Thomaston, Georgia

Not to be confused with Thomasville, Georgia.

Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County,^[5] Georgia, United States.^[6] The population was 9,816 at the 2020 census.^[7] It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta - Sandy Springs (GA) - Gainesville (GA) - Alabama (partial) CSA.

City of Thomaston
City
Thomaston-Upson County Government Administration Complex
Flag Seal Logo
Motto:  "One of the Best 100 Towns"[1]
Location in Upson County and the state of Georgia.
Coordinates: 32°54′N 84°20′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Upson
Area [2]
• Total	9.74 sq mi (25.24 km2)
• Land	9.54 sq mi (24.71 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.53 km2)
Elevation	784 ft (239 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,816
• Density	1,029.04/sq mi (397.32/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	30286
Area code	706
FIPS code	13-76168[3]
GNIS feature ID	0324093[4]
Website	Official City of Thomaston, Georgia Government Website

History

Upson County Courthouse built in 1908 in Thomaston, Georgia.

Thomaston was incorporated on January 1, 1825,^[8] and designated as the seat of Upson County. The town was named for General Jett Thomas, an Indian fighter in the War of 1812.^[9]

Geography

Thomaston is located near the center of Upson County at 32.90 N, -84.333333 W (32° 54′ 0″ N, 84° 20′ 0″ W).^[10] The city is located in the west central Piedmont region of the state.

U.S. Route 19 is the main north–south route through the city, leading north 16 mi (26 km) to Zebulon and south 28 mi (45 km) to Butler. Georgia State Routes 36 and 74 are the main east–west routes through the city. GA-36 leads northeast 17 mi (27 km) to Barnesville and southwest 18 mi (29 km) to Woodland. GA-74 leads east 12 mi (19 km) to Yatesville and northwest 19 mi (31 km) to Woodbury.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	570		—
1890	1,181		107.2%
1900	1,714		45.1%
1910	1,645		−4.0%
1920	2,502		52.1%
1930	4,922		96.7%
1940	6,396		29.9%
1950	6,580		2.9%
1960	9,336		41.9%
1970	10,024		7.4%
1980	9,682		−3.4%
1990	9,127		−5.7%
2000	9,411		3.1%
2010	9,170		−2.6%
2020	9,816		7.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1850-1870[12] 1880[13] 1890-1910[14] 1920-1930[15] 1930-1940[16] 1940-1950[17] 1960-1980[18] 1990[19]

Thomaston racial composition as of 2020^[20]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	4,899	49.91%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	4,202	42.81%
Native American	21	0.21%
Asian	34	0.35%
Pacific Islander	1	0.01%
Other/Mixed	357	3.64%
Hispanic or Latino	302	3.08%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,816 people, 3,333 households, and 1,779 families residing in the city.

Health care

Its principal hospital is the Upson Regional Medical Center at 801 West Gordon Street.

Industry

Industry in the city is driven primarily by manufacturing which makes up 36.5%. The second largest industry is educational, health, and social service comprising 21.0%. The third largest industry is retail trade at 11.6% of the total industry in Thomaston. The remaining portions of industry include agriculture, construction, wholesale trade, transportation, information, finance, management, administration, arts and entertainment, food service, recreation, accommodation, and public administration.

Arts and culture

National Register of Historic Places

The Upson County courthouse was built in 1908, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[21]

• Pettigrew-White-Stamps House
• Silvertown Mill District

Annual events

Thomaston hosts an annual Emancipation Proclamation Celebration each May. It is the nation's oldest and longest running emancipation celebration of its kind.^[8]

Parks and recreation

• Sprewell Bluff Park, located on the Flint River
• The Greatest Generation Recreational Park

Education

Thomaston-Upson County School District

The Thomaston-Upson County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.^[22] The district has 279 full-time teachers and over 5,009 students.^[23]

• Upson-Lee Elementary School
• Upson-Lee Primary School
• Upson-Lee Middle School
• Upson-Lee High School
• Upson-Lee Pre-K
• Upson-Lee Alternative School

Colleges and universities

Southern Crescent Technical College is located in Thomaston, and is a two-year technical school.^[24][25]

Notable people

John Brown Gordon by Mathew Brady.

• Coy Bowles – musician and member of Zac Brown Band
• Elia Goode Byington (1858–1936) – journalist
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (b. 1993) – basketball player
• Mike Cavan (b. 1948) – football player and coach
• Wayne Cochran (1939–2017) – singer
• Scott Franklin (b. 1964) – U.S. representative for Florida^[26]
• Ivylyn Girardeau (1900–1987) – medical missionary in Pakistan and India
• John B. Gordon (1832–1904) – U.S. senator for Georgia, governor of Georgia, and Confederate States Army major general
• Frank Gordy (1904–1983) – founder of The Varsity fast-food chain
• William Guilford (1844–1909) – Georgia House of Representatives member
• Bill Hartman (1915–2006) – football player and College Football Hall of Fame inductee
• John Holliman (1948–1998) – journalist
• Marion Montgomery (1925–2011) – poet, novelist, educator, and critic
• Dallas Raines (b. 1954) – meteorologist
• Thelma Thompson Slayden (1907–1977) – novelist
• Hunter Strickland (b. 1988) – baseball player
• Travon Walker (b. 2000) – football player