Homerville, Georgia

"Homerville" redirects here. For the unincorporated community in Ohio, see Homerville, Ohio.

Homerville, Georgia
City
Homerville City Hall in 2012
Logo
Location in Clinch County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°2′13″N82°45′5″W / 31.03694°N 82.75139°W / 31.03694; -82.75139
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Clinch
Area [1]
• Total	3.51 sq mi (9.09 km2)
• Land	3.49 sq mi (9.05 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation	177 ft (54 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,344
• Density	671.06/sq mi (259.10/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31634
Area code	912
FIPS code	13-39748 [2]
GNIS feature ID	0356319 [3]
Website	cityofhomerville.com

Homerville is a city and the county seat of Clinch County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 2,456 at the 2010 census, ^[4] a decrease of 12.38% from 2,803 in 2000. ^[5] It was incorporated February 15, 1869.

History

Clinch County was created on February 14, 1850, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, and was named for General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a decorated United States brigadier general and Georgia congressman who had recently died. Clinch, Georgia's 95th county, was formed from land originally inhabited by the Oconee people and consolidated portions of Ware County and Lowndes County. The act creating the county named Elijah Mattox, Simon W. Nichol, Timothy Kirkland, Benjamin Sirmans, and John J. Johnson as commissioners charged with selecting a county seat and constructing a courthouse.

The designated commissioners quickly settled on a site just southwest of the present-day Homerville, and in memory of President James K. Polk decided to name the county seat "Polk". Two years later, however, the Georgia General Assembly inexplicably changed the name of the county seat to "Magnolia", just as the county's first courthouse was completed. The first courthouse was quite small and was destroyed in 1856 when a citizen, presumably dissatisfied with legal proceedings brought against him, decided to destroy the courthouse by fire.

In February 1853, Dr. John Homer Mattox and his family moved from their former home on the Suwannee River and settled on a tract of land adjacent to the Magnolia stage route. In recognition of his family name, he called the settlement Homersville. Shortly thereafter the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad expansion replaced the stage route, and Mattox's settlement was simply known as "Station No.11".

Over time the settlement grew, and in 1860 approximately 275 citizens of Clinch County petitioned the Georgia General Assembly to move the county seat from the nearby Magnolia to Mattox's settlement. Later the same year, the legislature relented and officially named Station No. 11 the county seat of Clinch County. By 1863, the town of Homersville was known as Forest. It would take approximately nine more years for the legislature to officially recognize the name Homerville and incorporate the city; however, Homerville shows up as the name of the county seat in newspapers by March 1864.

Dr. John Homer Mattox's original dwelling is now the home of the Clinch County Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center. The home recently underwent an extensive restoration that not only restored many of the rooms to their former glory but also added modern plumbing and central heat and air for the convenience of visitors. The structure now holds the administrative offices of the chamber and a museum dedicated to the early days of Clinch County.

Geography

Homerville is located in north-central Clinch County at 31°2′13″N82°45′5″W / 31.03694°N 82.75139°W / 31.03694; -82.75139 (31.036832, -82.751302). ^[6] U.S. Routes 84 and 441 cross in the center of town. US 84 leads east 27 miles (43 km) to Waycross and west 35 miles (56 km) to Valdosta, while US 441 leads north 35 miles (56 km) to Douglas, Georgia, and south 67 miles (108 km) to Lake City, Florida.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²), of which 0.02 square miles (0.04 km²), or 0.50%, is water. ^[4] Wooded areas and swampy marshes surround the city.

Climate data for Homerville, Georgia
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	82 (28)	84 (29)	88 (31)	91 (33)	99 (37)	104 (40)	101 (38)	100 (38)	98 (37)	94 (34)	85 (29)	80 (27)	104 (40)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	61.4 (16.3)	65.4 (18.6)	71.8 (22.1)	78.8 (26.0)	85.8 (29.9)	90.4 (32.4)	92.3 (33.5)	91 (33)	86.9 (30.5)	79.2 (26.2)	71.2 (21.8)	63.3 (17.4)	92.3 (33.5)
Daily mean °F (°C)	48.8 (9.3)	52.3 (11.3)	58.2 (14.6)	64.5 (18.1)	72 (22)	78.2 (25.7)	80.6 (27.0)	80 (27)	76 (24)	66.8 (19.3)	58.1 (14.5)	50.7 (10.4)	65.6 (18.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	36.2 (2.3)	39.2 (4.0)	44.7 (7.1)	50.3 (10.2)	58.2 (14.6)	66.1 (18.9)	68.8 (20.4)	69 (21)	65.1 (18.4)	54.4 (12.4)	45.1 (7.3)	38.2 (3.4)	36.2 (2.3)
Record low °F (°C)	21 (−6)	18 (−8)	25 (−4)	39 (4)	47 (8)	55 (13)	66 (19)	64 (18)	56 (13)	34 (1)	23 (−5)	22 (−6)	18 (−8)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.7 (120)	4 (100)	4.6 (120)	2.9 (74)	2.6 (66)	6 (150)	6.3 (160)	6.1 (150)	4.4 (110)	2.9 (74)	2.7 (69)	3.3 (84)	50.3 (1,280)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	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)	0.1 (0.25)
Average precipitation days	9.9	9.1	8.8	6	7.1	12.9	13.9	12.4	9.5	6.8	6.8	8.3	111.5
Source: Weatherbase [7]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	201		—
1900	434		—
1910	437		0.7%
1920	627		43.5%
1930	1,150		83.4%
1940	1,522		32.3%
1950	1,787		17.4%
1960	2,634		47.4%
1970	3,025		14.8%
1980	3,112		2.9%
1990	2,560		−17.7%
2000	2,803		9.5%
2010	2,456		−12.4%
2020	2,344		−4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1850-1870 [9] 1870-1880 [10] 1890-1910 [11] 1920-1930 [12] 1940 [13] 1950 [14] 1960 [15] 1970 [16] 1980 [17] 1990 [18] 2000 [19] 2010 [20]

Homerville racial composition as of 2020 ^[21]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	1,067	45.52%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,086	46.33%
Native American	11	0.47%
Asian	17	0.73%
Pacific Islander	4	0.17%
Other/Mixed	81	3.46%
Hispanic or Latino	78	3.33%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,344 people, 983 households, and 610 families residing in the city.

Education

Clinch County School District

The Clinch County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of a headstart, elementary/middle school, and a high school.

The district has 96 full-time teachers and over 1,499 students. ^[22]

• Clinch County Elementary School
• Clinch County Middle School
• Clinch County High School

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. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Homerville city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. "Historical Weather for Homerville, Georgia, United States". Weatherbase. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
8. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
9. "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
10. "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
11. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
12. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
13. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
14. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
15. "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
16. "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
17. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
18. "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
19. "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
20. "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2010.
21. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
22. School Stats, Retrieved June 4, 2010.