Douglas, Georgia

Last updated

Douglas, Georgia
City
Douglas City Hall 2022.jpg
Douglas City Hall in 2022
Flag of Douglas, Georgia.png
Logo of Douglas, Georgia.png
Motto: 
Working Together to Serve You Better
Coffee County Georgia Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Douglas Highlighted.svg
Location of Douglas in Coffee County, Georgia (left) and of Coffee County in Georgia (right)
Coordinates: 31°30′27″N82°51′3″W / 31.50750°N 82.85083°W / 31.50750; -82.85083
CountryUnited States
State Georgia
County Coffee
Government
  MayorTony Paulk
  City ManagerCharles Davis
Area
[1]
  Total14.67 sq mi (38.01 km2)
  Land14.44 sq mi (37.39 km2)
  Water0.24 sq mi (0.61 km2)
Elevation
253 ft (77 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total11,722
  Density811.94/sq mi (313.50/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
31533-31535
Area code 912
FIPS code 13-23872 [2]
GNIS feature ID0313591 [3]
Website cityofdouglasga.gov

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]

Contents

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°30′27″N82°51′3″W / 31.50750°N 82.85083°W / 31.50750; -82.85083 (31.507413, −82.850799). [10] It is 59 miles (95 km) driving distance northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, 115 miles (185 km) driving distance northwest of Jacksonville, Florida, and 201 miles (323 km) driving distance southeast of Atlanta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Douglas has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36.2 km2), of which 13.4 square miles (34.7 km2) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km2), 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

Climate data for Douglas, Georgia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 19022015
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)84
(29)
86
(30)
90
(32)
97
(36)
103
(39)
111
(44)
108
(42)
105
(41)
103
(39)
97
(36)
90
(32)
83
(28)
111
(44)
Mean maximum °F (°C)76.9
(24.9)
80.2
(26.8)
84.9
(29.4)
90.3
(32.4)
94.8
(34.9)
98.3
(36.8)
99.4
(37.4)
98.3
(36.8)
95.1
(35.1)
90.1
(32.3)
83.9
(28.8)
79.2
(26.2)
100.6
(38.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)60.4
(15.8)
64.3
(17.9)
71.5
(21.9)
78.5
(25.8)
85.9
(29.9)
90.4
(32.4)
92.1
(33.4)
91.1
(32.8)
86.9
(30.5)
79.0
(26.1)
69.6
(20.9)
63.1
(17.3)
77.7
(25.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)49.3
(9.6)
52.8
(11.6)
59.1
(15.1)
65.8
(18.8)
73.8
(23.2)
79.7
(26.5)
81.8
(27.7)
81.2
(27.3)
76.7
(24.8)
67.5
(19.7)
57.5
(14.2)
51.8
(11.0)
66.4
(19.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)38.3
(3.5)
41.2
(5.1)
46.7
(8.2)
53.1
(11.7)
61.8
(16.6)
69.0
(20.6)
71.6
(22.0)
71.3
(21.8)
66.4
(19.1)
56.0
(13.3)
45.5
(7.5)
40.6
(4.8)
55.1
(12.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C)20.5
(−6.4)
24.8
(−4.0)
30.3
(−0.9)
38.0
(3.3)
48.7
(9.3)
60.0
(15.6)
65.4
(18.6)
63.9
(17.7)
52.9
(11.6)
38.6
(3.7)
31.1
(−0.5)
23.5
(−4.7)
17.4
(−8.1)
Record low °F (°C)1
(−17)
6
(−14)
18
(−8)
29
(−2)
40
(4)
51
(11)
57
(14)
56
(13)
37
(3)
29
(−2)
16
(−9)
8
(−13)
1
(−17)
Average precipitation inches (mm)4.38
(111)
3.99
(101)
5.14
(131)
3.34
(85)
2.64
(67)
5.21
(132)
5.42
(138)
5.68
(144)
4.17
(106)
3.35
(85)
2.79
(71)
3.80
(97)
49.91
(1,268)
Average snowfall inches (cm)trace0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
0.2
(0.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)6.96.36.75.25.49.49.99.96.34.84.66.081.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)0.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.10.1
Source 1: NOAA [12]
Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima, precip/precip days, snow/snow days 19812010) [13]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1900 617
1910 3,550475.4%
1920 3,401−4.2%
1930 4,20623.7%
1940 5,17523.0%
1950 7,42843.5%
1960 8,73617.6%
1970 10,19516.7%
1980 10,9807.7%
1990 10,464−4.7%
2000 10,6391.7%
2010 11,5898.9%
2020 11,7221.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [14]
Douglas racial composition as of 2020 [15]
RaceNum.Perc.
White 3,93933.6%
Black or African American 6,11352.15%
Native American 220.19%
Asian 1100.94%
Pacific Islander 70.06%
Other/Mixed 3573.05%
Hispanic or Latino 1,17410.02%

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

Location of the Douglas Micropolitan Statistical Area in Georgia Douglas Micropolitan Area.png
Location of the Douglas Micropolitan Statistical Area in Georgia

Douglas is the principal city of the Douglas micropolitan statistical area, a micropolitan area that covers Atkinson and Coffee counties [16] and had a combined population of 50,731 at the 2010 census. [5]

Infrastructure

Highways

Airport

Utilities

Economy

Confederate soldier memorial Confederate soldier memorial, Douglas, GA, US.jpg
Confederate soldier memorial

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. [21]

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.[ citation needed ] All three were recently[ when? ] named among "Georgia's Hidden Treasures" in a segment on WSB-TV.[ citation needed ]

Douglas has ten public parks. There are four golf courses in and around the city.

Nearby, the 1,490 acres (6.0 km2) General Coffee State Park draws more than 100,000 visitors a year and is the most popular tourist attraction in the area.[ citation needed ]

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. [22] The district has 438 full-time teachers and over 8,000 students. [23]

Private schools

Higher education

Notable people


Related Research Articles

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References

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  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
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  5. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Douglas, GA Micro Area". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  6. Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 228. ISBN   978-1135948597 . Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  7. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 64. ISBN   0-915430-00-2.
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  11. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Douglas city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  12. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Douglas, GA". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  13. "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Jacksonville". National Weather Service. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  16. MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS Archived June 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Office of Management and Budget, May 11, 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
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  21. Etter, Lauren. "At Chicken Plant, a Recession Battle - WSJ". WSJ.
  22. Georgia Board of Education [ permanent dead link ]. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  23. School Stats. Retrieved June 4, 2010.