Moultrie, Georgia

Moultrie
City
Moultrie, Georgia
Moultrie Municipal Building (City Hall)
Moultrie Municipal Building (City Hall)
Nickname: 
The City of Southern Living
Location in Colquitt County and the state of Georgia
Location in Colquitt County and the state of Georgia
Moultrie is located in Georgia
Moultrie
Moultrie
Location in Georgia
Moultrie is located in the United States
Moultrie
Moultrie
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 31°10′N 83°47′W / 31.167°N 83.783°W / 31.167; -83.783
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyColquitt
EstablishedDecember 13, 1879 (1879-12-13)[1]
Government
 • MayorWilliam M McIntosh (1983–present)[2]
Area
[3]
 • Total
16.84 sq mi (43.61 km2)
 • Land16.67 sq mi (43.18 km2)
 • Water0.16 sq mi (0.43 km2)
Elevation
318 ft (97 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
14,638
 • Density877.95/sq mi (338.99/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
31768, 31776, 31788
Area code229
FIPS code13-53060[4]
GNIS feature ID0332427[5]
Websitewww.moultriega.com

Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of Colquitt County, Georgia,[6] United States. It is the third largest city in Southwest Georgia, behind Thomasville and Albany. As of the 2020 census, Moultrie's population was 14,638.[7] It was originally known as Ochlockoney until it was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly in 1859. Moultrie is an agricultural community set in the Southern Rivers part of Georgia.

Downtown Moultrie contains the Moultrie Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district includes the Colquitt Theatre.

It is well known for its boutiques and farming industry. Moultrie is the home of former US Senator Saxby Chambliss.

History

[edit]

The city was named after Gen. William Moultrie,[8] the Revolutionary War hero after whom Fort Moultrie was named following the successful defense of Charleston, South Carolina, against the British under Peter Parker, an anniversary subsequently celebrated as Carolina Day.

Colquitt County became the 115th county in Georgia by an act of the Legislature on February 25, 1856. It was named after Walter Terry Colquitt, a minister, statesman and lawyer who was a military leader in the mid-1800s. In 1879, a charter was adopted and 50 acres (0.20 km2) in the center of the county was declared the county seat.

Founders of naval stores started harvesting timber in the late 1890s. They set up turpentine stills and built tram roads, allowing for the railroad to come into the territory. The Boston & Albany line, which later became the Georgia Northern Railway, was the first through town, bringing with it growth and prosperity for the county. Practically every train brought new residents interested in supplying naval stores or working in the sawmills.

By 1900, through the work of businessmen, bankers and speculators, the county was becoming a farmer's paradise.

Land was cleared and development companies began dividing the forested area into farm tracts. Experienced farmers from north Georgia and the Carolinas were invited to come and develop the land. The county's agriculture industry thrives today.

Geography

[edit]

Located in southwest Georgia, Moultrie is in the center of Colquitt County, 24 miles (39 km) west of Interstate 75, and about 200 miles (300 km) south of Atlanta and 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Tallahassee, Florida. The city is located between Albany to the northwest, Tifton to the northeast, Thomasville to the southwest, and Valdosta to the southeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.8 km2), of which 16.3 square miles (42.3 km2) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km2), or 1.15%, is water.[9] Moultrie is located at 31°10′13″N 83°47′1″W / 31.17028°N 83.78361°W / 31.17028; -83.78361 (31.170188, -83.783601).[10]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19002,221—
19103,34950.8%
19206,789102.7%
19308,02718.2%
194010,14726.4%
195011,63914.7%
196015,76435.4%
197014,400−8.7%
198015,1054.9%
199014,865−1.6%
200014,387−3.2%
201014,268−0.8%
202014,6382.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
Moultrie racial composition as of 2020[12]
Race Num. Perc.
White 5,476 37.41%
Black or African American 6,644 45.39%
Native American 23 0.16%
Asian 130 0.89%
Pacific Islander 4 0.03%
Other/mixed 398 2.72%
Hispanic or Latino 1,963 13.41%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,638 people, 4,945 households, and 2,988 families residing in the city.

Education

[edit]

Colquitt County School District

[edit]

Moultrie public schools are controlled by the Colquitt County Board of Education. The Colquitt County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, consisting of ten elementary schools, a middle school, a junior high school, and one high school.[13] As of November 27, 2020, the district had more than 9,100 students and 1,351 staff, which includes both certified and classified staff.[14]

Elementary schools

  • Cox Elementary School
  • Doerun Elementary School
  • Funston Elementary School
  • G.E.A.R. Gifted Center
  • Hamilton Elementary School
  • Norman Park Elementary School
  • Odom Elementary School
  • Okapilco Elementary School
  • Stringfellow Elementary School
  • Sunset Elementary School
  • Wright Elementary School
  • Pre-K Program

Middle schools

Junior high schools

High schools

Alternative schools

  • Colquitt County Achievement Center

Private schools

[edit]

Colquitt County also has a small, private Christian School, Colquitt Christian Academy, which is located at Calvary Baptist Church.[15]

Higher education

[edit]

Industry

[edit]

Industry in the Moultrie area grew considerably when Sanderson Farms opened a processing plant in 2006 that now employs over 1,000 workers, over 10 percent of the local workforce.[citation needed] The manufacturer of light, single-engined STOL aircraft, the Maule Air, is also located in Moultrie.

Telecommunications

[edit]

There are three radio channels and three television stations located in Moultrie.

Historic sites

[edit]

Moultrie is home to several sites on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Colquitt County, Georgia of the National Register of Historic Places.[19]

Points of interest

[edit]
  • Museum of Colquitt County History
  • Reed Bingham State Park – offers camping, hiking, fishing, birding, and boating on a 375-acre lake. Wildlife includes bald eagles, alligators, and gopher tortoises.
  • Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library
  • Spence Field
  • Colquitt County Arts Center – home to permanent collections, theatre groups, concerts, art education, and the Fall Quilt Exhibition
  • Tom White Linear Park – a 7.5 mile "Rails to Trails" project, for walkers and cycle enthusiasts
  • St. Mark's Anglican Church

Transportation

[edit]

Moultrie is served by US 319, which connects to Interstate 75 and Interstate 10. State Road 37 and State Road 111 also run through Moultrie. Moultrie has two public airports used primarily for general aviation, Moultrie Municipal Airport and Spence Airport.

Notable people

[edit]
Further information: Category:People from Moultrie, Georgia

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Moultrie history". moultriega.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  2. ^ "City of Moultrie » Mayor".
  3. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Moultrie city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  8. ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 240. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  9. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Moultrie city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  10. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  11. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Georgia Board of Education[permanent dead link‍], Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  14. ^ Retrieved Dec 3, 2020.
  15. ^ "School Page".
  16. ^ Southern Regional Technical College, Retrieved 2015.
  17. ^ Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Retrieved 2012.
  18. ^ "History | PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie, GA". www.pcom.edu. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  19. ^ Colquitt County Historic Buildings
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