De Soto, Georgia

De Soto, Georgia
City
GA30/US280EB, Desoto City limit
Location in Sumter County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°57′17″N84°4′3″W / 31.95472°N 84.06750°W / 31.95472; -84.06750
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Sumter
Government
• Type	Mayor-council government
• Mayor	James Cutts [1]
• De Soto City Council	Members Duane Crawford Doretha Dowdell Otis Franklin Jake Reese
Area [2]
• Total	0.82 sq mi (2.11 km2)
• Land	0.82 sq mi (2.11 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	308 ft (94 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	124
• Density	151.96/sq mi (58.71/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31743
Area code	229
FIPS code	13-22472 [3]
GNIS feature ID	0355464 [4]

De Soto is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 214 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Americus micropolitan statistical area.

History

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1889 as the "Town of De Soto". ^[5] The community is named for Hernando de Soto, the explorer who discovered the Mississippi River. ^{[6] [7]}

Geography

De Soto is located at 31°57′17″N84°4′3″W / 31.95472°N 84.06750°W / 31.95472; -84.06750 (31.954674, -84.067633). ^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	250		—
1910	228		−8.8%
1920	216		−5.3%
1930	373		72.7%
1940	295		−20.9%
1950	309		4.7%
1960	282		−8.7%
1970	321		13.8%
1980	248		−22.7%
1990	258		4.0%
2000	214		−17.1%
2010	195		−8.9%
2020	124		−36.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1850-1870 [10] 1870-1880 [11] 1890-1910 [12] 1920-1930 [13] 1940 [14] 1950 [15] 1960 [16] 1970 [17] 1980 [18] 1990 [19] 2000 [20] 2010 [21] 2020 [22]

De Soto, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000 [23]	Pop 2010 [21]	Pop 2020 [22]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	68	54	30	31.78%	27.69%	24.19%
Black or African American alone (NH)	140	130	85	65.42%	66.67%	68.55%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	2	0	0	0.93%	0.00%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	0	4	0	0.00%	2.05%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4	7	9	1.87%	3.59%	7.26%
Total	214	195	124	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census ^[3] of 2000, there were 214 people, 78 households, and 53 families residing in the city. By 2020, its population was 124.

Politics

In 2010, the city was cited by the Georgia Secretary of State's office for failing to hold regular elections in 2009, as well as being unable to document any elections from 2005 through 2007. A De Soto councilmember apologized by saying that the city simply "forgot" about the need to hold an election. Facing a number of state violations, the city promised to remedy the situation permanently by outsourcing the elections process to a third party. The state provided that the 2009 election must be held by March 2010. ^[24]

References

1. "DESOTO". Georgia Municipal Association. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. Clark & Hines, State Printers. 1889. p. 944.
6. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  105.
7. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 61. ISBN   0-915430-00-2.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
10. "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1870.
11. "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1880.
12. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930.
13. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930. pp. 251–256.
14. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1940.
15. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
16. "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1960.
17. "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1970.
18. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
19. "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1990.
20. "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 2000.
21. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – De Soto, Georgia". United States Census Bureau .
22. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - De Soto, Georgia". United States Census Bureau .
23. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – De Soto, Georgia". United States Census Bureau .
24. Jeffers, Wainwright (2010-01-14). City forgot to hold 2009 election. WALB News 10, 14 January 2010. Retrieved on 2010-01-17 from http://www.walb.com/global/story.asp?s=11819734.