Cordele, Georgia
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Cordele, also known as The Watermelon Capital of the World, is a city located in Crisp County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 11,608. The city is the county seat of Crisp CountyTemplate:GR. Cordele is located conveniently on I-75, just 140 miles south of Atlanta and 100 miles north of the Florida State Line.
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History
In November 1864 the area that is now Cordele served as the temporary capital of Georgia. During the last days of the Confederacy, Georgia's war governor Joseph E. Brown used his rural farm house to escape the wrath of Sherman's "March to the Sea." During that time the farm house which Brown called "Dooly County Place" served as the official capital for only a few days.
The small town of Cordele, GA was founded in the southern part of Dooly County in 1888 by J.E.D. Shipp of Americus. The city of Cordele was incorporated on December 22, 1888. It drew great benefits from the presence of two major railroads-the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery line and the Georgia Southern and Florida. It was named after Cordelia Hawkins, daughter of the president of the SAM railroad, and the town flourished from the junction of the two railroads.
As the railroads brought more people and business to the newly settled territory, Cordele was experiencing phenomenal growth. Before 1905 Cordele was located in southern Dooly County nine miles from the county seat in Vienna. With Cordele's continued progress, many in the community felt the need for a seat of government to be closer in proximity than Vienna. Crisp County was formed in 1905 by taking a portion of southern Dooly County and Cordele became its county seat.
Geography
GAMap-doton-Cordele.PNG
Location of Cordele, Georgia
Cordele is located at 31°57'51" North, 83°46'38" West (31.964178, -83.777277)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.8 km² (9.6 mi²). 24.6 km² (9.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.84% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 11,608 people, 4,303 households, and 2,839 families residing in the city. The population density is 471.8/km² (1,222.5/mi²). There are 4,782 housing units at an average density of 194.4/km² (503.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 31.90% White, 65.03% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,303 households out of which 35.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% are married couples living together, 30.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% are non-families. 30.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.22.
In the city the population is spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 81.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 74.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $17,615, and the median income for a family is $21,677. Males have a median income of $23,253 versus $17,282 for females. The per capita income for the city is $12,746. 41.6% of the population and 38.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 59.2% of those under the age of 18 and 26.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Famous Cordelians
Jazz singer and Cosby Show grandfather, Joe Williams.