Leesburg is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,480 at the 2020 census,[4] up from 2,896 at the 2010 census.[5] It is part of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.
Leesburg, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Leesburg City Hall | |
 Location in Lee County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 31°43′58″N 84°10′15″W / 31.73278°N 84.17083°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Lee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.96 sq mi (12.86 km2) |
| • Land | 4.91 sq mi (12.72 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2) |
| Elevation | 259 ft (79 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 3,480 |
| • Density | 708.47/sq mi (273.52/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 31763 |
| Area code | 229 |
| FIPS code | 13-45768[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0356352[3] |
| Website | cityofleesburgga |
History
editLeesburg, originally known as "Wooten Station", was founded in 1870 as the Central of Georgia Railway arrived in the area. In 1872, the town was renamed "Wooten", and the seat was transferred from Starksville. In 1874, the town was incorporated and renamed again to its present form of Leesburg.[6]
Leesburg is the site of the Leesburg Stockade incident, in which a group of African-American teenage and pre-teen girls were arrested for protesting racial segregation in Americus, Georgia, and were imprisoned without charges for 60 days in poor conditions in the Lee County Public Works building.[7][8]
Geography
editLeesburg is in south-central Lee County. U.S. Route 19 passes through the city, leading north 26 miles (42 km) to Americus and south 11 miles (18 km) to Albany. State Route 32 is Leesburg's Main Street; it leads east 32 miles (51 km) to Ashburn and west 18 miles (29 km) to Dawson. State Route 195 leads northeast from Leesburg 17 miles (27 km) to Leslie.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Leesburg has a total area of 5.0 square miles (12.9 km2), of which 0.05 square miles (0.14 km2), or 1.06%, are water.[9] Kinchafoonee Creek flows through a western corner of the city; it leads south to the Flint River, part of the Apalachicola River watershed.
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 358 | — | |
| 1890 | 442 | 23.5% | |
| 1900 | 413 | −6.6% | |
| 1910 | 705 | 70.7% | |
| 1920 | 786 | 11.5% | |
| 1930 | 691 | −12.1% | |
| 1940 | 716 | 3.6% | |
| 1950 | 659 | −8.0% | |
| 1960 | 774 | 17.5% | |
| 1970 | 996 | 28.7% | |
| 1980 | 1,301 | 30.6% | |
| 1990 | 1,452 | 11.6% | |
| 2000 | 2,633 | 81.3% | |
| 2010 | 2,896 | 10.0% | |
| 2020 | 3,480 | 20.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 2,121 | 60.95% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,092 | 31.38% |
| Native American | 3 | 0.09% |
| Asian | 30 | 0.86% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 148 | 4.25% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 85 | 2.44% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,480 people, 884 households, and 666 families residing in the city.
Education
edit
The Lee County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two primary schools, two elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school.[12] The district has 330 full-time teachers and over 5,350 students.[13]
- Kinchafoonee Primary School
- Lee County Elementary School
- Lee County Primary School
- Twin Oaks Elementary
- Lee County Middle School East Campus
- Lee County Middle School West Campus
- Lee County High School
- Lee County High School 9th Grade Campus
Notable people
edit- Hal Breeden, former Major League Baseball player, former sheriff of Lee County
- Luke Bryan, country music artist
- Tic Forrester, congressman
- Roy Hamilton, singer of R&B, soul, show tunes and rock 'n' roll music
- Carly Mathis, Miss Georgia 2013
- Marion Motley, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back
- Phillip Phillips, American Idol season 11 winner
- Buster Posey, NL MVP San Francisco Giants catcher
- Merritt Ranew, former Major League Baseball player
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1), Leesburg city, Georgia". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 236. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- ^ Stolen Girls remember 1963 in Leesburg, WALB, July 24, 2006, retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ George, Bradley; Blankenship, Grant (July 19, 2016), "The Girls Of The Leesburg Stockade", GPB News, NPR, retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 22, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 22, 2010.