Elberton, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 A home along Elberton's Heard Street | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: Granite Capital of the World | |
 Location inElbert County and the state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:34°6′35″N82°51′56″W / 34.10972°N 82.86556°W /34.10972; -82.86556 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Elbert |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | R. Daniel Graves |
| • City Manager | Kevin Eavenson (interim) |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.58 sq mi (11.85 km2) |
| • Land | 4.54 sq mi (11.76 km2) |
| • Water | 0.035 sq mi (0.09 km2) |
| Elevation | 702 ft (214 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,640 |
| • Density | 1,022.1/sq mi (394.64/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 30635 |
| Area code | 706 |
| FIPS code | 13-26616[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0355658[3] |
| Website | www |
Elberton is thecounty seat and the largest city inElbert County,Georgia, United States.[4] The population was 4,653 at the 2010 census.[5]
Elberton is known as the "granite capital of the world".[6]
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 forSamuel Elbert.[9]
Elberton is located near the center of Elbert County.
According to theUnited 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.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 122 | — | |
| 1840 | 210 | — | |
| 1880 | 927 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,572 | 69.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,834 | 143.9% | |
| 1910 | 6,483 | 69.1% | |
| 1920 | 6,475 | −0.1% | |
| 1930 | 4,650 | −28.2% | |
| 1940 | 6,188 | 33.1% | |
| 1950 | 6,772 | 9.4% | |
| 1960 | 7,107 | 4.9% | |
| 1970 | 6,438 | −9.4% | |
| 1980 | 5,686 | −11.7% | |
| 1990 | 5,682 | −0.1% | |
| 2000 | 4,743 | −16.5% | |
| 2010 | 4,653 | −1.9% | |
| 2020 | 4,640 | −0.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
| 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 orLatino | 320 | 6.9% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 4,640 people, 1,754 households, and 997 families residing in the city.
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-destructedGeorgia Guidestones, are located in or near Elberton.
Elberton'sGranite Bowl seats 20,000 and formerly featured a retiredSanford 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]
Since 1950, Elberton has served as the headquarters of theSoutheastern Power Administration, a division of theUnited States Department of Energy. The authority markets power generated by theUnited 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.
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Elberton operates under acouncil-manager form of government. In this style of government, thecity manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city, the five-person elected council serves as a board of directors, and themayor 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.
The city is served by theElbert 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.
Elberton Christian School was located on Rhodes Drive in the city, but has closed.
Athens Technical College operates a full satellite campus on the western end of the city, near the elementary school, middle school, and high school.
Elberton is currently served by one newspaper,The Elberton Star, though several others (including theElbert County Examiner and theElbert Beacon, both of which merged with theStar) have covered the city over the years. TheStar has been published since 1887.
TheAnderson (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 anoldies format, is one of Georgia's oldest, having been on the air since 1947. WSGC-FM 92.1 and WXKT-FM 100.1 playcountry music while WLVX-FM 105.1 specializes inR&B.
Elberton is in theGreenville-Spartanburg-Ashevilletelevision market, though local cable and satellite providers also carry stations from theAtlanta market.
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Highways in Elberton include:
Elberton and Elbert County are served locally by the Elbert County-Patz Field Airport, located just east of the city on State Route 72.
For many years, Elberton was an important passenger and freight stop on the main line of theSeaboard Air Line Railroad. The line is now operated byCSX Transportation and remains in use for freight transportation. A spur line connects Elberton to a main line of theNorfolk Southern Railway (formerlySouthern Railway).
Elbert Memorial Hospital, founded in 1950,[16] is a 25-bed acute care critical access hospital with emergency, surgical, and rehabilitation facilities.[17]
Elberton has asister city,Mure, Kagawa, Japan, as designated bySister Cities International.[20]
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Municipalities and communities ofElbert County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
