Fayetteville, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Fayette County Courthouse | |
 Seal  Logo | |
| Motto: "No limits on imagination" | |
 Interactive map of Fayetteville, Georgia | |
| Coordinates:33°26′52″N84°27′42″W / 33.44778°N 84.46167°W /33.44778; -84.46167 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Fayette |
| Established | March 28, 1822 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1823 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1888 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council/Manager |
| • Mayor | Ed Johnson |
| • City Manager | Ray Gibson |
| Area | |
• Total | 13.18 sq mi (34.14 km2) |
| • Land | 12.97 sq mi (33.58 km2) |
| • Water | 0.22 sq mi (0.56 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,030 ft (313.9 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,957 |
| • Density | 1,462/sq mi (564.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 30214-30215 |
| Area codes | 770 404, 678 |
| FIPS code | 13-28968[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0314089[3] |
| Website | fayetteville-ga.gov |
Fayetteville (/ˈfeɪ.ət.vɪl/FAY-ət-vil; locally/ˈfeɪ.ət.vəl/FAY-ət-vəl) is a city in and thecounty seat ofFayette County,Georgia, United States.[4] As of the2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957,[5] up from 15,945 at the2010 census. Fayetteville is located 22 miles (35 km) south ofdowntown Atlanta.[6]
Fayetteville was founded in 1822 as the seat of the newly formed Fayette County, organized by European Americans from territory ceded by force theCreek people under a treaty with the United States during the early period ofIndian removal from theSoutheast[citation needed]. Both city and county were named in honor of the Revolutionary War hero the FrenchMarquis de Lafayette.[7] Fayetteville was incorporated as a town in 1823 and as a city in 1902.[8]
The area was developed forcotton plantations, with labor provided byenslaved African Americans, who for more than a century comprised the majority of the county's population. Fayetteville became the trading town for the agricultural area.
In the first half of the 20th century, as agriculture became more mechanized, many African-American workers left the area in theGreat Migration to northern and midwestern industrial cities, which had more jobs and offered less oppressive social conditions.
A reverse migration has brought new residents to the South[citation needed], and the city of Fayetteville has grown markedly since 1980, as has the county. The city's population increased from 2715 in 1980 to 18,957 in 2020.[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 138 | — | |
| 1890 | 380 | 175.4% | |
| 1900 | 430 | 13.2% | |
| 1910 | 709 | 64.9% | |
| 1920 | 952 | 34.3% | |
| 1930 | 796 | −16.4% | |
| 1940 | 832 | 4.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,032 | 24.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,389 | 34.6% | |
| 1970 | 2,160 | 55.5% | |
| 1980 | 2,715 | 25.7% | |
| 1990 | 5,827 | 114.6% | |
| 2000 | 11,148 | 91.3% | |
| 2010 | 15,945 | 43.0% | |
| 2020 | 18,957 | 18.9% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 20,419 | 7.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 7,342 | 38.5% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 8,481 | 44.06% |
| Native American | 52 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 1,154 | 6.06% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.01% |
| Other/mixed | 614 | 5.12% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,339 | 7.06% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 18,957 people, 6,833 households, and 4,833 families residing in the city.
The city has a mayor-council form of elected government. Five council members are electedat-large, in non-partisan post, and the mayor is elected at-large in a non-partisan race.[12]
In 2015 Ed Johnson was elected mayor, the first African American to serve in the position. The retired US Naval Commander and pastor of Fayette County's oldest black church is described as a consensus builder. In 2011 Johnson was elected as the first black member of the city council after having served three terms as president of the local chapter of theNAACP.[12][13]
Johnson was re-elected in 2019.[14]
The city is served by the Fayette County Board of Education.[15]
In 2016, a soundstage at Pinewood Studios was open for educational use by theGeorgia Film Academy. In late 2020, the Georgia Film Academy partnered with Trilith and the University of Georgia to launch its Master of Fine Arts film program; students would work and live in Trilith during their second year. Trilith also has a small K-12 school called the Forest School.
Georgia Military College has a campus in Fayetteville.
The Fayette County Courthouse, built in 1825 four years after the county and town's founding, is the oldest surviving courthouse in Georgia. It is located in the center of the Fayetteville town square. Since the construction of a new courthouse, the 1825 building has been adapted for use as the local welcome center. It holds offices for Fayetteville Main Street and the Fayette County Development Authority.
TheHolliday-Dorsey-Fife House was built in 1855 by John Stiles Holliday, uncle of the western gamblerJohn Henry "Doc" Holliday.
TheMargaret Mitchell Library, built in 1948 and named in honor of the author, serves as the headquarters of the Fayette County Historical Society. Among its holdings are Civil War and genealogical records.
The residence formally occupied by deceasedprofessional wrestlerChris Benoit and hisnuclear family until June 2007, within whicha high-profile double-murder and suicide tragedy occurred, is located in Fayetteville.
Trilith Studios, then Pinewood Atlanta Studios, opened here in 2014; it was a joint venture between British companyPinewood Group and River's Rock LLC, an independently managed trust of theCathy family, founders of theChick-fil-A fast-food chain. In 2020 River's Rock bought out Pinewood's share of the studio.[16] It is the largest film and television production studio in the United States outside the state of California. The studio has produced many large budget films, including several in theMarvel Cinematic Universe such asAvengers: Infinity War,Avengers: Endgame, andBlack Panther.[17]
In 2016, the Pinewood Forest mixed-use complex was launched. Located across the street from the studio, it features homes along with plans for "a movie theater, restaurants, boutique hotels, retail and office space", built using environmentally friendly building materials. In 2020, when the studio was renamed Trilith Studios, Pinewood Forest was renamed the Town at Trilith. In April 2021,Atlanta magazine ranked the community ninth in their top ten metro Atlanta vibrant city centers list; the community was also the newest featured on the list.
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Municipalities and communities ofFayette County, Georgia,United States | ||
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