Central Georgia | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 Downtown Macon | |
 Central Georgia highlighted in brown | |
 Location of Georgia within the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| Largest city | Macon |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 509,994 |
| Demonym | Central Georgian |
| Website | georgia |
Central Georgia is an eleven-county region in the U.S. state of Georgia. It abuts the Atlanta metropolitan area, just to the north, and is anchored by both the Macon and Warner Robins metropolitan areas.
According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, [1] the region consists of the following counties: Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, and Wilkinson.
In 2010, the estimated total population of central Georgia, including the counties of Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, and Twiggs counties, was 445,608 people. [2] The population has grown by 11% over the last 10 years. The fastest growth was reported in Houston County, which saw a population growth of 26.3% followed by Monroe (21.5%) and Jones (21.3%) counties. The racial make-up of the region as of 2010 was 55.9% non-Hispanic white, 38.7% African American and 1.6% Asian, with about 1.8% identified as mixed or two more races. [2] Houston County had the highest educational attainment for bachelor's degrees (14.5%) and graduate or professional degrees (11.2%) for the population over 25 years old in the Central Georgia region in 2011. By the 2020 U.S. census, the counties forming Central Georgia had a total resident population of 509,994.
Forming part of the Bible Belt, Central or Middle Georgia is predominantly Christian, since the colonial era. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, [3] the majority of the region is Baptist, non-denominational, Methodist, and Catholic. The largest Christian denominations were the Southern Baptist Convention, United Methodist Church, Catholic Church, National Baptist Convention USA, African Methodist Episcopal Church, National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
The region's largest non-Christian religions were Hinduism, Islam, the Baha'i Faith, Unitarian Universalism, and Judaism. The largest Jewish movements in the region were Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism.
The economy in Central Georgia tends to cluster around five areas: aerospace, healthcare and hospitals, kaolin, warehousing and distribution, and heritage and ecotourism. [4] Macon is the region's retail and trade center and the Macon-Bibb county serves as the region's center of employment. [5] The Central Georgia region has been competitive in the United States in terms of economic growth and stability, but within the state of Georgia, the region has not experienced much growth. [4] The region lags behind most other regions in the state in terms of well-being of its residents and overall economic growth. [4] As of 2017, over 46,000 workers from nearby counties commute to the Macon-Bibb county for work. [6] To assist in business growth and development, the Macon Economic Development Commission recruits new businesses and industries to the region. [7] In August 2017, the Canadian based Irving Consumer Products announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in Macon that would create additional jobs. [8]
The Central Georgia Business and Technology Park in Thomaston is a 240-acre facility that houses tenants such as Southern Company, Solutions Pest & Lawn, Criterion Technologies, and Chief Manufacturing. [9]
Houston County is located 75 miles south of the Atlanta International Airport, and home to Georgia's largest industrial complex at the Warner Robins Air Force Base. Houston county has more than 3,000 acres of land for industrial development and one of the lowest property tax rates in middle Georgia. [10] The county is designated one of Georgia's Entrepreneur Friendly Communities. [10] Houston County has experienced a population growth, from 89,208 in 1990 to a population of 160,000 in 2015. [10]
Central Georgia's largest employer is Robins Air Force Base, with more than 22,300 employees as of 2015, [11] followed by Geico with over 5,690 employees and the Medical Center of Central Georgia, with over 4,600 employees. Other employers in the region include the Houston County Board of Education, Bibb County Board of Education, Houston Healthcare, Perdue Farms, the Macon-Bibb County Government, the Blue Bird Corp, Coliseum Health System, and Frito lay. [11]
Central Georgia has several cultural attractions that include the Ocmulgee National Monument, Georgia National Fairground, and the Museum of Aviation at the Robins Air Force Base. [12] Macon is home to over 10 museums, 5 tours and 7 annual festivals. Some of the museums include the Tubman African American Museum, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, and the Museum of Arts & Sciences. [13]
The region has an abundance of nature and wildlife; the High Falls state park is located just north west of Macon. High Falls was a prosperous Industrial town with several stores, including a mill, a cotton gin and a shoe factory until it fell from prosperity. [14]
The region hosts several events each year, with Macon, the population center hosting over 20 annual events and has been nicknamed the festival capital of Georgia. Macon's popular events include the International Cherry Blossom Festival, the Bragg Jam, the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration. [15] Other popular events include the Georgia Peach Festival [16] which is hosted in Byron and Fort Valley, and the annual miss Georgia Peach pageant hosted in Fort Valley. [17]
The region features a regional airport, the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. [18] The region is only hours away from the port of Savannah, a major U.S. seaport. [19] Major freeways and highways in the region include, Interstate-75, Interstate-475, Interstate-16, Georgia State Route-80, Georgia State route-23, and Georgia State route-19. [20]
Peach County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,981. Its county seat is Fort Valley. Founded in 1924, it is the state's newest county, taken from Houston and Macon counties on July 18 of that year. Its namesake is the peach on account of it being located in a peach-growing district.
Macon County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,082. The county seat is Oglethorpe.
Houston County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 163,633 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Perry; the city of Warner Robins is substantially larger in both area and population.
Bibb County is located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 157,346. Bibb County is geographically located in the Central Georgia region, and is the largest county in the Macon metropolitan area.
Macon, officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia, United States. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is 85 miles (137 km) southeast of Atlanta and near the state's geographic center—hence its nickname "The Heart of Georgia."
Centerville is a city in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The city is a part of the larger Macon-Warner Robins Combined Statistical Area. It was incorporated March 25, 1958. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 7,148, up from 4,278 in 2000. The city's central location, proximity to major highways and interstates, and excellent quality of life makes it one of the top bedroom communities in Georgia. In 2016, Centerville was ranked 7th Happiest City in Georgia by zippia.com, a website devoted to career-related rankings.
Perry is a city in Houston and Peach counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Houston County. The population was 13,839 at the 2010 census, up from 9,602 at the 2000 census. As of 2019 the estimated population was 17,894. It is part of the Warner Robins, Georgia metropolitan statistical area, within the Macon–Bibb County–Warner Robins combined statistical area.
Warner Robins is a city in Houston and Peach counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is currently the state's eleventh-largest incorporated city, with a population of 80,308 in the 2020 census.
Byron is a city located primarily in Peach County, Georgia, United States. A small portion of the city also extends into parts of Houston and Crawford counties. The population was estimated to be 5,149 in 2019 by the Census Bureau, an increasing of 14.1% from 4,512 at the 2010 census. The city is in the Warner Robins metropolitan statistical area.
Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and provides education for an eleven-county service area in central Georgia. The school's service area includes Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Dooly, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, and Twiggs counties. CGTC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate degrees, diplomas, and technical certificates of credit.
State Route 74 (SR 74) is a 108-mile-long (174 km) state highway that runs southeast-to-northwest through portions of Bibb, Monroe, Upson, Pike, Meriwether, Coweta, Fayette, and Fulton counties in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route connects the Macon and Fairburn, via Thomaston, Woodbury, and Peachtree City.
Macon State College was a four-year state college unit of the University System of Georgia. On Jan. 8, 2013, it was merged with Middle Georgia College into a new institution, Middle Georgia State College, which was renamed on July 1, 2015 to Middle Georgia State University.
The International Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Macon, Georgia every spring. Macon, known as the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World," has around 300,000–350,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees that bloom around the city in late March every year. The festival, held to coincide with the typical blooming period, lasts for ten days and features events for people of all ages. It has been an annual event since 1982, though the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Route 49 (SR 49) is a 122.8-mile-long (197.6 km) state highway that travels southwest-to-northeast through portions of Terrell, Sumter, Macon, Peach, Houston, Bibb, Jones, and Baldwin counties, mainly in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway connects SR 45 north of Dawson to SR 22/SR 24 in Milledgeville.
State Route 247 (SR 247) is a 43.2-mile-long (69.5 km) south–north state highway located in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its routing is within portions of Pulaski, Houston, and Bibb counties. It originates in the northwestern part of Hawkinsville, and it concludes in the northwestern section of Macon.
Middle Georgia Technical College was a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and provided education services for a four-county service area in middle Georgia. The school's service area included Houston, Peach, Pulaski, and Dooly counties. MGTC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees, Diplomas, and Technical Certificates of Credit. Many of the school's individual technical programs were also accredited by their respective accreditation organizations.
The Macon metropolitan area is a metropolitan statistical area consisting of five counties in Central Georgia, anchored by the principal city of Macon. At the 2010 U.S. census, the five-county area had a population of 232,293. A July 2017 estimate placed the population at 228,914. In 2022, its estimated population was 235,805.
Middle Georgia State University is a public university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers programs to students on five campuses in Middle Georgia and online. Middle Georgia State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.
The Warner Robins metropolitan area is a metropolitan statistical area located in Central Georgia. The Warner Robins MSA is a component of the larger Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley combined statistical area. As of 2020, its population was 191,614.
Robins Financial Credit Union is a credit union based in Warner Robins, Georgia. Robins Financial is the 2nd largest credit union in the state of Georgia. As of March 31, 2022, Robins Financial has over 243,000 members and over $4 billion in assets. Robins Financial operates 22 branch locations throughout the state of Georgia.
"History, Mission, Vision, and Philosophy | Central Georgia Technical College". Central Georgia Technical College. Retrieved 2018-02-21. "Middle Georgia State University - History of Macon State College". mga.smartcatalogiq.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21. Peach Shops at Byron Big Peach Antiques Mall (Roadside America) "Georgia Cities by Population". www.georgia-demographics.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16. Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685 "Economy: The Middle Georgia Report". Georgia Trend. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy" (PDF). Peach County Development. 2018. "Home - Macon Economic Development Commission". Macon Economic Development Commission. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Irving Consumer Products announced plans to locate a $400 million manufacturing plant in Macon-Bibb County, creating 200 jobs". Macon Economic Development Commission. Archived from the original on 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Thomaston Industrial Park". Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2018-07-18. "Economic Development - Houston County". Houston County Georgia. Retrieved 2018-07-13. "Middle Georgia's largest employers". macon. Retrieved 2018-07-13. www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Top 5 Famous People From Milledgeville". www.gatewaymacon.org. Retrieved 2018-07-13. www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Top 5 Famous Macon Actors - Top 5's Everything Else - Gateway Macon". www.gatewaymacon.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-13. Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685 "Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy" (PDF). Peach County Development. 2018. "Living in Macon - Why Macon Works - Macon Economic Development Commission". www.maconworks.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Ga state park". "Macon GA Events | Festivals, Concerts & Farmers Markets". www.maconga.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Home - Georgia Peach Festival". www.gapeachfestival.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Things to do in Middle Georgia: The Georgia Peach Festival". Warner Robins Real Estate - Warner Robins GA 31088. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2018-07-19. www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Home - Middle Georgia Regional Airport". iflymacon.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Sea Ports - Georgia Department of Economic Development". Georgia Department of Economic Development. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Map of Georgia Cities - Georgia Road Map". geology.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Living in Central Georgia". www.thethg.com
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