Editing Alma, Georgia

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
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<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|official_name            = Alma, Georgia
|other_name               = 
|native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|nickname                 = "Georgia's Blueberry Capital"
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|motto                    = 
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|image_skyline            = Bacon County Courthouse, Alma City services face.JPG
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Alma City services in Bacon County Courthouse
|image_flag               = 
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|image_seal               = 
|seal_size                = 
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|shield_size              = 
|image_blank_emblem       = Logo of Alma, Georgia.png
|blank_emblem_type        = Logo
|blank_emblem_size        = 
|image_map                = Bacon_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Alma_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Bacon County, Georgia|Bacon County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|image_map1               = 
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<!-- Location ------------------>
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Bacon County, Georgia|Bacon]]
|subdivision_type3        = 
|subdivision_name3        = 
|subdivision_type4        = 
|subdivision_name4        = 
<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Larry Taylor
|leader_title1            = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
|leader_name1             = 
|leader_title2            = 
|leader_name2             = 
|leader_title3            = 
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|established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date         = 
|established_title2       = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
|established_date2        = 
|established_title3       = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3        = 
<!-- Area    --------------------->
|area_magnitude           = 
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_13.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=December 18, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 16.11
|area_land_km2            = 15.78
|area_water_km2           = 0.33
|area_total_sq_mi         = 6.22
|area_land_sq_mi          = 6.09
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.13
|area_water_percent       = 
|area_urban_km2           = 
|area_urban_sq_mi         = 
|area_metro_km2           = 
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|area_blank1_title        = 
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|area_blank1_sq_mi        = 
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 3433
|population_density_km2   = 217.57
|population_density_sq_mi = 563.53
|population_metro         = 
|population_density_metro_km2     = 
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<!-- General information  --------------->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|31|32|30|N|82|28|0|W|region:US-GA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
|elevation_m              = 61
|elevation_ft             = 200
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 31510
|area_code                = [[Area code 912|912]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 13-01612<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0310492<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|www.cityofalmaga.gov}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
[[file:Bacon County Courthouse, Alma, GA, USA.jpg|right|thumb|[[Bacon County Courthouse]] ]]
'''Alma''' is a city in [[Bacon County, Georgia|Bacon County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States, and the county seat.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |accessdate=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archivedate=2011-05-31 }}</ref>  As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the city had a population of 3,433.<ref name=":0" />

Alma is known as Georgia's [[blueberry]] capital, and hosts a Blueberry Festival each June.

==History==
Alma was founded in 1900 as a stop on the [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]]. It was incorporated as a city in 1906 and designated seat of the newly formed Bacon County in 1914.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA216 | title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States | publisher=Routledge | date=May 13, 2013 | accessdate=30 November 2013 | author=Hellmann, Paul T. | pages=216| isbn=978-1135948597 }}</ref> There are two theories about the origin of the name of the town. The first is that it was named for the wife of a traveling salesmen, Alma Sheridan; the other is that it was named for the initial letter of the four state capitals Georgia has had: [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]], [[Louisville, Georgia|Louisville]], [[Milledgeville, Georgia|Milledgeville]], and [[Atlanta]].<ref name="City of Alma/Georgia.gov">{{cite web | url=https://georgia.gov/cities-counties/alma | title=Alma | accessdate=28 December 2016 | website=Georgia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/a.pdf | title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins | publisher=Winship Press | author=Krakow, Kenneth K. | year=1975 | location=Macon, GA | pages=4 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref>

There are four sites in Alma listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Bacon County, Georgia|National Register of Historic Places]]: [[Alma Depot]], [[Bacon County Courthouse]], [[Bacon County School]], and the [[Rabinowitz Building]].

==Geography==
Alma is located in southeastern Georgia at {{coord|31|32|30|N|82|28|0|W| region:US-GA_type:city}} (31.541543, -82.466666).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

The city is located along U.S. Routes [[U.S. Route 1 in Georgia|1]] and [[U.S. Route 23 in Georgia|23]] (Pierce Street). The two run through the center of the city together before splitting just north of the city. U.S. 1 connects the city with [[Baxley, Georgia|Baxley]], {{convert|19|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the north, and U.S. 23 connects the city with [[Hazlehurst, Georgia|Hazlehurst]], {{convert|25|mi|km|abbr=on}} to the northwest. U.S. 1/23 also lead south together {{convert|29|mi|km|abbr=on}} to [[Waycross, Georgia|Waycross]]. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes [[Georgia State Route 32|32]] (16th Street) and [[Georgia State Route 64|64]] (Market Street).

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|16.1|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|14.3|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|1.8|km2|order=flip}}, or 11.27%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1301612| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212181718/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US1301612| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Alma city, Georgia| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| accessdate=October 24, 2013}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 458
|1920= 1061
|1930= 1235
|1940= 1840
|1950= 2588
|1960= 3515
|1970= 3756
|1980= 3819
|1990= 3663
|2000= 3236
|2010= 3466
|2020= 3433
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 1850-1870<ref name=1870CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1870 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 1870|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1880<ref name=1880CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-09.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref><br> 1890-1910<ref name=1910CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1920-1930<ref name=1930CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=253}}</ref><br> 1930-1940<ref name=1940CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1940-1950<ref name=1950CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1960-1980<ref name=1980CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1980-2000<ref name=2000CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |website=[[US Census Bureau]]|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Alma racial composition as of 2020<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1301612&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=December 18, 2021 |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1,599
| 46.58%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 1,455
| 42.38%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 2
| 0.06%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 25
| 0.73%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 3
| 0.09%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 105
| 3.06%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 244
| 7.11%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 3,433 people, 1,005 households, and 620 families residing in the city.

== Education ==
Alma is served by the [[Bacon County School District]].<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=603&T=0&FY=2010 Georgia Board of Education]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved July 28, 2010.</ref> The district has 126 full-time teachers and over 1,900 students,<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/BACON/BACON_COUNTY.html Free District Report], Retrieved May 29, 2010.</ref> and operates these schools:
*Bacon County Elementary School
*Bacon County Primary School
*Bacon County Middle School
*[[Bacon County High School]]

Alma is also served by [[Coastal Pines Technical College]].

==Notable people==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}
* [[Harry Crews]], novelist, playwright, short story writer and essayist
* [[Braswell Deen]], U.S. Representative from Georgia; moved to Alma
* [[Daniel W. Lee]], recipient of Congressional Medal of Honor
* [[Walter J. Leonard]], former president of Fisk University
* [[William McDonald Wheeler|William M. Wheeler]], U.S. Representative from Georgia

==See also==
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Bacon County, Georgia]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cityofalmaga.gov/ City of Alma official website]
* [http://www.almaone.com/index.html Alma/Bacon County Development Authority]

{{Bacon County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Bacon County, Georgia]]
[[Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)]]