Elberton, Georgia

Coordinates: 34°6′35″N 82°51′56″W / 34.10972°N 82.86556°W / 34.10972; -82.86556
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Elberton, Georgia
City
A home along Elberton's Heard Street
A home along Elberton's Heard Street
Official seal of Elberton, Georgia
Seal
Nickname: 
Granite Capital of the World
Location in Elbert County and the state of Georgia
Location in Elbert County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 34°6′35″N 82°51′56″W / 34.10972°N 82.86556°W / 34.10972; -82.86556
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyElbert
Government
 • MayorLarry Guest
 • City ManagerLanier Dunn
Area
[1]
 • Total4.57 sq mi (11.85 km2)
 • Land4.54 sq mi (11.76 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation
702 ft (214 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total4,640
 • Density1,022.03/sq mi (394.64/km2)
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
ZIP Code
30635
Area code706
FIPS code13-26616[2]
GNIS feature ID0355658[3]
Websitewww.cityofelberton.net

Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,653 at the 2010 census.[4] The city is the county seat of Elbert County.[5]

Elberton is known as the "granite capital of the world".[6]

History[edit]

Settled in the 1780s, Elbert was designated seat of the newly formed Elbert County in 1790. It was incorporated as a town in 1803 and as a city in 1896.[7][8] Like Elbert County, Elberton is named for Samuel Elbert.[9]

Geography[edit]

Elberton is located near the center of Elbert County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Elberton has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12.4 km2), of which 4.7 square miles (12.3 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.72%, is water.[4]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1810122—
1840210—
1880927—
18901,57269.6%
19003,834143.9%
19106,48369.1%
19206,475−0.1%
19304,650−28.2%
19406,18833.1%
19506,7729.4%
19607,1074.9%
19706,438−9.4%
19805,686−11.7%
19905,682−0.1%
20004,743−16.5%
20104,653−1.9%
20204,640−0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
Elberton racial composition as of 2020[11]
Race Num. Perc.
White 2,244 48.36%
African American 1,860 40.09%
Native American 11 0.24%
Asian 57 1.23%
Other/mixed 148 3.19%
Hispanic or Latino 320 6.9%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,640 people, 1,754 households, and 997 families residing in the city.

Economy[edit]

The historic Elbert Theatre

Granite[edit]

Elberton claims the title "granite capital of the world". The city's post-Civil War history has largely revolved around the industry, following the opening of the first commercial quarry and manufacturing plant by Nathaniel Long in 1889.[12] As the industry grew in the early 1900s, so did Elberton's importance on the passenger and freight railroad lines, bringing many travelers and businessmen to the city and leading to its heyday.[citation needed]

Several granite monuments, including the now-destructed Georgia Guidestones, are located in or near Elberton.

Elberton's Granite Bowl seats 20,000 and formerly featured a retired Sanford Stadium (University of Georgia) scoreboard.

The city is home to the Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit, with a notable exhibit being "Dutchy", a Confederate monument made of granite that was removed from the town square due to its appearance.[13]

Southeastern Power[edit]

Since 1950, Elberton has served as the headquarters of the Southeastern Power Administration, a division of the United States Department of Energy. The authority markets power generated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers across the southern United States. The authority recently moved from its downtown headquarters in the former Samuel Elbert Hotel to a new building on Athens Tech Drive on the western end of the city.

Government[edit]

Elberton operates under a council-manager form of government. In this style of government, the city manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city, the five-person elected council serves as a board of directors, and the mayor performs more ceremonial duties and presides over council.

The City of Elberton operates Elberton Utilities, a comprehensive utility system which includes electric, gas, water, sewer, cable television, and internet services.

The Elbert Theatre reopened in 2001 after extensive renovations.

Education[edit]

Elbert County School District[edit]

The city is served by the Elbert County School District. One learning center, one primary school, one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school are located within the city.[14] The district has 194 full-time teachers and over 3,079 students.[15] The school system is one of the county's largest employers.

Private education[edit]

Elberton Christian School was located on Rhodes Drive in the city, but has closed.

Colleges and universities[edit]

Athens Technical College operates a full satellite campus on the western end of the city, near the elementary school, middle school, and high school.

Media[edit]

Elberton is currently served by one newspaper, The Elberton Star, though several others (including the Elbert County Examiner and the Elbert Beacon, both of which merged with the Star) have covered the city over the years. The Star has been published since 1887.

The Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail publishes a daily Northeast Georgia edition which covers the Elberton area.

The city is served by four local radio stations. WSGC-AM 1400, which plays an oldies format, is one of Georgia's oldest, having been on the air since 1947. WSGC-FM 92.1 and WXKT-FM 100.1 play country music while WLVX-FM 105.1 specializes in R&B.

Elberton is in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville television market, though local cable and satellite providers also carry stations from the Atlanta market.

Infrastructure[edit]

Elberton Depot

Transportation[edit]

Highways[edit]

Highways in Elberton include:

Airports[edit]

Elberton and Elbert County are served locally by the Elbert County-Patz Field Airport, located just east of the city on State Route 72.

Railroad[edit]

For many years, Elberton was an important passenger and freight stop on the main line of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The line is now operated by CSX Transportation and remains in use for freight transportation. A spur line connects Elberton to a main line of the Norfolk Southern Railway (formerly Southern Railway).

Healthcare[edit]

Elbert Memorial Hospital, founded in 1950,[16] is a 25-bed acute care critical access hospital with emergency, surgical, and rehabilitation facilities.[17]

Notable people[edit]

Sister cities[edit]

Elberton has a sister city, Mure, Kagawa, Japan, as designated by Sister Cities International.[20]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Elberton city, Georgia". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. ^ "Elberton Granite Association". Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
  7. ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 229. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  8. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 71. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  9. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 116.
  10. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  12. ^ Ouzts, Clay (2002). "'The Man Who Builded on a Rock Was Wise': The Genesis of Elberton's Granite Industry, 1882-1900". Georgia Historical Quarterly. 86 (4): 587. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  13. ^ "Elberton Granite Museum & Exhibit". Explore Georgia. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Georgia Board of Education[permanent dead link], Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  15. ^ Eads, Lena Groeger, Annie Waldman, David (October 16, 2018). "Miseducation". ProPublica. Retrieved July 21, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ History of Elbert Memorial Hospital
  17. ^ EMH Facilities Proposals
  18. ^ "Juanita Marsh". Georgia Women of Achievement. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  19. ^ "Hall of Fame: Arnall Patz, MD". September 6, 2012. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  20. ^ Elberton's Sister City Program, Retrieved June 26, 2010.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elberton, Georgia.
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