Sparta, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Sparta is a country town in Hancock County
, Georgia
, United States
. The population was 1,265 at the 2000 census
. The city is the county seat
of Hancock County
. It is part of the Milledgeville
Micropolitan Statistical Area
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.
estimate, there were 1,265 people, 617 households and 385 families residing in the city. The population density
was 835.4 per square mile (322.9/km²). There were 725 housing units at an average density of 397.9 per square mile (153.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 15.20% White, 83.70% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.33% Asian, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.
There were 617 households of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.4% were married couples
living together, 31.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.20.
Age distribution was 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males.
The median household income
was $21,664, and the median family income was $24,044. Males had a median income of $21,375 versus $17,375 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $11,403. About 31.8% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.2% of those under age 18 and 38.4% of those age 65 or over.
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 103 full-time teachers and over 1,659 students.
Hancock County, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,076 people, 3,237 households, and 2,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 4,287 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,265 at the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. The city is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Hancock County
Hancock County, Georgia
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,076 people, 3,237 households, and 2,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile . There were 4,287 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
. It is part of the Milledgeville
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon, located just before Eatonton on the way to Athens along U.S. Highway 441, and it is located on the Oconee River. The relatively rapid current of the Oconee here made this an...
Micropolitan Statistical Area
Milledgeville micropolitan area
The Milledgeville Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in Georgia, anchored by the city of Milledgeville....
.
Geography
Sparta is located at 33°17′N 82°58′W (33.2773, -82.9715).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
According to the 2009 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
estimate, there were 1,265 people, 617 households and 385 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 835.4 per square mile (322.9/km²). There were 725 housing units at an average density of 397.9 per square mile (153.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 15.20% White, 83.70% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.33% Asian, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.
There were 617 households of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 31.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.20.
Age distribution was 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $21,664, and the median family income was $24,044. Males had a median income of $21,375 versus $17,375 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $11,403. About 31.8% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.2% of those under age 18 and 38.4% of those age 65 or over.
Hancock County School District
The Hancock County School DistrictHancock County School District (Georgia)
The Hancock County School District is a public school district in Hancock County, Georgia, USA, based in Sparta, Georgia. It serves the communities of Culverton and Sparta, Georgia.-Schools:...
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 103 full-time teachers and over 1,659 students.
- Lewis Elementary School
- Hancock Central Middle School
- Hancock Central High School
- John Hancock Academy
Notable natives
- George DardenGeorge DardenGeorge Washington "Buddy" Darden, III is an American politician and lawyer.-Early life:Darden was born in Hancock County, Georgia and graduated from Sparta High School in Sparta, Georgia in 1961. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Georgia in Athens in 1965 and his Juris Doctor...
— United States Representative from Georgia who went to high school in Sparta - Tommy Hurricane JacksonTommy Hurricane JacksonThomas "Hurricane" Jackson was a professional boxer from 1951 to 1961. He was trained and managed by Whitey Bimstein....
— professional boxer - Harvey GrantHarvey GrantHarvey Grant is a retired American National Basketball Association basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player...
— professional basketball player - Horace Grant — professional basketball player
- Jean ToomerJean ToomerJean Toomer was an American poet and novelist and an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His first book Cane is considered by many as his most significant.-Early life:...
— Harlem RenaissanceHarlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
writer and poet, once served as a principal in Sparta
Further reading
- "History of Sparta, Georgia", Georgia Encyclopedia (John Rozier, Emory University), 12/5/2008
- Kent Anderson Leslie, Woman of Color, Daughter of Privilege: Amanda America Dickson, 1849-1893 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1995).
- John Rozier, Black Boss: Political Revolution in a Georgia County (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1982).
- John Rozier, The Houses of Hancock, 1785-1865 (Decatur, Ga.: privately printed, 1996).
- John Rozier, ed., The Granite Farm Letters: The Civil War Correspondence of Edgeworth and Sallie Bird (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1988).
- Forrest Shivers, The Land Between: A History of Hancock County, Georgia, to 1940 (Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Co., 1990).