Hephzibah, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Location inRichmond County and the state ofGeorgia | |
  Hephzibah Location within the state of Georgia Show map of Georgia Hephzibah Hephzibah (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°18′15″N82°5′53″W / 33.30417°N 82.09806°W /33.30417; -82.09806 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| County | Richmond |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.56 sq mi (50.65 km2) |
| • Land | 19.49 sq mi (50.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.069 sq mi (0.18 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,830 |
| • Density | 196.6/sq mi (75.89/km2) |
| ZIP code | 30815 |
| FIPS code | 13-38040 |
Hephzibah (/ˈhɛpzɪbə/) is a city in southernRichmond County, in theU.S. state ofGeorgia. It is part of theAugusta metropolitan area as well as theCentral Savannah River Area. The population was 4,011 at the 2010 census,[2] and 3,830 in 2020.Hephzibah is a poetic name used in theBook of Isaiah (62:4) to refer toJerusalem, meaning "My delight is in Her."
Hephzibah was originally namedBrothersville, in honor of three brothers who settled near one another. In October 1860, a Baptist seminary was established in Brothersville by a group ofAppling residents.[citation needed] They established the Hephzibah Baptist Church in 1862. The prominence of these new religious institutions in the area swayed the state of Georgia to rename the town Hephzibah in 1870.[3] In 1909, Walter A. Clark published a book of local history, namedA Lost Arcadia - The Story of My Old Community, detailing the earliest days of Hephzibah.[4]
In 1996 the governments of the city ofAugusta and Richmond County combined to form a consolidated government. The residents of Hephzibah and nearbyBlythe voted to maintain their separate city governments prior to this action. Some municipal services in Hephzibah are provided by the consolidated Augusta-Richmond County, while water, fire, and police services are maintained by the city.
Hephzibah is located at33°18′15″N82°5′53″W / 33.30417°N 82.09806°W /33.30417; -82.09806 (33.304126, -82.097923).[5] According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.4 square miles (50.2 km2), of which 0.07 square miles (0.17 km2), or 0.34%, is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 541 | — | |
| 1910 | 656 | 21.3% | |
| 1920 | 650 | −0.9% | |
| 1930 | 646 | −0.6% | |
| 1940 | 516 | −20.1% | |
| 1950 | 525 | 1.7% | |
| 1960 | 676 | 28.8% | |
| 1970 | 987 | 46.0% | |
| 1980 | 1,452 | 47.1% | |
| 1990 | 2,466 | 69.8% | |
| 2000 | 3,880 | 57.3% | |
| 2010 | 4,011 | 3.4% | |
| 2020 | 3,830 | −4.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,168 | 56.61% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,319 | 34.44% |
| Native American | 23 | 0.6% |
| Asian | 9 | 0.23% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.13% |
| Other/Mixed | 190 | 4.96% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 116 | 3.03% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 3,830 people, 1,424 households, and 1,022 families residing in the city.
Richmond County School System, which covers all of Richmond County,[9] operates public schools, including Hephzibah Elementary School,[10] McBean Elementary, Hephzibah Middle School, Pine Hill Middle School, andHephzibah High School.
There is also a charter school, Georgia School of Innovation and the Classics (GSIC).[11]
This list includes people who were born in Hephzibah or who spent a significant amount of time living in the town.
| Name | Date of birth | Notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darrell Blocker, nicknamed "The Spy Whisperer" | CIA agent | [12] | |
| Wendell Chavous | 1985 | NASCAR driver | |
| John Wesley Gilbert | 1863 | First student and black professor ofPaine College, one of the first black Americanarchaeologists | [13] |
| George Kitchens | 1983 | Track and field athlete | |
| Arthur Marshall | 1969 | former NFL wide receiver. | |
| Marlon Riggs | 1957 | Filmmaker and educator | [14] |
| Vaughn Taylor | 1976 | PGA Tour golfer | [15] |
| Itoro Umoh-Coleman | 1977 | WNBA basketball player andClemson assistant coach | |
| Ben Chestnut | 1973/1974 | Founder and CEO ofMailchimp | [16] |
Municipalities and communities ofRichmond County, Georgia,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Communities of Augusta | ||
| Army installations | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
