Bainbridge, Georgia
| Bainbridge, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Bainbridge | |
 Bainbridge City Hall | |
Motto(s): "Georgia's First Inland Port"[1] | |
 Location in Decatur County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 30°54′17″N 84°34′16″W / 30.90472°N 84.57111°W / 30.90472; -84.57111Coordinates: 30°54′17″N 84°34′16″W / 30.90472°N 84.57111°W / 30.90472; -84.57111 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Decatur |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Edward Reynolds |
| Area | |
| • City | 20.1 sq mi (52.0 km2) |
| • Land | 18.8 sq mi (48.7 km2) |
| • Water | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 121 ft (37 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • City | 12,697 |
| • Estimate (2016)[2] | 12,274 |
| • Density | 675/sq mi (260.8/km2) |
| • Metro | 27,842 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 39817,39819 |
| Area code(s) | 229 |
| FIPS code | 13-04896[3] |
GNIS feature ID | 0354431[4] |
| Website | bainbridgecity.com |
Bainbridge is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. The city is the county seat of Decatur County.[6] As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12,697.[7]
Contents
1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Arts and culture
4.1 Annual cultural events
4.2 National Register of Historic Places
5 Education
5.1 Decatur County School District
5.2 Public Library
6 Infrastructure
6.1 Transportation
7 Notable people
8 References
9 External links
History
The first European settlement in what is today Bainbridge was a trading post set up by James Burges in the late 18th century. From him comes the name Burges's Bluff.[8]:120 The town was named after U.S. Navy Commodore William Bainbridge,[9] commander of the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"), and was incorporated on December 22, 1829.[5]
In 1824, Bainbridge was designated seat of the newly formed Decatur County.[10]
On October 10, 2018, Bainbridge was victim to Hurricane Michael. The storm left widespread damage through the city limits, including downed trees, power lines, and structural damage. Many of the residents affected suffered severe damage to their homes.
Geography
Bainbridge is located in the center of Decatur County. The city is in southwestern Georgia along U.S. Routes 27 and 84, which form a bypass around the southern part of the city. Bainbridge is 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Tallahassee, Florida; 82 miles (132 km) west of Valdosta; and 54 miles (87 km) east-southeast of Dothan, Alabama.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.1 square miles (52.0 km2), of which 18.8 square miles (48.7 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.3 km2), or 6.40%, is water.[7]
Bainbridge is located on the Flint River, which flows southwest to meet the Chattahoochee. Together they form the Apalachicola River which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. At the junction of the two rivers, the Jim Woodruff Dam forms Lake Seminole. A system of locks at the dam allows barge traffic to travel between the inland port at Bainbridge and the Gulf of Mexico.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 1,869 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,351 | −27.7% | |
| 1880 | 1,436 | 6.3% | |
| 1890 | 1,668 | 16.2% | |
| 1900 | 2,641 | 58.3% | |
| 1910 | 4,217 | 59.7% | |
| 1920 | 4,792 | 13.6% | |
| 1930 | 6,141 | 28.2% | |
| 1940 | 6,352 | 3.4% | |
| 1950 | 7,562 | 19.0% | |
| 1960 | 12,714 | 68.1% | |
| 1970 | 10,887 | −14.4% | |
| 1980 | 10,553 | −3.1% | |
| 1990 | 10,712 | 1.5% | |
| 2000 | 11,722 | 9.4% | |
| 2010 | 12,697 | 8.3% | |
| Est. 2016 | 12,274 | [2] | −3.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] | |||
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 12,697 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 54.4% Black, 39.6% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% from some other race and 1.0% from two or more races. 4.1% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 11,722 people, 4,444 households, and 3,013 families residing in the city. The population density was 255.6/km² (661.8/sq mi, Georgia average is 141.4/sq mi, U.S. average is 79.6/sq mi). There were 5,051 housing units at an average density of 285.2 per square mile (110.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.34% African American (Georgia 28.7%, U.S. 12.3%), 47.48% White (Georgia 65.1%, U.S. 75.1%), 0.12% Native American (Georgia 0.3%, U.S. 0.9%), 0.64% Asian (Georgia 2.1%, U.S. 3.6%), 0.02% Pacific Islander (Georgia 0.1%, U.S. 0.1%), 0.78% from other races (Georgia 2.4%, U.S. 5.5%), and 0.61% from two or more races (Georgia 1.4%, U.S. 2.4%). 2.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (Georgia 5.3%, U.S. 12.5%).
There were 4,444 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09.
Historic home in Bainbridge
In the city, the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,869, and the median income for a family was $30,557. Males had a median income of $28,918 versus $21,518 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,589. About 24.0% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.1% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
River Town Days is held each year the second weekend of March.
The Swine Time Festival and Decatur County Fall Festival and Fair are annual events.[5]
National Register of Historic Places
The Decatur County Courthouse was constructed in 1902, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]
Education
Decatur County School District
The Decatur County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of four elementary schools (one had shut down in 2018, known as Elcan Grace King Elementary) , two middle schools, and a high school.[12] The district has 384 full-time teachers and over 5,782 students.[13]
- John Johnson Elementary School
- Jones-Wheat Elementary School
- Potter Street Elementary School
- West Bainbridge Elementary School
- Bainbridge Middle School
- Hutto Middle School
- Bainbridge High School
- Bainbridge State College
- Grace Christian Academy
Public Library
The Decatur County Gilbert H. Gragg Library is located in Bainbridge. The library serves the population of Decatur County, and is the headquarters for the Southwest Georgia Regional Library.[14]
Infrastructure
Transportation
The city is a seaport linked to the Gulf of Mexico via Florida's Apalachicola River. Officially known as Port Bainbridge, these facilities are managed entirely by the Georgia Ports Authority.
The Decatur County Industrial Air Park, located 6 miles (10 km) northwest of the city, provides general aviation service to the community.
Notable people
James Butler, NFL player
Marvin Griffin, former Georgia governor
Miriam Hopkins, Academy Award-nominated film actress
David Ross, MLB catcher, two-time World Series champion, Dancing with the Stars contestant
J. D. Salinger, novelist, stationed at the Bainbridge Army Air Base from August 1942 to May 1943 and wrote several short stories during his stay[15]
Kirby Smart, head football coach for the University of Georgia
Travis Smith, former drummer of Trivium
Young Stribling, professional heavyweight boxer
References
^ "City of Bainbridge website". City of Bainbridge Georgia. Retrieved September 6, 2012..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
^ ab "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ abcd "Bainbridge". Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
^ ab "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bainbridge city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
^ Cox, Dale; Conrad, Rachael (2017). Fowltown. Neamathla, Tutakosi Talofa & the first battle of the Seminole Wars. Old Kitchen Books. ISBN 0692977880.
^ "Profile for Bainbridge, Georgia, GA". ePodunk. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
^ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 220. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
^ Georgia Board of Education[permanent dead link], Retrieved June 8, 2010.
^ School Stats, Retrieved June 8, 2010.
^ "Homepage". Southwest Georgia Regional Library System. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
^ Slawenski, Kenneth. J. D. Salinger: A Life. New York: Random House,
ISBN 978-1-4000-6951-4
External links
 | Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bainbridge, Georgia. |
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bainbridge, Georgia. |
- City of Bainbridge official website
- Decatur County – Gilbert H. Gragg Library
"Bainbridge" entry in New Georgia Encyclopedia
South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive - Digital Library of Georgia
"Bainbridge, Georgia", at City-Data.com
Sowegalive.com, Bainbridge news, radio and community information
Municipalities and communities of Decatur County, Georgia, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
County seat: Bainbridge | ||
| Cities |
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| Town |
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| Unincorporated communities |
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| Ghost town |
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