a well be dug and pump installed free of charge so that trains could stop for water. [6] The deal was made and actual construction began in the latter part of June 1890. The vision of building a town was fully supported by Hendricks's mother, who offered to give a lot to anyone who would erect a building upon it. A number of people accepted her offer, so she revised the plan and proposed to sell one lot and give an adjoining parcel to ones who desired to build.
With the establishment of a town well underway, efforts were begun to establish a post office at the settlement already widely known as "Hendricks". Postal officials in Washington, D.C., upon receiving an application from George E. Wood, declined to approve the name, because a post office in the state was already operating under that name in Upson County. [7] Two other names were then submitted, "Jenny" and "Claxton". Postal officials agreed to Claxton, and the post office opened in 1890. [7]
There is some dispute about the origin of the name. Some local historians contend that the name of a popular actress, Kate Claxton, was the source, while others believe it was in honor of Philander Priestly Claxton, a noted educator of the time. [8]
Shortly after the Claxton post office opened, D.C. Newton, one of the partners in a naval stores company, laid out on a sheet of brown wrapping paper what became the original map of Claxton. Newton drew in the streets, laid out lots and later added street names. The whereabouts of the original map is not known; however, it is believed that this first map remained in his possession until his death and was passed down to his son who died in the 1990s. Another map, believed to be similar to the original, was in the possession of R.R. "Bobby" Tippins, president of Tippins Bank and Trust Company and descendant of the family who founded the bank in Claxton; he died in the 2000s.
Claxton is located at the center of Evans County at 32°9′39″N81°54′31″W / 32.16083°N 81.90861°W (32.160932, -81.908674). [9] It is bordered to the west by the city of Hagan. U.S. Routes 280 and 301 intersect in the center of town; US 280 leads east 52 miles (84 km) to Savannah and west 36 miles (58 km) to Vidalia, while US 301 leads north 22 miles (35 km) to Statesboro and south 48 miles (77 km) to Jesup.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Claxton has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.04 km2), or 0.84%, is water. [10] The city is in the coastal plain region of Georgia. Several types of tree, including pine, oak, sycamore, chinaberry, live oak, sweetgum, and poplar are prevalent in the area.
Claxton has a humid subtropical climate according to the Köppen classification. It has hot and humid summers with average highs of 94 and lows of 70 in July. Winters are mild with average January highs of 61 and lows of 36. Winter storms are occasional. [11]
Climate data for Claxton, Georgia | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) | 86 (30) | 89 (32) | 96 (36) | 98 (37) | 106 (41) | 107 (42) | 105 (41) | 104 (40) | 96 (36) | 87 (31) | 84 (29) | 107 (42) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61 (16) | 66 (19) | 73 (23) | 78 (26) | 86 (30) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 92 (33) | 87 (31) | 80 (27) | 71 (22) | 63 (17) | 79 (26) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 36 (2) | 39 (4) | 44 (7) | 50 (10) | 59 (15) | 67 (19) | 71 (22) | 70 (21) | 65 (18) | 54 (12) | 45 (7) | 38 (3) | 53 (12) |
Record low °F (°C) | −2 (−19) | 13 (−11) | 16 (−9) | 28 (−2) | 41 (5) | 48 (9) | 58 (14) | 56 (13) | 45 (7) | 30 (−1) | 22 (−6) | 13 (−11) | −2 (−19) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.36 (111) | 3.57 (91) | 3.25 (83) | 2.95 (75) | 3.21 (82) | 5.12 (130) | 4.68 (119) | 5.41 (137) | 3.73 (95) | 3.87 (98) | 2.49 (63) | 3.17 (81) | 45.81 (1,165) |
Source: The Weather Channel [12] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1900 | 553 | — | |
1910 | 1,008 | 82.3% | |
1920 | 1,265 | 25.5% | |
1930 | 1,584 | 25.2% | |
1940 | 1,808 | 14.1% | |
1950 | 1,923 | 6.4% | |
1960 | 2,672 | 38.9% | |
1970 | 2,669 | −0.1% | |
1980 | 2,694 | 0.9% | |
1990 | 2,464 | −8.5% | |
2000 | 2,276 | −7.6% | |
2010 | 2,393 | 5.1% | |
2020 | 2,602 | 8.7% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [13] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 989 | 38.01% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,124 | 43.2% |
Asian | 24 | 0.92% |
Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.04% |
Other/Mixed | 76 | 2.92% |
Hispanic or Latino | 388 | 14.91% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,602 people, 908 households, and 660 families residing in the city.
Claxton is governed by a mayor and city council. The mayor is elected at large, while the seven member council is elected by district. [15] Other officials in the city include the city manager, city attorney, police chief, street superintendent, public works director, personnel director, finance officer, purchasing agent, code enforcer, fire chief, municipal court judge, municipal court clerk, zoning administrator, gas superintendent, and water superintendent. [16]
Public education in Claxton is supervised by the Evans County School District. The current superintendent is Dr. Marty Waters.
All schools have been fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as well as the Georgia Accrediting Commission. [17] The public schools in Claxton are Claxton Elementary School, Claxton Middle School, and Claxton High School.
Pinewood Christian Academy was founded in Bellville, Georgia, in 1970. It serves Pre-K4 through 12th grade.
The city is known as the home of the Claxton Fruit Cake which is exported from the Claxton Bakery and the Georgia Fruitcake Company. (See fruitcake.)
Claxton and Evans County are well served by locally owned and operated radio and newspaper. WCLA Radio broadcasts on 93.7 FM and on 1470 AM. WCLA was known for years as the "World's Only Drive-In Radio Station" as it was based in the large screen of Claxton's Tos Drive-In Theatre. Claxton Enterprise has been published since 1912, before the creation of Evans County. Local cable television service is provided by Comcast Xfinity. WLFH-FM (88.9) and WMCD-FM (107.3), while legally licensed to Claxton by the Federal Communications Commission, have offices or studios outside Evans County: WLFH-FM is based in Savannah and WMCD-FM in Statesboro.
On December 10, 1984, a meteorite fell in Claxton and hit a mailbox. [18] The mailbox sold for $83,000 because it is said to be the only mailbox a meteorite has struck. [19] The meteorite was classified as an L6.
Johnson County is a county located along the Oconee River in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,189. The county seat is Wrightsville. Johnson County is part of the Dublin, Georgia, micropolitan statistical area.
Evans County is a county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,774. The county seat is Claxton. A bill creating the county was passed in the Georgia General Assembly on August 11, 1914, and later, on November 3, 1914, an amendment was ratified by a vote of the people which formally created the county. Evans became part of the Statesboro micropolitan area in 2023, joining Bulloch County.
Bulloch County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,099, up from 70,217 in 2010. The county seat is Statesboro. With Evans County, Bulloch forms part of the Statesboro micropolitan statistical area, a component of the Savannah–Hinesville–Statesboro combined statistical area.
Pembroke is a city and county seat in Bryan County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,513. It is located approximately 35 miles west of Savannah, Georgia, and approximately 20 miles south of Statesboro, Georgia. Pembroke is part of the Savannah metropolitan statistical area.
Statesboro is the most populous city in and county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the state, its population was 33,438 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Statesboro micropolitan area, which had 81,099 residents, and is part of the Savannah–Hinesville–Statesboro combined statistical area.
Evans is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Columbia County, Georgia, United States. It is a suburb of Augusta and is part of the Augusta metropolitan area. The population was 29,011 at the 2010 census, up from 17,727 at the 2000 census.
Swainsboro is a city in Emanuel County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,425. The city is the county seat of Emanuel County.
Bellville is a city in Evans County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 127. It is the hometown of film director James Kicklighter.
Wrens is a city in Jefferson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,217 at the 2020 census. It is located on U.S. Route 1, thirty miles west of Augusta.
Millen is a city, and the county seat of Jenkins County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,120 at the 2010 census, down from 3,492 at the 2000 census.
Thomson is a city and the county seat of McDuffie County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,814 at the 2020 census. Thomson's nickname is "The Camellia City of the South", in honor of the thousands of camellia plants throughout the city. Thomson was founded in 1837 as a depot on the Georgia Railroad. It was renamed in 1853 for railroad official John Edgar Thomson and incorporated February 15, 1854 as a town and in 1870 as a city. It is part of the Augusta – Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Sylvania is a city in and the county seat of Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,634 in 2020.
Pitts is a city in Wilcox County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 252.
The Claxton Bakery is a confectionery company based in Claxton, Georgia.
Georgia's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is represented by Republican Rick Allen. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an additional congressional seat to Georgia. The first election using the new district boundaries were the 2012 congressional elections.
The Evans County School District is a school district based in Evans County, Georgia, United States. The superintendent is Dr. Marty Waters.
WAWS is a Christian radio station licensed to Claxton, Georgia, United States. The station is currently owned by Educational Media Foundation (EMF). WAWS carries EMF's Air1 contemporary worship format.
Claxton is an L6 chondrite meteorite that fell to earth on December 10, 1984 in Georgia, United States. It is the only known meteorite to directly strike a mailbox.
The geography of Evans County describes a county in the state of Georgia in the Southeastern United States in North America. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 182.85 square miles (473.6 km2), of which 178.65 square miles (462.7 km2) is land and 4.2 square miles (11 km2) is water. The major body of water is the Canoochee River, which flows through Evans County.
The Culture of Evans County, Georgia is a subculture of the state of Georgia. The most common ancestries in Evans County are American; English; Irish; German; Scots-Irish; French; and Italian. The county has many customs, among them an annual Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival and a century ride. Evans County's cuisine including seafood, corn on the cob and Brunswick stew, as well as Mexican and Chinese food.