Sylvester, Georgia

Sylvester, Georgia
City
Sylvester City Hall
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname:  [1] [2]
Motto:  "Small Town. Big Heart." [1]
Location in Worth County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°31′53″N83°50′10″W / 31.53139°N 83.83611°W / 31.53139; -83.83611
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Worth
Settled	1893
Incorporated (City)	December 21st, 1898
Area [3]
• Total	6.60 sq mi (17.09 km2)
• Land	6.56 sq mi (16.99 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation	387 ft (118 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,644
• Density	860.37/sq mi (332.21/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31791
Area code	229
FIPS code	13-75188 [4]
GNIS feature ID	0356576 [5]
Website	cityofsylvester.com

Sylvester is the county seat of Worth County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,644 in 2020. The city is the county seat ^[6] and business center of Worth County ^[7] and is claimed to be the Peanut Capital of the World due to its peanut production. ^[1]

History

Sylvester was platted in 1893. ^[8] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Sylvester as a town in 1898. ^[9]

Geography

Sylvester is located at 31°31′53″N83°50′10″W / 31.53139°N 83.83611°W / 31.53139; -83.83611 (31.531425, -83.836233). ^[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (15 km²), of which 5.7 square miles (15 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.52%) is water.

Sylvester is located on U.S. Highway 82 at the junction of Georgia State Route 33. Georgia State Route 256 enters into southeast Sylvester, where it is co-designated Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	552		—
1910	1,447		162.1%
1920	1,547		6.9%
1930	1,984		28.2%
1940	2,191		10.4%
1950	2,623		19.7%
1960	3,610		37.6%
1970	4,226		17.1%
1980	5,860		38.7%
1990	5,702		−2.7%
2000	5,990		5.1%
2010	6,188		3.3%
2020	5,644		−8.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 1850-1870 [12] 1870-1880 [13] 1890-1910 [14] 1920-1930 [15] 1940 [16] 1950 [17] 1960 [18] 1970 [19] 1980 [20] 1990 [21] 2000 [22] 2010 [23]

Sylvester racial composition as of 2020 ^[24]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	2,023	35.84%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	3,342	59.21%
Native American	6	0.11%
Asian	47	0.83%
Pacific Islander	6	0.11%
Other/Mixed	129	2.29%
Hispanic or Latino	91	1.61%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,644 people, 2,346 households, and 1,709 families residing in the city.

Education

The Worth County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. ^[25] The district has 296 full-time teachers and over 4,354 students. ^[26]

• Worth County Elementary School
• Worth County Primary School
• Worth County Middle School
• Worth County High School
• Caleb's Christian Academy K-12

Notable people

• Marion Butts - NFL running back who played for the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots, and Houston Oilers; born in Sylvester.
• Rickey Claitt - NFL running back who played for the Washington Redskins; born in Sylvester.
• Meshak Williams - NFL defensive end who played for the Baltimore Ravens; born in Sylvester.
• Mary Hood - award-winning author of How Far She Went, And Venus Is Blue and Familiar Heat. Graduated from Worth County High School.
• Ray Jenkins - Newspaper editor and deputy press secretary to President Jimmy Carter; born in Sylvester.
• Daniel Mack - WWI black veteran lynched in town, but survived by playing dead.
• Sue Monk Kidd - author of the New York Times bestseller, The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair . Born in Sylvester.
• Frank Park - Congressman (1913–1935)
• Bob Sikes - U.S. Representative for Florida, born in Isabella.
• Sonny Skinner - PGA golf pro.
• Michael Carter - Musician, Songwriter, Producer (Lead guitarist for Luke Bryan), graduated from Worth County High School.

References

1. "City of Sylvester Georgia". City of Sylvester Georgia. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
2. "Sylvester". GeorgiaGov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. "Profile for Sylvester, Georgia, GA". ePodunk. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
7. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
8. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 218. ISBN   0-915430-00-2.
9. Acts Passed by the General Assembly of Georgia. J. Johnston. 1899. p. 269.
10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
11. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
12. "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
13. "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
14. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
15. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
16. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
17. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
18. "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
19. "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
20. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
21. "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
22. "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
23. "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2010.
24. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
25. Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 30, 2010.
26. School Stats, Retrieved June 30, 2010.

External links

• City of Sylvester Georgia Portal style website, government, business, library, recreation and more
• Worth County Schools Home Page