Pelham, Georgia

Pelham, Georgia
City
Pelham City Hall
Location in Mitchell County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°7′36″N84°9′10″W / 31.12667°N 84.15278°W / 31.12667; -84.15278
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Mitchell
Government
• Mayor	James T. Eubanks
• City Manager	Craig M. Bennett
Area [1]
• Total	4.08 sq mi (10.56 km2)
• Land	4.08 sq mi (10.56 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	361 ft (110 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	3,507
• Density	859.98/sq mi (332.08/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31779
Area code	229
FIPS code	13-59976 [3]
GNIS feature ID	0320347 [4]
Website	cityofpelhamga.com

Pelham is a city in Mitchell County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,507 at the 2020 census, ^[2] down from 3,898 in 2010. Pelham is well known for its agriculture, with vast farming of cotton and pecans in the area. ^[5]

History

Pelham was incorporated in 1881 and named in honor of Confederate officer John Pelham, ^[6] who was born to a family of slave owners in northeastern Alabama in 1838. ^[7]

Geography

Pelham is in southeastern Mitchell County at 31°7′36″N84°9′10″W / 31.12667°N 84.15278°W / 31.12667; -84.15278 (31.126629, -84.152703), ^[8] sitting at the crossroads of US 19 and State Route 93. U.S. 19 passes through the east side of the city and leads northwest 8 miles (13 km) to Camilla, the county seat, and southeast 25 miles (40 km) to Thomasville. State Route 93 passes through the center of town, leading northeast 14 miles (23 km) to Sale City and south 19 miles (31 km) to Cairo, while State Route 65 leads west from Pelham 14 miles (23 km) to Hopeful.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Pelham has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km²), all of it recorded as land. ^[1]

Pelham has a humid subtropical climate, characterized by humid summers and mild winters. It receives an average of 52 inches (1,300 mm) of rain per year. The average number of days with any measurable precipitation is 90. Pelham has on average 233 sunny days per year. The July high is around 93 °F (34 °C), while the January low is 39 °F (4 °C).

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	168		—
1890	385		129.2%
1900	945		145.5%
1910	1,880		98.9%
1920	2,640		40.4%
1930	2,762		4.6%
1940	2,579		−6.6%
1950	4,365		69.3%
1960	4,609		5.6%
1970	4,539		−1.5%
1980	4,306		−5.1%
1990	3,869		−10.1%
2000	4,126		6.6%
2010	3,898		−5.5%
2020	3,507		−10.0%
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]

Pelham racial composition as of 2020 ^[22]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	1,174	33.48%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,082	59.37%
Native American	6	0.17%
Asian	16	0.46%
Other/Mixed	111	3.17%
Hispanic or Latino	118	3.36%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,507 people, 1,325 households, and 857 families residing in the city.

Education

The Pelham City School District, which conforms to the municipal boundaries, ^[23] holds pre-school to grade 12, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school and a high school. ^[24] The district has 101 full-time teachers and over 1,627 students. ^[25]

• Pelham Elementary School
• Pelham City Middle School
• Pelham High School

Notable people

• Donnie Cochran, former commander of the Blue Angels Precision Air team and first black member
• Don Griffin, two-time Super Bowl winner with San Francisco 49'ers

References

1. "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
2. "P1. Race – Pelham city, Georgia: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
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. "Mitchell County Georgia". www.mitchellcountyga.net. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
6. "Pelham". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
7. "The Gallant Pelham". New York Times. April 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
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". United States Census Bureau.
10. "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
11. "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
12. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
13. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
14. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
15. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
16. "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
17. "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
18. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
19. "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
20. "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
21. "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2010.
22. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
23. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Mitchell County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved September 25, 2024. - Text list
24. Georgia Board of Education ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
25. School Stats, Retrieved June 24, 2010.