Quitman, Georgia

Not to be confused with Quitman County, Georgia.

Quitman is a city in and the county seat of Brooks County, Georgia, United States.^[4] The population was 4,064 in 2020. The Quitman Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Quitman, Georgia
City
Quitman City Hall
Logo
Nickname:  Georgia's Camellia City
Location in Brooks County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 30°47′5″N 83°33′39″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Brooks
Government
• Mayor	Zinda Drew McDaniel
Area [1]
• Total	4.15 sq mi (10.74 km2)
• Land	4.13 sq mi (10.69 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation	190 ft (58 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,064
• Density	984.73/sq mi (380.18/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31643
Area code	229
FIPS code	13-63224[2]
GNIS feature ID	0321256[3]
Website	www.quitmanga.gov

Quitman was the home of James Pierpont, author of the song "Jingle Bells" (1857), and uncle of American financier J.P. Morgan. Pierpont was an organist for the First Presbyterian Church.^[5] James' daughter, Lillie, was Quitman's first librarian in 1880.^[6]

A local Quitman ordinance prohibits chickens from crossing the road.^[7]

It is called "Camellia City", as the tree grows in profusion around the area.

History

Quitman was designated the county seat of the newly formed Brooks County in 1858. It was incorporated as a town in 1859 and as a city in 1904.^[8] As the county seat, it was the center of trading in the county, which was devoted to cotton plantations before and after the American Civil War. The community was named for John A. Quitman, a hero of the Mexican–American War.^[9]

Geography

Quitman is located in southern Georgia at 30°47′05″N 83°33′39″W.^[10] U.S. Routes 84 and 221 pass through the center of the city. US 84 leads west 121 miles to Dothan, Alabama, while US 221 leads south 24 miles (39 km) to Greenville, Florida, and 26 miles (42 km) to Interstate 10. US 84 and US 221 together lead east 15 miles (24 km) to Interstate 75 and 17 miles (27 km) to Valdosta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Quitman has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.7 km²), of which 0.019 square miles (0.05 km²), or .50%, is water.^[11]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification System, Quitman has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[12] As of 2023, Quitman is in USDA hardiness zone 9a.^[13]

Climate data for Quitman, Georgia
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	18 (64)	19 (67)	23 (73)	27 (80)	31 (87)	33 (91)	33 (92)	33 (91)	31 (88)	27 (81)	23 (73)	18 (65)	26 (79)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	4 (40)	6 (42)	9 (48)	12 (54)	16 (61)	20 (68)	21 (70)	21 (70)	19 (66)	13 (56)	8 (46)	4 (40)	13 (55)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	100 (4.1)	110 (4.4)	120 (4.6)	91 (3.6)	89 (3.5)	140 (5.7)	180 (6.9)	150 (6)	120 (4.6)	64 (2.5)	64 (2.5)	94 (3.7)	1,320 (51.9)
Source: Weatherbase [14]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	784		—
1880	1,400		78.6%
1890	1,868		33.4%
1900	2,281		22.1%
1910	3,915		71.6%
1920	4,393		12.2%
1930	4,149		−5.6%
1940	4,450		7.3%
1950	4,769		7.2%
1960	5,071		6.3%
1970	4,818		−5.0%
1980	5,188		7.7%
1990	5,292		2.0%
2000	4,638		−12.4%
2010	3,850		−17.0%
2020	4,064		5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[15] 1850-1870[16] 1870-1880[17] 1890-1910[18] 1920-1930[19] 1940[20] 1950[21] 1960[22] 1970[23] 1980[24] 1990[25] 2000[26] 2010[27]

US 84, part of the Quitman Historic District

Quitman racial composition as of 2020^[28]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	983	24.19%
Black or African American	2,805	69.02%
Native American	3	0.07%
Asian	30	0.74%
Pacific Islander	2	0.05%
Other/Mixed	113	2.78%
Hispanic or Latino	128	3.15%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,064 people, 1,476 households, and 836 families residing in the city.

Industry

The prevalent industries in Quitman are farming and automotive.

Education

Schools for Quitman are Quitman Elementary School, Brooks County Middle School, and Brooks County High School.

Media

Radio station WGOV-FM 96.7 is licensed to broadcast from Quitman. The Quitman Free Press, a weekly newspaper, is the official legal publication for Brooks County. It has been in operation since 1876. Quitman is also notable for the Garry's Mod server, That Sandbox Server, That is run by Nikolas Woodard. In 2023 Nikolas was caught talking to an underage girl and the server was promptly shut down

Notable people

James Lord Pierpont

• Nellie Weldon Cocroft - ragtime composer, born in Quitman
• Edna Cain Daniel, writer, journalist, long-time publisher of the Quitman Free Press
• Dana A. Dorsey - Banker, realtor, business executive, and philanthropist. Child of freed slaves.
• Henry L. Reaves - politician, farmer, and cattleman
• James Lord Pierpont - songwriter of Jingle Bells, church organist, taught at the Quitman Academy. Uncle of J.P. Morgan.