Statesboro, Georgia

Statesboro is the largest city and the county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States, with a population of 28,422 at the 2010 census and an estimated 2014 population of 30,367. It is the principal city of the Statesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area, with an estimated 2012 population of 72,694. A college town, Statesboro is best known as the home of Georgia Southern University, a Carnegie Doctoral-Research University.

The city was chartered in 1803, starting as a small trading community providing the basic essentials for surrounding plantations. In 1906, Statesboro leaders joined together to bid for and win the First District A&M School, which eventually grew into Georgia Southern University. Statesboro inspired the blues song "Statesboro Blues", written by Blind Willie McTell in the 1920s, and covered in a well-known version by The Allman Brothers Band.

History
In 1801, George Sibbald of Augusta donated a 9301 acre tract for a centrally located county seat for the growing agricultural community of Bulloch County. It was developed for large cotton plantations, worked by slave labor. In December 1803, the Georgia legislature created the town of Statesborough. In 1866 the state legislature granted a permanent charter and changed the spelling of the name to its present form of Statesboro.

During the Civil War and General William T. Sherman's famous march to the sea, a Union officer asked a saloon proprietor for directions to Statesboro. The proprietor replied, "You are standing in the middle of town." The soldiers destroyed only the courthouse—a crude log structure that doubled as a barn when court was not in session. After the Civil War, the city began to grow and Statesboro emerged as a major town in southeastern Georgia.

Around the turn of the century, new stores and banks sprang up along the town's four major streets, each named Main. In 1908 Statesboro led the world in sales of long-staple Sea Island Cotton, a specialty of the Low Country. For each bale of cotton sold in Savannah, ten bales were sold in Statesboro. After the boll weevil decimated the cotton crop in the 1930s, farmers shifted to tobacco. By 1953 more than 20 million pounds of tobacco passed through warehouses in Statesboro, then the largest market of the "bright Tobacco Belt" spanning Georgia and Florida.

The 1906 First District Agricultural & Mechanical School at Statesboro changed to the 1924 Georgia Normal School, then became the South Georgia Teachers College in 1929, Georgia Teachers College in 1939, and Georgia Southern College in 1959. During the Cold War, the Statesboro Bomb Plot of the 12th RBS Squadron was a Strategic Air Command radar station for Radar Bomb Scoring.

Economy


The economy of Statesboro consists of a diverse blend of education, manufacturing, and agribusiness sectors. Statesboro serves as a regional economic hub and has over a billion dollars in annual retail sales.

Georgia Southern University is the largest employer in the City with 6,700 regional jobs tied directly and indirectly to the campus.

Agriculture is responsible for $100 million in annual farm gate revenues.

Statesboro is home to multiple manufacturing facilities. Statesboro Briggs & Stratton Plant is the third largest employer in the region with 950 employees.

GAF the largest privately owned roofing manufacturer in North America also recently located to Statesboro.

Geography
Statesboro is located at 32.44528°N, -81.77917°W (32.445147, -81.779234). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.9 km2, of which 35.0 km2 is land and 0.9 km2, or 2.60%, is water. The city is in the coastal plain region, or Low Country, of Georgia, so it is mainly flat with a few small hills. With an elevation of 250 ft, the downtown area is one of the highest places in Bulloch County. Pine, oak, magnolia, dogwood, palm, sweetgum, and a variety of other trees can be found in the area.

Climate
Statesboro has a humid subtropical climate according to the Köppen classification. The city experiences very hot and humid summers with average July highs of about 91 degrees and lows around 70. Afternoon thunderstorms associated with the summer heat and humidity can spawn from time to time. Winters are mild with average January highs of 58 degrees and lows of 36 degrees. Winter storms are rare, but they can happen on occasion, the most recent being an ice storm that hit in January 2014. About 2 inches of snow fell on the city during the evening of February 12, 2010.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 28,422 people, 8,560 households, and 3,304 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,812.9 people per square mile (700.0/km²). There were 9,235 housing units at an average density of 737.6 per square mile (284.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53% White, 39.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.8% Asian,1.6% from other races, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 8,560 households out of which 17.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.9% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 61.4% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 14.3% under the age of 18, 48.7% from 18 to 24, 16.6% from 25 to 44, 11.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,016, and the median income for a family was $35,391. Males had a median income of $29,132 versus $20,718 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,585. About 20.5% of families and 42.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.

Bulloch County School District
The Bulloch County Board of Education runs the public school district in Statesboro. The largest school in the city is Statesboro High School. Other public schools include Southeast Bulloch High School, William James Middle School, Langston Chapel Middle School, Southeast Bulloch Middle School, Julia P. Bryant Elementary School, Sallie Zetterower Elementary School, Mattie Lively Elementary School, Langston Chapel Elementary School, and Mill Creek Elementary School. Private schools include Bulloch Academy, Trinity Christian School, and Bible Baptist Christian School. The Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts and Technology, part of the CCAT public school district, is a charter school located within the city limits.

Higher education
Georgia Southern University is the city's principal institution of higher learning. The university, a unit of the University System of Georgia, was founded as the First District Agricultural and Mechanical School in 1906 as a land grant college. On July 1, 1990, it became the fifth university of the University System, and is a comprehensive residential university of nearly 20,000 students. The university's graduate programs are offered on campus, at satellite centers, and by distance and on-line delivery. For the past decade, the university has combined a capital building program with beautification of the nearly 700 acre campus.

The university includes a museum of cultural and natural history, a botanical garden, and a unique wildlife education center. The university's Division I athletic teams, the Georgia Southern Eagles, compete in the Sun Belt Conference.

Two community colleges are located in Statesboro. East Georgia State College, a University System college based in the nearby city of Swainsboro, operates a satellite campus in Statesboro, serving area students as well as those do not meet Georgia Southern's requirements for freshmen admission. Ogeechee Technical College is a part of the Technical College System of Georgia and provides technical and adult education to area students. Both schools are located on U.S. Highway 301 South, outside of the city limits and approximately 3 mi from the campus of Georgia Southern.

Culture
The culture of Statesboro reflects a blend of both its southern heritage and college town identity.

The city has developed a unique culture, common in many college towns, that coexists with the university students in creating an art scene, music scene and intellectual environment. Statesboro is home to numerous restaurants, bars, live music venues, bookstores and coffee shops that cater to its creative college town climate.

Statesboro's downtown was named one of eight "Renaissance Cities" by Georgia Trend magazine. The downtown area is currently undergoing a revitalization. The Old Bank of Statesboro and Georgia Theater have been adapted with renovation for the David H. Averitt Center for the Arts. It houses the Emma Kelly Theater, named after the local singer, known as the "Lady of 6,000 Songs". The center also contains art studios, conference rooms and an exhibition area. Downtown Statesboro has been featured in several motion pictures including Now and Then (1995) as well as 1969. Georgia Southern offers a variety of cultural options available both for the university and the wider community: the Georgia Southern Symphony, the Georgia Southern Planetarium, Georgia Southern Museum, and the Botanical Gardens at Bland Cottage. Touring groups appear at the Performing Arts Center, and also featured are shows put on by Georgia Southern students and faculty.

Mill Creek Regional Park is a large outdoor recreational facility with athletic fields and a water park, Splash in the Boro.

Media
Statesboro is served by a variety of media outlets in print, radio, television, and the Internet. Statesboro Magazine is the community's premier quality of life publication. The local newspaper is the Statesboro Herald, a daily with a circulation of about 6,000. Other newspapers include the George-Anne produced by Georgia Southern University students, Connect Statesboro, a weekly entertainment publication, and the E11eventh Hour, a twice-a-month entertainment publication. Radio stations include WHKN, WMCD, WPMX, WPTB, WWNS, and WVGS. Statesboro Business Magazine offers Statesboro and area business news, articles, features, jobs, real estate listings and other area business information and reviews.

StatesboroHerald.com has received numerous state and national awards from the newspaper industry for online innovation.

Transportation


Interstate 16 is located 10 mi to the south of Statesboro. Statesboro is also served by three U.S. highways: U.S. Highway 301, which runs north-south through the city, U.S. Highway 25, which runs northwest-south through the city, and U.S. Highway 80, which is the main east-west route through the city. The Veterans Memorial Parkway (Highway 301 Bypass and Highway 25 Bypass) forms a near circle around the city.

Approximately 3 mi outside of Statesboro is the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport, which can accommodate private aircraft but does not have a control tower or commercial flights. Most travelers use the nearby Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, which is located 45 mi to the east and is served by nine commercial airlines. Statesboro is about three hours by highway from the major Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Rail service for freight is provided by Georgia Southern Railway.

Notable people

 * John Rocker, Major League Baseball relief pitcher
 * Jason Childers (born 1975), Major League Baseball relief pitcher
 * Berry Avant Edenfield, United States District Court judge and Georgia State Senator
 * Dale Eggeling (born 1954), winner of three LPGA Tour events
 * Sutton Foster (born 1975), Broadway star
 * Joey Hamilton (born 1970), retired Major League Baseball player
 * Martha Hayslip, player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
 * Justin Houston (born 1989), linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs
 * Danny McBride (born 1976), actor, Pineapple Express and Eastbound & Down
 * Jeremy Mincey (born 1983), defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys
 * Blind Willie McTell (1901–1959), blues musician, "Statesboro Blues"
 * Adrian Peterson (born 1979), former running back for the Chicago Bears,Walter Payton award winner who earned his degree from Georgia Southern University in 2001 and helped win the 1999 and 2000 National Championships
 * Marty Pevey (born 1961), current manager of the Iowa Cubs, the Triple A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs
 * Commander William M. Rigdon, USN (1904–1991), assistant Naval Aide in the White House, 1942–53; served throughout the Presidency of Harry S. Truman
 * Erk Russell (1926–2006), college football coach
 * DeAngelo Tyson (born 1989), defensive end, Baltimore Ravens
 * Rashad Wright (born 1982), point guard

Points of interest
Eagle Creek Brewing Company
 * Georgia Southern Botanical Garden
 * Georgia Southern University
 * J. I. Clements Stadium
 * Mill Creek Recreational Park
 * Paulson Stadium
 * Performing Arts Center
 * Splash in the Boro
 * Center for Art & Theatre
 * Red Fern Plantation