Covington, Georgia
Covington is a city and the county seat of Newton County, Georgia,[6] located 35 miles east of Atlanta. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 13,118.
Covington, Georgia | |
---|---|
Built in 1884, the historic Newton County Courthouse located in Covington, Georgia | |
Location in Newton County and the state of Georgia | |
Covington Location of Covington in Metro Atlanta | |
Coordinates: 33°36′N 83°52′W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Newton |
Government | |
• Mayor | Steve Horton |
Area | |
• Total | 15.97 sq mi (41.36 km2) |
• Land | 15.73 sq mi (40.73 km2) |
• Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.63 km2) |
Elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 13,118 |
• Estimate (2019)[2] | 14,206 |
• Density | 903.23/sq mi (348.75/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP codes | 30014-30016 |
Area code(s) | 470/678/770 |
FIPS code | 13-20064[3] |
GNIS feature ID | 0355354[4] |
Website | The City of Covington official site |
Covington Historic District | |
Location | Roughly Covington City S of US 278, Covington, Georgia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°35′41″N 83°51′12″W |
Built | 1822 |
Architect | Bruce and Morgan; Golucke, J.W., and Company, et al. |
Architectural style | Greek Revival, Second Empire, Italianate |
NRHP reference No. | 98000969[5] |
Added to NRHP | August 6, 1998 |
History
Covington was founded by European immigrants to the United States. It was incorporated in 1822 as the seat of the newly organized Newton County.[7] Covington was named for United States Army Brigadier General and United States Congressman Leonard Covington,[8] a hero of the War of 1812. The settlement grew with the advent of the railroad in 1845. Covington incorporated as a city in 1854.[9]
In 1864, General Sherman's troops marched through during their March to the Sea. Although they looted the city, destroying numerous buildings, several antebellum homes were spared.
Historic districts
The Covington Historic District and the North Covington Historic District within the city are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The maps and materials describing these two districts are available for review through City Hall. The Covington Historic District contains Floyd Street and the downtown square. The North Covington Historic District contains North Emory Street and Odum Street as its hub. Both districts have an ordinance to preserve their character, regulating changes proposed for properties, and special permits may be required.
The Covington Mill Village is also a vital part of local history. The Starrsville Historic District, site of the historic settlement of Starrsville, is in the exurban area around Covington. The Newton County Courthouse, brick store, and Salem campground are separately NRHP-listed.[5]
Geography
Covington is located in north central Georgia, in the eastern part of Metro Atlanta. Interstate 20 runs to the north of the city, with access from exits 90, 92, and 93. Via I-20, downtown Atlanta is 35 mi (56 km) west, and Augusta is 112 mi (180 km) east. U.S. Route 278 also runs through the city, leading east 16 mi (26 km) to Rutledge and northwest 11 mi (18 km) to Conyers, concurrent with I-20. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes 36, 81, and 142.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36 km2), of which 13.8 square miles (36 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.72%) is water.
Climate
Climate data for Covington, Georgia | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) |
88 (31) |
90 (32) |
95 (35) |
100 (38) |
105 (41) |
110 (43) |
105 (41) |
103 (39) |
98 (37) |
87 (31) |
79 (26) |
110 (43) |
Average high °F (°C) | 52.8 (11.6) |
57.3 (14.1) |
65.7 (18.7) |
73.6 (23.1) |
81.1 (27.3) |
87.5 (30.8) |
90.0 (32.2) |
88.8 (31.6) |
83.3 (28.5) |
73.5 (23.1) |
64.4 (18.0) |
54.7 (12.6) |
72.7 (22.6) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 42.4 (5.8) |
46.3 (7.9) |
53.6 (12.0) |
61.1 (16.2) |
69.4 (20.8) |
76.9 (24.9) |
79.9 (26.6) |
79.2 (26.2) |
73.1 (22.8) |
62.5 (16.9) |
53.1 (11.7) |
44.5 (6.9) |
61.8 (16.6) |
Average low °F (°C) | 32.0 (0.0) |
35.4 (1.9) |
41.5 (5.3) |
48.6 (9.2) |
57.7 (14.3) |
66.3 (19.1) |
69.8 (21.0) |
69.5 (20.8) |
62.9 (17.2) |
51.4 (10.8) |
41.8 (5.4) |
34.2 (1.2) |
50.9 (10.5) |
Record low °F (°C) | −7 (−22) |
−10 (−23) |
9 (−13) |
24 (−4) |
31 (−1) |
44 (7) |
52 (11) |
51 (11) |
34 (1) |
23 (−5) |
5 (−15) |
0 (−18) |
−10 (−23) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.20 (107) |
4.72 (120) |
4.84 (123) |
3.19 (81) |
3.21 (82) |
4.23 (107) |
4.48 (114) |
4.22 (107) |
4.07 (103) |
3.26 (83) |
3.93 (100) |
4.07 (103) |
48.42 (1,230) |
Source: [10] |
Demographics
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1870 | 1,121 | — | |
1880 | 1,415 | 26.2% | |
1890 | 1,823 | 28.8% | |
1900 | 2,062 | 13.1% | |
1910 | 2,697 | 30.8% | |
1920 | 3,203 | 18.8% | |
1930 | 3,203 | 0.0% | |
1940 | 3,900 | 21.8% | |
1950 | 5,192 | 33.1% | |
1960 | 8,167 | 57.3% | |
1970 | 10,267 | 25.7% | |
1980 | 10,586 | 3.1% | |
1990 | 10,026 | −5.3% | |
2000 | 11,547 | 15.2% | |
2010 | 13,118 | 13.6% | |
Est. 2019 | 14,206 | [2] | 8.3% |
U.S. Decennial Census[11] |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 11,547 people, 4,261 households, and 2,906 families residing in the city. The population density was 839.2 people per square mile (324.0/km2). There were 4,542 housing units at an average density of 330.1 per square mile (127.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 51.55% White, 45.54% Black, 0.18% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.87% of the population.
There were 4,261 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 23.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,997, and the median income for a family was $36,408. Males had a median income of $29,622 versus $23,339 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,554. About 14.8% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Newton County School District
The Newton County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of fourteen elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools, an elementary theme school, and a charter school. The district has 853 full-time teachers and 13,681 students.[12]
Private education
- Grace Christian Academy
- Montessori School of Covington
- Providence Classical Christian School
- Peachtree Academy
- Covington Academy
- Point of Grace Christian School
- First Baptist Academy
Higher education
- Georgia Piedmont Technical College - Covington Campus[13]
- Georgia Perimeter College - Newton County Campus[14]
- Emory University - Oxford Campus[15]
Tourism events
- Gaither's Plantation hosts a Fall Festival every year.
- The Satsuki Garden Club conducts tours of historic houses in Covington every other Christmas.
- The Vampire Diaries, Mystic Falls Tours[16]
In film and television
Covington has been featured in numerous TV shows and movies since the 1950s."[17]
- Selma, the 2014 drama film directed by Ava DuVernay, centering on the Selma to Montgomery marches and the role of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965[18]
- American Reunion, a Universal movie series filmed partly in Newton High School. Released April 6, 2012.[19]
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green, a Disney film starring Jennifer Garner and Ron Livingston. Filming wrapped in January 2011.[20]
- The Magic Eye, an NBC made-for-TV movie about high school football in small-town America. Scheduled to air in June 2011.[21]
- The Walking Dead- one of the opening scenes of the pilot episode was filmed on a rural road in unincorporated Newton County just outside Covington city limits.
- The Accountant, a 2001 short film.[22]
- The Vampire Diaries, a teen drama on the CW network, began filming on July 21, 2009.[23]
- Halloween II, (2009) a reboot of the 1980s film series directed by Rob Zombie.[24]
- The Dukes of Hazzard, a TV series that was filmed in Covington and surrounding areas for half of the first season in 1978.[25]
- In the Heat of the Night, a television series from 1988 to 1995, as the fictional city of Sparta, Mississippi.[26]
- The Family That Preys, a 2009 film by Tyler Perry.[27]
- False Face, a 1977 film.[28]
- Kalifornia. a 1993 film starring Brad Pitt and David Duchovny, filmed at the old Crest Motel.[29]
- The Cannonball Run, filmed in 1981, starring Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise.[30]
- Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)[31]
- Madea's Family Reunion (2006), filmed at Gaithers Plantation.[32]
- Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986)[33]
- Run Ronnie Run (2000) [34]
- Remember the Titans (1999) [35]
- Three Wishes (2005), episode 3[36]
- Miss Evers' Boys (1997 TV movie)[37]
- Past the Bleachers (1994)[38]
- The Oldest Living Confederate Widow (1993)
- A Passion for Justice: The Hazel Brannon Smith Story (1993)
- The Secret Passion of Robert Clayton (1992)
- I'll Fly Away (1991–1992) [39]
- Grass Roots (1992) [40]
- Stay the Night (1991)
- Carolina Skeletons (1991)
- White Lie (1991)
- Sudie & Simpson (1990)
- Sweet Home Alabama (2002) [35]
- Get Low (2009) [41]
- Little Darlings (1980) [42]
- The Fighting Temptations (2003) [43]
- Resting Place (1986), Hallmark Hall of Fame [44]
- A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) [45]
- Fled (1996) [46]
- Flash (1997 TV movie) [47]
- Savannah (1996 TV series) [48]
- A Man called Peter (1955) [49]
- Boycott (2001) TV movie,[50]
- Dangerous Calling (2008)[51]
- Coward of the County (1981 TV movie) [52]
- False River (2005) [53]
- The Price of a Broken Heart (1999 TV movie) [54]
- Wayward Son (1999) [55]
- The Prize Fighter (1979) [56]
- Door to Door (1985) [57]
- A Fathers Homecoming(1988) [58]
- TV Road Trip (2002), documentary.[59]
- Turbulance! (2004) [60]
- The Spy/Fancy Dress (2004) [61]
- Fly By (2009) [62]
- Boxed In (2005)[63]
- Autorequiem (2002) [64]
- My Cousin Vinny (1992) [65]
- Footloose (2011)[66]
- Taken 3 (2014)
- Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors)[67]
- Vacation (2015 film))[68]
- Dumplin' (film) (2018)
- Legacies (TV series) (2018), a series related to The Vampire Diaries
- Doctor Sleep (2019)
- Sweet Magnolias (2020), Netflix series
Notable people
- George Adams, jazz tenor saxophonist
- George T. Anderson - Confederate General during the Civil War
- Leon Ashley - singer
- Jay Bailey - manufacturing expert
- Boondox (David Hutto) - rapper on Majik Ninja Entertainment
- Dale Carter - professional football player
- Ellia English - actress best known for her role as Aunt Helen on the Jamie Foxx Show
- Akeem Hunt- running back for the Houston Texans of the NFL
- Andy Offutt Irwin award-winning storyteller and recording artist
- Ryan Klesko - Major League Baseball player
- Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (II) - politician, Secretary of the Interior for Grover Cleveland - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
- Demetrius McCray - football player, cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Dinah Watts Pace - educator who operated an orphanage here
- Sheldon Rankins- defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL
- Jake Reed - former professional football player
- Steadman Vincent Sanford - Chancellor of the University System of Georgia
- Lizzie Wilkerson - African-American folk artist
See also
- Main Street Bank, former local bank
References
- "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
- "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 225. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 94.
- Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
- "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". NOAA. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- School Stats, Retrieved July 8, 2016.
- Dekalb Technical College Archived August 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Georgia Perimeter College- Newton Campus Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Oxford College of Emory University, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- "Mystic Falls Tours - On Location Filming - United States". Mystic Falls Tours - On Location Filming - United States.
- "IMDb: Most Popular Titles With Filming Locations Matching "Covington, Georgia"".
- Scott, A. O. (December 24, 2014), "2014 film entitled Selma chronicles 1965 civil rights march", The New York Times, retrieved May 26, 2015
- American Reunion Movie | Official Site for American Reunion on Blu-ray | Own It NOW on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download | Watch The DVD Trailer, Photos & Pictures, Story, Plo...
- "The Odd Life of Timothy Green". August 15, 2012 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Covington News". Archived from the original on July 22, 2012.
- "The Accountant". January 1, 2001 – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Vampire Diaries" – via www.imdb.com.
- "Halloween II". August 28, 2009 – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Dukes of Hazzard" – via www.imdb.com.
- "In the Heat of the Night" – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Family That Preys". September 12, 2008 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Scalpel". January 1, 1977 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Kalifornia". September 3, 1993 – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Cannonball Run". June 19, 1981 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius". April 30, 2004 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Madea's Family Reunion". February 24, 2006 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI". August 1, 1986 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Run Ronnie Run". January 1, 2002 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Sweet Home Alabama". September 27, 2002 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Three Wishes" – via www.imdb.com.
- "Miss Evers' Boys". February 22, 1997 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Past the Bleachers". June 22, 1995 – via www.imdb.com.
- "I'll Fly Away" – via www.imdb.com.
- "Grass Roots". February 24, 1992 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Get Low". August 27, 2010 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Little Darlings". March 21, 1980 – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Fighting Temptations". September 19, 2003 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Resting Place". April 27, 1986 – via www.imdb.com.
- "A Simple Twist of Fate". September 2, 1994 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Fled". July 19, 1996 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Flash". December 21, 1997 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Savannah" – via www.imdb.com.
- "A Man Called Peter". April 1, 1955 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Boycott". February 24, 2001 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Dangerous Calling". August 1, 2008 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Coward of the County". October 7, 1981 – via www.imdb.com.
- "False River" – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Price of a Broken Heart". August 16, 1999 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Wayward Son". September 14, 1999 – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Prize Fighter". November 1, 1979 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Door to Door". August 1, 1985 – via www.imdb.com.
- "A Father's Homecoming". June 19, 1988 – via www.imdb.com.
- "TV Road Trip". April 7, 2002 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Turbulence!" – via www.imdb.com.
- "The Spy/Fancy Dress" – via www.imdb.com.
- "Fly By". July 12, 2018 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Boxed In". December 12, 2005 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Autorequiem". June 5, 2002 – via www.imdb.com.
- "My Cousin Vinny". March 13, 1992 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Footloose". October 14, 2011 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors". December 10, 2015 – via www.imdb.com.
- "Vacation". July 29, 2015 – via www.imdb.com.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Covington, Georgia. |
Wikisource has the text of a 1905 New International Encyclopedia article about Covington, Georgia. |