Sparta, Georgia
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Sparta, Georgia | |
|---|---|
City | |
| Sparta Historic District Sparta Historic District | |
| Location in Hancock County and the state of Georgia Location in Hancock County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 33°17′N 82°58′W / 33.283°N 82.967°WCoordinates: 33°17′N 82°58′W / 33.283°N 82.967°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Hancock |
| Area | |
| • Total | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Land | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Water | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,357 |
| • Density | Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 31087 |
| Area code(s) | 706 |
| FIPS code | 13-72584[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0323330[3] |
| Website | www |
Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Georgia, United States.[4] The city's population was 1,357 at the 2020 census.
History
[edit | edit source]Sparta was founded in 1795 in the newly formed Hancock County. It became the county seat in 1797, was incorporated as a town in 1805, and later as a city in 1893.[5] The community was named after Sparta, a city-state in Ancient Greece.[6]
In 1864, during Sherman's March to the Sea, the town remained completely unscathed, reportedly due to the efforts of Confederate Captain Henry Culver, the son-in-law of local industrialist William Fraley, who successfully diverted Union troops away from the area.[7][8]
Geography
[edit | edit source]According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2), all land.
Major highways
[edit | edit source]- File:Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
- File:Georgia 16.svg State Route 16
- File:Georgia 22.svg State Route 22
Demographics
[edit | edit source]2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, Sparta had a population of 1,357. The median age was 49.0 years. 18.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.9 males age 18 and over.[9][10]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[11]
There were 546 households in Sparta, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 25.1% were married-couple households, 24.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 44.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[9]
There were 651 housing units, of which 16.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.[9]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 189 | 13.9% |
| Black or African American | 1,116 | 82.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1 | 0.1% |
| Asian | 23 | 1.7% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 0 | 0.0% |
| Two or more races | 28 | 2.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 11 | 0.8% |
Economy
[edit | edit source]Sparta is the site of Georgia's Hancock State Prison.
Education
[edit | edit source]Hancock County School District
[edit | edit source]The Hancock County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.[12] The district has 83 full-time teachers and over 670 students.
- Lewis Elementary School
- Hancock Central Middle School
- Hancock Central High School
- John Hancock Academy
Notable people
[edit | edit source]- Thomas "Pee Wee" Butts – professional baseball player[13]
- George Darden – United States Representative from Georgia who went to high school in Sparta
- Harvey Grant – professional basketball player
- Horace Grant – professional basketball player
- Tommy Hurricane Jackson – professional boxer
- Adella Hunt Logan – suffragist
- Jean Toomer – Harlem Renaissance writer and poet, once served as a principal in Sparta
- Angeria Paris VanMicheals – drag queen and finalist on season 14 of RuPaul's Drag Race and winner of the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
See also
[edit | edit source]- Central Savannah River Area
- Rossiter-Little House - Oldest house in Sparta
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ "Sparta". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 247. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ↑ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 210. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
- ↑ "William Fraley". www.friendsofcems.org. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Sparta - Georgia Historical Society". www.georgiahistory.com/. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
- ↑ Georgia Board of Education[permanent dead link], Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ↑ "Thomas Butts". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
Further reading
[edit | edit source]- "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).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Sparta historical marker
- Sparta Cemetery historical marker
- Pierce Memorial Methodist Church historical marker
Template:Hancock County, Georgia Template:Central Savannah River Area Template:Georgia county seats