McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 8,493 at the 2000 census. Census Estimates of 2005 indicate a population of 15,523. This is due both in part to growth of the city and extension of the city limits. Inclusion of the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding McDonough, which are not part of a town/city, raises the population to approximately 30,000. This city is the county seat of Henry County[3]. It is the home of AM radio station WKKP 1410 and SCB-TV cable Channel 15 television station.
Geography
McDonough is located at 33°26′42″N 84°8′57″W / 33.445°N 84.14917°W / 33.445; -84.14917 (33.445037, -84.149043)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²), of which, 7.8 square miles (20.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.51%) is water.
The census-designated place of Blacksville and the unincorporated communities of Flippen, Kelleytown, and Ola are located near McDonough, and addresses in those communities have McDonough postal addresses.
Major highways
History
Named for naval officer Commodore Thomas MacDonough and founded in 1823 around a traditional town square design. The buildings surrounding the square are all intact although there are some vacancies. The county courthouse and historic jail building are on the north side near a greeting center in a historically maintained Standard Oil service station. In the center of the square is a monument to Henry County's Confederate dead. One block east of the square, the town's original cotton warehouse has been replaced with the Henry County Judicial Center.
The town was a relay station on the New York to New Orleans stagecoach line, and was connected by other stage lines with Fayetteville and Decatur, and with Macon by way of Jackson.[5]
In 1900, a washout during a thunderstorm caused a train wreck about 1½ miles (2.4 km) north of town. The runoff undermined about 100 feet (30 m) of the Southern Railway (Macon division) prior the accident, and the passenger train subsequently caught fire, killing 35. [2]
Notable natives
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,493 people, 3,069 households, and 2,102 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,093.8 people per square mile (422.6/km²). There were 3,234 housing units at an average density of 416.5/sq mi (160.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.4% White, 34.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population.
There were 3,069 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,482, and the median income for a family was $46,818. Males had a median income of $34,669 versus $28,318 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,029. About 9.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.
Although it is considered to be located in Stockbridge, many of the Eagle's Landing Country Club's homes are within McDonough's 30253 zip code.
Events and Festivals
Geranium Festival
The city of McDonough hosts an annual Geranium Festival in the springtime, celebrating the locally grown flowers and community. The one day festival serves as a showcase of local artistry and talent through the open-air craft markets and live musical performances.
2009 marks the 32nd anniversary of the festival, and coordinators report expected attendance in excess of 25,000 visitors.
Movies
Many scenes from the 1977 movie "Smokey and the Bandit" were filmed in McDonough. Scenes for the pilot episode for the WB show "Roswell" were filmed on the city square at the old Phillips 66 service station. Also, a scene from the movie "We Are Marshall" was filmed on Hw. 155 near Miller's Mill.
Music
The members of the Christian Band Casting Crowns are currently ministers at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church, where the band plays during youth service.
Schools
Public
Elementary
Middle
High
Private
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ [1], Accessed 24 April 2009
External links
