Eatonton is a city in Putnam County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,764 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Putnam County[3]. It was named after William Eaton, an officer and diplomat involved in the First Barbary War. The name consists of his surname with the English suffix "ton", meaning "town".
Geography
Eatonton is located at 33°19′35″N 83°23′16″W / 33.32639°N 83.38778°W / 33.32639; -83.38778 (33.326302, -83.387798).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.7 mi² (53.6 km²). 20.6 mi² (53.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 mi² (0.3 km²) of it (0.63%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,764 people, 2,442 households, and 1,706 families residing in the city. The population density was 329.1 people per square mile (127.0/km²). There were 2,668 housing units at an average density of 129.8/sq mi (50.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 37.49% White, 59.33% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.38% of the population.
There were 2,442 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 24.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the city the population was spread out with 47.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,391, and the median income for a family was $31,571. Males had a median income of $26,703 versus $20,013 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,993. About 20.4% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.5% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.
History
The Rock Eagle Effigy Mound, a Native American archaeological site, is located adjacent to Georgia 4-H's Rock Eagle 4-H Center north of the city. Rock Hawk Effigy Mound is located just to the east. They are the only such sites discovered in Georgia east of the Mississippi River, and were made by the Mississippian peoples who inhabited the area 900-1500 A.D.
Eatonton is known as the "Dairy Capital of Georgia" (in honor of its major industry, dairy farming).
Notable residents
Vincent Hancock, Olympic gold medalist in Men's skeet shooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics, resides in Eatonton.
The city was the birthplace of several noted writers, such as Alice Walker (author of The Color Purple), Joel Chandler Harris (journalist and author of the Uncle Remus stories), and Henry Grady Weaver (author of The Mainspring of Human Progress).
It also honors S. Truett Cathy, founder of the successful fast food Chick-fil-A restaurants. Until recently, the town was the location of the self-styled Nuwaubian compound known as Tama-Re.
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 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 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 2008-01-31.
External links
