Editing Jackson, Georgia (section)

==History==
Founded in 1826, Jackson began as a {{convert|303|acre|km2|adj=on}} plot purchased for the purpose of starting the town. The plot was divided into squares and each square into lots. The first buyer of a lot in the new town was John D. Swift of [[Newton County, Georgia]]. During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], much of Jackson was razed by the army of General [[William T. Sherman]] during his [[Sherman's March to the Sea|March to the Sea]]. After the war, Jackson, like much of the South, struggled economically for decades. Jackson remained little more than a small village until the arrival of the railroads in the latter half of the 19th century. On May 5, 1882, the first train arrived in Jackson, heralding a new era in the transportation of people and goods.

During the 20th century, Jackson grew and industrial [[textile manufacturing|textile mills]] became the largest employer of local citizens. The arrival of [[Interstate 75]] just a few miles to the southwest of the city gave citizens quick access to [[Atlanta]] and [[Macon, Georgia|Macon]]. The numerous schools throughout the county consolidated into one central school system located in Jackson, and the schools [[desegregated]] in 1968. In the 1970s, Jackson slowly became a [[bedroom community]]. City taxes were also abolished in the 1970s.