Reidsville, Georgia

Reidsville, Georgia
City
Reidsville City Hall
Location in Tattnall County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°5′2″N82°7′15″W / 32.08389°N 82.12083°W / 32.08389; -82.12083
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Tattnall
Area [1]
• Total	7.70 sq mi (19.93 km2)
• Land	7.57 sq mi (19.61 km2)
• Water	0.12 sq mi (0.32 km2)
Elevation	210 ft (64 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,515
• Density	332.14/sq mi (128.25/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	30453, 30499
Area code	912
FIPS code	13-64512 [2]
GNIS feature ID	0321516 [3]
Website	cityofreidsvillega.com

Reidsville is a city in, and county seat of, Tattnall County, Georgia. ^[4] The population was 2,515 in 2020. The Georgia State Prison is near Reidsville.

History

Reidsville was founded in about 1828 and was designated county seat of Tattnall County in 1832 by the Georgia General Assembly. It was incorporated as a town in 1838 and as a city in 1905. ^[5] The city was named after Robert R. Reid, territorial governor of Florida. ^[6]

Reidsville is home to the Nelson Hotel Bed & Breakfast.

During the events of World War II, Reidsville was the home to at least one, though some reports suggest two, prisoner of war camps for captured Nazi personnel. The prison camp's location has largely been lost to time, but is believed to have stood near the current location of a gas station/self-storage company, near the fringes of the city. Archaeological research into the area has turned up a number of German artifacts, though with the development and addition of a number of houses, it is not clear if this was the location of the camp, or one of the many onion fields in which the prisoners worked.

Geography

Reidsville is located at 32°5′2″N82°7′15″W / 32.08389°N 82.12083°W / 32.08389; -82.12083 (32.083970, -82.120697). ^[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.7 square miles (20 km²), of which 7.7 square miles (20 km²) are land and 0.04-square-mile (0.10 km²) (0.39%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	106		—
1900	257		—
1910	454		76.7%
1920	553		21.8%
1930	631		14.1%
1940	805		27.6%
1950	1,266		57.3%
1960	1,229		−2.9%
1970	1,806		46.9%
1980	2,296		27.1%
1990	2,469		7.5%
2000	2,235		−9.5%
2010	4,944		121.2%
2020	2,515		−49.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]

Reidsville racial composition as of 2020 ^[9]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	1,184	47.08%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,022	40.64%
Native American	4	0.16%
Asian	36	1.43%
Pacific Islander	2	0.08%
Other/Mixed	80	3.18%
Hispanic or Latino	187	7.44%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,515 people, 1,189 households, and 694 families residing in the city.

Government and infrastructure

Reidsville Post Office

The United States Postal Service operates the Reidsville Post Office. ^[10]

The Georgia Department of Corrections operates the Georgia State Prison in unincorporated Tattnall County, near Reidsville. ^[11]

Education

Tattnall County School District

The Tattnall County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. ^[12] The district has 201 full-time teachers and over 3,305 students. ^[13]

Schools in Reidsville:

• Reidsville Elementary School
• North Tattnall Middle School

Nearby Tattnall County High School serves the city.

• 
  North Tattnall Middle School
• 
  Reidsville Elementary School

Notable people

• James Kicklighter - film director, attended Reidsville Elementary School and Reidsville Middle School, before graduating from Tattnall County High School. ^{[14] [15]}
• Lena Baker - first and only woman to be executed by the electric chair in Georgia was executed in Georgia State Prison, Reidsville
• Linton McGee Collins - jurist^{[ citation needed ]}
• Emma Gresham - was an American teacher and politician who was mayor of Keysville, Georgia.
• Jack Hill (politician) - was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Georgia's 4th District in the Georgia State Senate. ^[16]

References

• State of Georgia portal

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. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 243. ISBN   978-1135948597 . Retrieved November 30, 2013.
6. "Profile for Reidsville, Georgia". ePodunk . Retrieved June 14, 2010.
7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
9. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
10. "Post Office Location - REIDSVILLE." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on September 14, 2010.
11. "Georgia State Prison Archived 2008-03-05 at the Wayback Machine ." Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 14, 2010.
12. Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 26, 2010.
13. School Stats, Retrieved June 26, 2010.
14. Jonathan, Mullis. "Reflecting On A Personal Idol, Steve Jobs (2011) | Director James Kicklighter" . Retrieved March 30, 2022.
15. Culture, Jim Farmer (May 20, 2021). "Georgia Native Details Transgender Opera Singer in New Film". Georgia Voice - Gay & LGBT Atlanta News. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
16. "Jack Hill". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 27, 2015.