Macon

 

(mā'kən, mā'kŏn) , city (1990 pop. 106,612), seat of Bibb co., central Ga., at the head of navigation on the Ocmulgee River; inc. 1823. It is the industrial, processing, and shipping center for a farm area that produces cotton, peanuts, soybeans, poultry, and dairy products. Chemicals and wood and metal products are among its manufactures. Fort Hawkins was established on the east side of the river in 1806 and renamed Newtown in 1821. Macon (for Nathaniel Macon) was laid out on the west side in 1823; Newtown was annexed in 1829. Wesleyan College and Mercer Univ. are there. Also in Macon are the birthplace of Sidney Lanier, several antebellum mansions, a restored grand-opera house (1884), restored Fort Hawkins (1806), a museum of arts and sciences, and a planetarium. Nearby are Robins Air Force Base and Ocmulgee National Monument.

Also see: Macon (disambiguation).

City of Macon, Georgia
Downtown Macon skyline from East
Nickname: "The Mac-Town", "The Heart of GA" "The 478", "Middle Georgia", "Central Georgia" and "M.A.C."
Location in Bibb county in the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°50′5″N 83°39′6″W / 32.83472, -83.65167
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Counties	Bibb, Jones
Government
- Mayor	Hakim Mansour Ellis (D)
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2005)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
- Urban
- Metro
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	31200-31299
Area code(s)	478
FIPS code	13-490002
GNIS feature ID	03323013
Website: http://www.macon.com/

Macon is a city located in central Georgia, USA. It is among the largest metropolitan areas in Georgia, and the county seat of Bibb County. It lies near the geographic center of Georgia, approximately 75 miles (129 km) south of Atlanta, hence the city's nickname as the Heart of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, Macon had a population of 97,606; ^[1] as of 2005, the Macon-Warner Robins combined statistical area had an estimated metropolitan population of 476,954 ^[2]. Macon is located at latitude 32°50'5" North, and longitude 83°39'6" West.

Macon is the sixth-largest city (by population) and third-largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in Georgia, behind Atlanta and Augusta. The Macon Consolidated Statistical Area (CSA) includes 13 Georgia counties; the July 2006 U.S. Census estimate puts Macon's CSA population at 476,954.

Robins Air Force Base, a major employer, is south of the city in Warner Robins. The area is also home to several institutions of higher education, as well as numerous museums and tourism sites. The area is served by the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. The current (as of 2007) mayor of Macon is C. Jack Ellis (who has expressed an intent to change his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis due to his conversion to Islam). Residents of Macon are known as Maconites.

History

Macon lies on the site of the Ocmulgee Old Fields, which were home to Creek Indians and their predecessors for as long as 12,000 years before Europeans arrived. The fields and forests around Macon and what is now the Ocmulgee National Monument were cultivated by the Creeks, who built temple and funeral mounds that survive today.

Prior to its establishment as a city, Macon was the site of Fort Benjamin Hawkins. After the Creeks ceded their lands east of the Ocmulgee River, President Thomas Jefferson ordered the fort built in 1806 on the fall line of the Ocmulgee River to protect the new frontier, as it was a major military distribution point during the War of 1812 and the Creek War of 1813. Afterwards, the fort became a trading post for a few more years before it fell to disuse. A replica of the fort, however, stands today on a hill in east Macon. By this time, many settlers had already begun to move into the area and later renamed Fort Hawkins “Newtown.” After the establishment of Bibb County in 1822, the city was chartered as the county seat in 1823 and officially named Macon, in honor of North Carolina statesman Nathaniel Macon because many of the city's early settlers hailed from North Carolina. The city planners of Macon envisioned "a city within a park" and went about creating a city of spacious streets and parks. They also designated 250 acres (1 km²) for Central City Park and citizens were required by ordinances to plant shade trees in their front yards.

The city thrived due to its location on the Ocmulgee River and cotton became the mainstay of Macon's early economy. Cotton boats, stage coaches, and later, in 1843, a railroad all brought economic prosperity to Macon. In 1836, Wesleyan College, the oldest women's college in the world, was founded in Macon. In 1855 a referendum was held to determine a capital city for Georgia. Macon came in last with 3,802 votes[1].

During the American Civil War, Macon served as the official arsenal of the Confederacy and Macon City Hall, which would serve as the temporary state capitol in 1864, was converted to use as a hospital for the wounded. However, Macon was spared by General William Tecumseh Sherman on his march to the sea. The nearby state capital of Milledgeville had been sacked and Maconites prepared for an attack. But General Sherman feared that Confederate forces were preparing a unified attack of their own and therefore bypassed Macon. Throughout the era of Reconstruction and into the twentieth century, Macon grew into a prospering town in Middle Georgia, and began to serve as a transportation hub for the entire state.

In 1994 Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in Florida dumping 24" inches of rain resulting in major flooding in Georgia. Macon was one of the worst flooded cities,^{[citation needed]}

Macon was famous for being the home of the murderess Anjette Lyles^[3], as well as alleged axe murderer Thomas Woolfolk.^[4]

Geography

Macon is one of Georgia's three Fall Line Cities, along with Augusta and Columbus. The Fall Line is where the hilly lands of the Piedmont plateau meet the flat terrain of the coastal plain. As such, Macon has a varied landscape of rolling hills on the north side and flat plains on the south. The fall line causes rivers in the area to decline rapidly towards sea level, making it an ideal location for textile mills in the past. The Ocmulgee River is the major river that runs through Macon.

The Macon metropolitan area spans 13 counties including Bibb County, Twiggs County, Jones County, Houston County, Peach County, Dooly County, Pulaski County, Bleckley County, Wilkinson County, Laurens County, Dodge County, Crawford County, and Monroe County.

Macon is located at 32°50′5″N, 83°39′6″W (32.834839, -83.651672)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 145.7 km² (56.3 sq mi). 144.5 km² (55.8 sq mi) of it is land and 1.2 km² (0.5 sq mi) of it (0.82%) is water.

Macon is approximately 381 feet (116 m) above sea level³.

Climate

Macon has a humid, subtropical temperature. The summer often reaches its high in the mid-90s, and the winters have lows in the mid-40s. The city has an average annual precipitation of 45 inches. Macon is often considered a dividing line or "natural snowline" of the southeastern United States with areas north of the city receiving snowfall annually, while areas to the south typically not receiving snowfall every year or at all.

Weather averages for Macon, Georgia
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Record high °F (°C)	84 (29)	85 (29)	95 (35)	96 (36)	99 (37)	106 (41)	108 (42)	105 (41)	102 (39)	100 (38)	88 (31)	82 (28)
Average high °F (°C)	56.6 (14)	60.9 (16)	68.5 (20)	75.9 (24)	83.4 (29)	89.5 (32)	91.8 (33)	90.5 (33)	85.4 (30)	76.8 (25)	67.8 (20)	59.2 (15)
Average low °F (°C)	34.5 (1)	37.0 (3)	43.8 (7)	49.5 (10)	58.6 (15)	66.6 (19)	70.5 (21)	69.5 (21)	63.7 (18)	51.1 (11)	42.5 (6)	36.3 (2)
Record low °F (°C)	-6 (-21)	9 (-13)	14 (-10)	29 (-2)	40 (4)	46 (8)	54 (12)	55 (13)	35 (2)	26 (-3)	10 (-12)	5 (-15)
Precipitation inch (mm)	5 (127)	4.55 (115.6)	4.90 (124.5)	3.14 (79.8)	2.98 (75.7)	3.54 (89.9)	4.32 (109.7)	3.79 (96.3)	3.26 (82.8)	2.37 (60.2)	3.22 (81.8)	3.93 (99.8)
Source: USTravelWeather.com [5] October 3, 2007

Surrounding cities and towns

Main Article: Macon Metropolitan Area

Avondale Bolingbroke Byron Centerville Culloden Danville Dublin Forsyth Fort Valley Franklinton Gray Hawkinsville

Jeffersonville Juliette Knoxville Lizella Milledgeville Payne City Perry Roberta Robins AFB Smarr Sofkee Warner Robins Walden

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 97,255 people, 38,444 households, and 24,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 672.9/km² (1,742.8/sq mi). There were 44,341 housing units at an average density of 306.8/km² (794.6/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 35.46% White, 62.45% African American, .19% Native American, 0.65 Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 38,444 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.0% were married couples living together, 25.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 79.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.8 males.

Economy

City economy

An economic study ranked Macon 278 out of 302 cities in 2006.^[6]

Personal income

The median income for a household in the city was $27,405, and the median income for a family was $33,699. Males had a median income of $29,950 versus $22,865 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,082. About 21.6% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.

Musical heritage

Macon natives have had a great influence upon music of the United States. The kazoo was invented in the city during the 1840s. Macon has been the birthplace or hometown to such musicians as The Allman Brothers Band, Mark Heard, Lucille Hegamin, Lena Horne, Otis Redding, and Little Richard, as well as more recent names like violinist Robert McDuffie, rapper Young Jeezy, and country artist Jason Aldean. Rapper Jody Breeze (1/4 of the hip-hop group Boyz N Da Hood, currently signed to P. Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment) was discovered in Macon at a car show. Capricorn Records, run by Macon native Phil Walden, made the city a hub for Southern rock music in the 1960s.

Partly as a result of this musical heritage, Macon is also the home of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Musicians from around the state are enshrined at the hall for their contributions, and the building features a museum showcasing Georgia's music history.

Today, the city remains the cultural hub of Middle Georgia, hosting the Macon Symphony Orchestra, which performs at the historic Grand Opera House in downtown Macon, as well as a youth symphony, the Middle Georgia Concert Band, and numerous other groups, many associated with the local universities.

Festivals

• International Cherry Blossom Festival - Macon refers to itself as the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World." It has over 300,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees, more than any other city in the world.^{[citation needed]} During mid-March of every year, the height of the trees' bloom, Macon holds this 10-day celebration of concerts, food festivals, arts and crafts shows, parades, street markets, picnics, dances, and exhibitions of artists from around the world. The city becomes bathed in pink, the symbolizing color of this event, reflecting the color of the blossoms. The festival is by far Macon's largest and most well-known event. It has become among the top 20 events in the South, top 50 in the United States, and one of the top 100 in North America.

• First Night Macon - First Night Macon is a family-oriented arts festival held in Macon every New Year's Eve. It features many concerts, dances, art shows, and theatrical performances at different venues and galleries around the downtown area, and a grand finale of fireworks at midnight.

• Pan African Festival - Macon has a African American cultural heritage. Each year in April, Macon holds the Pan-African Festival featuring parades, African and Caribbean musical performances, African dancing, films, food festival, cultural shows, and exhibitions.

• Ocmulgee Indian Celebration - A celebration of Macon's original Native American Heritage, this festival is held every September at Ocmulgee National Monument. Representatives from diverse backgrounds of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and other nations come to share stories, exhibit native art, perform dances, and play live music.

• The Georgia State Fair - The Fair is held in Central City Park every year starting in late September.

• The Georgia Music Hall of Fame hosts Georgia Music Week each September. During the museum's free Brown Bag Boogie concert series, artists from across the state perform outdoors at noon. Festivities also include the annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards held in Atlanta.

• Macon's annual Bragg Jam festival features an Art and Kids' Festival along the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail and a nighttime Pub Crawl featuring local and national musical acts. The event pays tribute to the lives of musicians Brax and Taylor Bragg, two brothers who were killed in an automobile accident. Proceeds benefit the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail

Notable Maconites

Notable Maconites

Attractions

• Ocmulgee National Monument is located near downtown Macon. It preserves some of the largest mounds in Georgia built by the Native Americans of the Mississippian culture a millennium ago. The park features a spiral mound, funeral mound, temple mounds, burial mounds, an earth lodge, as well as other smaller sites used for ceremonial purposes.

• Rose Hill Cemetery is one of Macon's oldest cemeteries. It is a popular attraction with many fans of the Allman Brothers Band, as two members of the band (Duane Allman and Berry Oakley), are interred there, as are many Civil War soldiers.

• Harriet Tubman African American Museum - the largest African American museum in Georgia

• Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens

• Hay House - also known as the "Johnston-Felton-Hay House", it has been referred to as the "Palace of the South"

• Sidney Lanier Cottage - historical home to poet Sidney Lanier

• Neel Reid Federated Garden Club Center

• Cannonball House and Civil War Museum

• Woodruff House

• Douglass Theatre, historical African-American theater

• The Grand Opera House, home to the Macon Symphony Orchestra.

• Museum of Arts and Sciences and Planetarium

• Georgia Music Hall of Fame

• Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

• Mercer University

• Fort Hawkins, the original white settlement in the area

• City Hall, Georgia's capitol for part of the Civil War

• City Auditorium, the world's largest copper dome

• Macon Little Theatre, established in 1934, the area's oldest community theatre producing 7 plays/musicals per season

• The Macon Terminal Station

• Wesleyan College- First Chartered Women's College

• The Georgia Children's Museum - Five Stories of interactive education located in downtown

• Ocmulgee Heritage Trail - a greenway of parks, plazas, and landmarks along the Ocmulgee River in downtown Macon

Media

Newspapers

The Telegraph, a daily newspaper, is the primary newspaper in Macon.

Magazines

• The 11th Hour
• Macon Magazine - bi-monthly publication
• Address Macon - Business Magazine, bi-monthly^[7]

Television stations

• 03 WBMN - CW (Cable Only)
• 13 WMAZ - CBS
• 24 WGXA - FOX
• 29 WMUM-TV - PBS
• 31 WDMA-CA - Daystar
• 41 WMGT-TV - NBC
• 50 W50DA - TBN
• 55 WSST - Ind. (Cordele, Georgia)
• 58 WPGA-TV - ABC
• 64 WGNM - CTN

Radio stations

FM

• WMNZ FM - Macon
• WEAM FM - Macon
• WLVN FM - Macon
• WKZR FM - Macon
• WBKG 88.9 - Macon (Religious)
• WLZN 92.3 - Macon (Urban Hip-Hop - "Blazin' 92.3")
• WPEZ 93.7 - Macon (AC)
• WMGB 95.1 - Macon
• WPCH 96.5 - Macon (Oldies/Adult Contemporary - "The New Peach")
• WDXQ 96.7 - Cochran (Classic Hits - "96Q")
• WQXZ 98.3 - Pinehurst/Hawkinsville/Warner Robins (Oldies - "Qwixie 98.3")
• WDEN 99.1 - Macon (Country)
• WQSA 99.9 - Unadilla/Warner Robins (AC - "Sunny 99.9FM")
• WMGZ 97.7 FM - Macon
• WIBB 97.9 - Macon (Urban - Hip Hop "97.9 WIBB")
• WRBV 101.7 - Macon (Urban AC - "V101.7")
• WEBL 102.5 - Macon (Country - "THE BULL")
• WRPG 103.9 - Hawkinsville/Warner Robins (News/Talk - "103-9 The Patriot")
• WIFN Sports 105.5 - Macon (Sports)
• WQBZ 106.3 - Macon (AOR - Classic Rock 'n' Roll - "Q106")
• WFXM 107.1 - Macon (Hip-Hop & R&B "Power 107")

AM

• WMVG AM - Macon
• WCEH 610 AM - Hawkinsville (Country - Real Country 610)
• WBML 900 AM - Macon (Religious)
• WMAC 940 AM - Macon (Talk)
• WDDO 1240 AM - Macon (Gospel)
• WLCG 1280 AM - Macon (Gospel - "The Light")
• WNNG 1350 AM - Warner Robins (Adult Standards - "Wing 1350")
• WNEX 1400 AM - Macon (Sports)
• WDCO 1400 AM - Cochran (Gospel - "Solid Gospel 1440")
• WAYS 1500 AM - Macon (Oldies)
• WVVM 1670 AM - Macon (Regional Mexican - "VIVA 1670")

Major venues

• Al Sihah Shrine Park
• Henderson Stadium
• Central City Park
• Luther Williams Field
• Macon Coliseum
• Macon City Auditorium
• Cox Capitol Theatre
• Macon Little Theater
• Douglass Theater
• Grand Opera House
• The Edgar H. Wilson Convention Centre
• Theatre Macon
• Arrowhead Park
• Club SYNERGY *[2]
• 550 Blues
• The Hummingbird
• Dea
• Jazzplex
• Tic Toc Room
• The Shamrock
• Whiskey River

Education

Colleges and universities

• Central Georgia Technical College
• Fort Valley State University- main campus in Fort Valley, Ga
• Georgia College and State University - main campus in Milledgeville
• Macon State College
• Mercer University
• Wesleyan College
• Troy University - main campus in Troy, Alabama

High schools

• Central Fellowship Christian Academy
• Central High School
• First Presbyterian Day School
• Gilead Christian Academy
• Hutchings High School
• Mount de Sales Academy
• Northeast Magnet High School
• Rutland High School
• Southwest Magnet High School
• Stratford Academy
• Tattnall Square Academy
• Westside High School
• Windsor Academy

Special facilities

• Georgia Academy for the Blind

Healthcare

Hospitals

• Central Georgia Rehabilitation Hospital
• Coliseum Medical Centers
• Coliseum Northside Hospital
• Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG)

Transportation

Middle Georgia Regional Airport (IATA: MCN, ICAO: KMCN), provides public air service to Macon as well as cargo flights. Situated 9 miles (14 km) south of downtown, the airport covers most of the land inside a wedge formed by Interstates 75 and 475.

Most Maconites rely on their cars as the dominant mode of transportation in the region, and the federal Interstate Highway System covers much of the city. Interstate 75 bisects the central city along a roughly north-south route, while Interstate 475 bypasses the city in western Bibb County. Interstate 16 splits off from I-75 in downtown Macon and connects the city with Interstate 95 and Savannah, Georgia.

The Macon Transit Authority (MTA) is Macon's public-transit system, operating the bus system within Bibb County. However, many commuters in Macon and the surrounding suburbs use private automobiles as their primary transportation. This results in heavy traffic during rush hour and contributes to Macon's air pollution.

Macon Transit Authority has also started a trolley system. The trolleys have been offering tours in the downtown Macon area since 1999. The tour consist of all of the major historical sites such as the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, the Hay House, and the Tubman Museum. There are three trolleys; MITSI, Miss Molly, and Sweet Melissa and each holds up to 39 passengers. Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service between Macon and many locations throughout the United States and Canada. The Greyhound terminal is situated at 65 Spring Street, on the eastern edge of the downtown area.

Sports

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Logo
Macon Music	Baseball	South Coast League	Luther Williams Field
Georgia Gwizzlies	Basketball	American Basketball Association	Macon Coliseum

Major routes

Interstate 16  Interstate 75 Interstate 475 U.S. Route 23 U.S. Route 41 U.S. Route 80

U.S. Route 129 State Route 11 State Route 19 State Route 22 State Route 74

Sister cities

Mâcon, France Elmina, Ghana Kurobe, Japan

Ulyanovsk, Russia Gwacheon City, South Korea Kaohsiung, Taiwan

See also

• Notable Maconites
• Middle Georgia
• List of mayors of Macon, Georgia

References

1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Finder
2. ^ Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1 2000 to July 1 2005 (Note: This is a Microsoft Excel-formatted file)
3. ^ http://www.southernscribe.com/reviews/history/whisper_candle.htm
4. ^ While Woolfolk was convicted and hung for the crime, a subsequent confession from another person about to be lynched has cast strong doubt on his guilt.
5. ^ Macon Weather. Retrieved on Oct 3, 2007.
6. ^ http://www.gwu.edu/~gwipp/papers/wp021.pdf
7. ^ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-128255644.html retrieved July 19, 2007

External links

• Official City Government Website
• Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce
• Macon-Bibb County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Macon (the New Georgia Encyclopedia)
• Macon (Georgia) travel guide from Wikitravel

Coordinates: 32.834839° N 83.651672° W

Macon landmarks

Georgia Music Hall of Fame • City Hall (Macon, Georgia) • Nu-Way Weiners • Ocmulgee River • Macon Coliseum • Macon City Auditorium • Macon Little Theater • Luther Williams Field • Georgia Children's Museum • Fort Hawkins • Mercer University • Georgia Sports Hall of Fame • Museum of Arts and Sciences • Grand Opera House • Douglass Theatre • Cannonball House • Sidney Lanier Cottage • Hay House • Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens • Harriet Tubman Museum • Ocmulgee National Monument •