Newnan, Georgia

Newnan, Georgia
City

Seal
Motto: City of Homes

Location in Coweta County and the state of Georgia
Newnan

Location of Newnan in Metro Atlanta

Coordinates: 33°22′35″N 84°47′19″W / 33.37639°N 84.78861°W / 33.37639; -84.78861Coordinates: 33°22′35″N 84°47′19″W / 33.37639°N 84.78861°W / 33.37639; -84.78861
Country United States
State Georgia
County Coweta
Incorporated (city) December 20, 1828
Area
 • Total 18.6 sq mi (48.3 km2)
 • Land 18.3 sq mi (47.4 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation 971 ft (296 m)
Population (2015)
 • Total 41,109
 • Density 1,804/sq mi (696.5/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 770, 678
FIPS code 13-55020[1]
GNIS feature ID 0332499[2]
Website ci.newnan.ga.us

Newnan is a city in Metro Atlanta and the county seat of Coweta County, Georgia, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Atlanta. The population was 41,109 at the 2010 census,[3] up from 16,242 at the 2000 census, for a growth rate of 103.4% over that decade.

History

Coweta County Courthouse

Newnan was established as county seat of Coweta County (replacing the defunct town of Bullsboro) in 1828 and was named for North Carolinian General Daniel Newnan. It quickly became a prosperous magnet for lawyers, doctors, other professionals, and merchants. Much of Newnan's prosperity was due to its thriving cotton industry, which relied on slavery.

Newnan was largely untouched by the Civil War due to its status as a hospital city (for Confederate troops), and as a result still features much antebellum architecture. Celebrated architect Kennon Perry designed many of the town's 20th century homes. During the Atlanta Campaign, Confederate cavalry defeated Union forces at the nearby Battle of Brown's Mill.

One of the first spectacle lynchings took place near Newnan on April 23, 1899. Sam Hose was tortured and put to death for allegedly murdering his employer, Alfred Cranford. The Springfield Weekly Republican described the scene:

"Before the torch was applied to the pyre, the negro was deprived of his ears, fingers, and genital parts of his body. He pleaded pitifully for his life while the mutilation was going on, but stood the ordeal of fire with surprising fortitude. Before the body was cool, it was cut to pieces, the bones were crushed into small bits, and even the tree upon which the wretch met his fate was torn up and disposed of as 'souvenirs.' The negro's heart was cut into several pieces, as was also his liver. Those unable to obtain the ghastly relics direct paid their more fortunate possessors extravagant sums for them. Small pieces of bones went for 25 cents, and a bit of the liver crisply cooked sold for 10 cents. As soon as the negro was seen to be dead there was a tremendous struggle among the crowd, which had witnessed his tragic end, to secure the souvenirs. A rush was made for the stake, and those near the body were forced against it and had to fight for their freedom. Knives were quickly produced and soon the body was dismembered."[4]

Newnan was also host to the trial in 1948 of wealthy landowner John Wallace, the first white man in the south to be condemned to death by the testimony of African Americans, two field hands who were made to help with burning the body of murdered white sharecropper Wilson Turner. These events were portrayed in the novel Murder in Coweta County. The film version starred Johnny Cash, Andy Griffith, and June Carter.

The city is home to one of the few Georgia counties with a museum that focuses mainly on African American history. The Coweta County African American Heritage Museum and Research Center, or Caswell House, was opened in July 2003 in a donated mill village house once owned by Ruby Caswell. The museum sits on Farmer Street on an old, unmarked, slave cemetery. It has collected hundreds of family genealogical records by interviewing residents and going through the census records. The museum also houses the Coweta Census Indexes from 1870 to 1920.[5]

The first black library in the county was the Sara Fisher Brown Library. Built in the 1950s, the library has since been converted into the Community Action For Improvement Center.[6]

The Farmer Street Cemetery is the largest slave cemetery in the South, and may be the largest undisturbed one in the nation. It is within the city limits of Newnan.

Geography

"Heart of Newnan Motel", postcard from the 1960s

Newnan is located in the center of Coweta County at 33°22′35″N 84°47′19″W / 33.37639°N 84.78861°W / 33.37639; -84.78861 (33.376411, -84.788648).[7] U.S. Route 29 passes through the center of the city, leading northeast 13 miles (21 km) to Palmetto and south 7 miles (11 km) to Moreland. Interstate 85 passes through the eastern side of the city, with access from exits 41 and 47, and leads northeast 40 miles (64 km) to downtown Atlanta and southwest 125 miles (201 km) to Montgomery, Alabama. U.S. Route 27A leads northwest from the center of Newnan 22 miles (35 km) to Carrollton.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Newnan has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.3 km2), of which 18.3 square miles (47.4 km2) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.9 km2), or 1.88%, is water.[3]

Climate

Climate data for Newnan, Georgia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 52
(11)		 58
(14)		 65
(18)		 73
(23)		 80
(27)		 86
(30)		 89
(32)		 88
(31)		 83
(28)		 73
(23)		 64
(18)		 55
(13)		 72.2
(22.3)
Average low °F (°C) 31
(−1)		 33
(1)		 40
(4)		 47
(8)		 56
(13)		 64
(18)		 68
(20)		 67
(19)		 62
(17)		 49
(9)		 41
(5)		 33
(1)		 49.3
(9.5)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.49
(139.4)		 5.14
(130.6)		 5.95
(151.1)		 4.17
(105.9)		 4.37
(111)		 3.99
(101.3)		 4.66
(118.4)		 4.00
(101.6)		 3.24
(82.3)		 2.86
(72.6)		 4.18
(106.2)		 4.27
(108.5)		 52.32
(1,328.9)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.8
(2)		 0.5
(1.3)		 0.4
(1)		 0.1
(0.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0.2
(0.5)		 2
(5.1)
Source: The Weather Channel[8]

Shopping

Newnan is a shopping hub and has experienced rapid commercial development. One of the new developments is Ashley Park, an open-air shopping mall near I-85.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18602,546—
18701,917−24.7%
18802,0064.6%
18902,85942.5%
19003,65427.8%
19105,54851.8%
19207,03726.8%
19306,386−9.3%
19407,18212.5%
19508,21814.4%
196012,16948.1%
197011,205−7.9%
198011,4492.2%
199012,4979.2%
200016,24230.0%
201033,039103.4%
Est. 201436,203[9]9.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 16,242 people, 5,939 households, and 3,973 families residing in the city. The population density was 906.4 people per square mile (349.9/km²). There were 6,464 housing units at an average density of 360.7 per square mile (139.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 54.08% White, 42.15% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.59% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.96% of the population.

There were 5,939 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,142, and the median income for a family was $43,243. Males had a median income of $36,786 versus $25,314 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,081. About 17.6% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Coweta County School District

The Coweta County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of nineteen elementary schools, six middle schools, and three high schools.[11] The district has 1,164 full-time teachers and over 18,389 students.[12]

Middle schools

High schools

Higher education

Mercer University has a Regional Academic Center in Newnan. The center opened in 2010 and offers programs through the university's College of Continuing and Professional Studies.

The University of West Georgia has a campus located in Newnan, near I-85. This campus currently has two undergraduate programs: Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Early Childhood Education.[13]

Newnan is also home to a campus of West Georgia Technical College.[14]

The University of West Georgia also has a campus in Newnan off Georgia SR 34.

Notable people

Television and movies

Airports, major roads and highways

Major roads

Airports

References

  1. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Newnan city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ Ginzburg, Ralph. 101 Years of Lynchings.
  5. ↑ The Coweta County Museum, Newnan Georgia: Black Firsts in Coweta County
  6. ↑ The Coweta County Museum, Newnan Georgia: 03/01/2008 - 04/01/2008
  7. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  8. ↑ "Monthly Averages for Newnan, GA". Weather.com. 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-15.
  9. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  12. ↑ School Stats, Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ "University of West Georgia- Newnan." University of West Georgia. N.p., 2011. Web. 24 Aug 2011. <http://www.westga.edu/newnan/>.
  14. ↑ "Coweta Campus Central Educational Center." West Georgia Technical College. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Aug 2011. <http://www.westgatech.edu/locations/coweta.htm>.
  15. ↑ "Good Reads Page for Murder in Coweta County book".
  16. ↑ "Murder in Coweta County IMDB".
  17. ↑ "Movies". New York Times.

External links

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