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Jackson, Georgia | |
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 Logo | |
 Location inButts County and the state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:33°17′37″N83°57′45″W / 33.29361°N 83.96250°W /33.29361; -83.96250 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Butts |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.10 sq mi (15.79 km2) |
| • Land | 6.08 sq mi (15.74 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 705 ft (215 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,557 |
| • Density | 914.28/sq mi (352.98/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 30233 |
| Area code | 770 |
| FIPS code | 13-41596[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332079[3] |
| Website | www |
Jackson is a city in and thecounty seat ofButts County,Georgia, United States.[4] The population was 5,045 in2010,[5] up from 3,934 at the 2000 census. In 2020, its population was 5,557.[6] The community was named after governorJames Jackson.[7]
Founded in 1826, Jackson began as a 303-acre (1.23 km2) plot purchased for the purpose of starting the town. The plot was divided into squares and each square into lots. The first buyer of a lot in the new town was John D. Swift ofNewton County, Georgia. During theCivil War, much of Jackson was razed by the army of GeneralWilliam T. Sherman during hisMarch to the Sea. After the war, Jackson, like much of the South, struggled economically for decades. Jackson remained little more than a small village until the arrival of the railroads in the latter half of the 19th century. On May 5, 1882, the first train arrived in Jackson, heralding a new era in the transportation of people and goods.
During the 20th century, Jackson grew and industrialtextile mills became the largest employer of local citizens. The arrival ofInterstate 75 just a few miles to the southwest of the city gave citizens quick access toAtlanta andMacon. The numerous schools throughout the county consolidated into one central school system located in Jackson, and the schoolsdesegregated in 1968. In the 1970s, Jackson slowly became abedroom community. City taxes were also abolished in the 1970s.
Jackson is located in the center of Butts County at33°17′37″N83°57′45″W / 33.293600°N 83.962372°W /33.293600; -83.962372.[8] It is 46 miles (74 km) southeast of downtownAtlanta. Thecenter of population of Georgia is located 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Jackson near the Butts County/Newton County line.[9]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.2 km2), of which 6.2 square miles (16.1 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.50%, is water.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 212 | — | |
| 1890 | 922 | 334.9% | |
| 1900 | 1,487 | 61.3% | |
| 1910 | 1,862 | 25.2% | |
| 1920 | 2,027 | 8.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,776 | −12.4% | |
| 1940 | 1,917 | 7.9% | |
| 1950 | 2,053 | 7.1% | |
| 1960 | 2,545 | 24.0% | |
| 1970 | 3,778 | 48.4% | |
| 1980 | 4,133 | 9.4% | |
| 1990 | 4,076 | −1.4% | |
| 2000 | 3,934 | −3.5% | |
| 2010 | 5,045 | 28.2% | |
| 2020 | 5,557 | 10.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,721 | 48.97% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,399 | 43.17% |
| Native American | 10 | 0.18% |
| Asian | 25 | 0.45% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 211 | 3.8% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 188 | 3.38% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 5,557 people, 1,799 households, and 1,141 families residing in the city.
Jackson is governed by an elected city council of five members, each representing a district of the city. The council is presided over by the mayor, who is elected at-large. All officials serve four year terms. The current mayor of Jackson is Carlos Duffey, who was elected in 2022.[11]
Jackson is the home ofWJGA-FM 92.1.
Jackson is a frequent backdrop for a number of television shows. Beginning in 2016, Jackson appeared inStranger Things, representing the show's setting in the fictional town of Hawkins,Indiana in the early 1980s. Exterior filming locations included the downtown (with some buildings freshly painted for filming), a furniture store (standing in for a cinema exterior), and the Butts County Probate court.[12]
The popularity of the show has attracted many fans to the town. Other shows which have been filmed in the area includeThe CW'sThe Originals.
TheGeorgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison of theGeorgia Department of Corrections is amaximum security prison inunincorporated Butts County about 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Jackson. It is home to Georgia'sdeath row and execution facility.[13] The prison is also home to maximum security general population (non-death row).
TheButts County School District, grades pre-school to twelve, consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.[14] The district has 184 full-time teachers and over 3,370 students.[15]
Georgia's small towns outside of Atlanta, including Douglasville, Conyers, Jackson, Winston and Fayetteville, easily pass for the Midwest, and Jackson's intact downtown isn't a far stretch from 1983 Hawkins on film.
Municipalities and communities ofButts County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
