Editing Americus, Georgia

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
|name            = Americus
|other_name               = 
|native_name              = <!--when native name not in English -->
|nickname                 = 
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|motto                    = <!-- images and maps  ----------->
|image_skyline            = Municipal Building City of Americus.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Municipal Building in Americus
|image_flag               = Flag of Americus, Georgia.png
|flag_size                = 110px
|image_seal               = Seal of Americus, Georgia.png
|seal_size                = 90px
|image_shield             = 
|shield_size              = 
|image_blank_emblem       = 
|blank_emblem_type        = 
|blank_emblem_size        = 
|image_map                = Sumter_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Americus_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|image_dot_map            = 
|pushpin_map              = <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
|pushpin_label_position   = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
|pushpin_map_caption      = 
|pushpin_mapsize          = <!-- 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        = [[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter]]
<!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = <!-- such as mayor plus city manager -->
|leader_name1             = 
|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           = 29.96
|area_land_km2            = 29.40
|area_water_km2           = 0.57
|area_total_sq_mi         = 11.57
|area_land_sq_mi          = 11.35
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.22
|area_water_percent       = 
|area_urban_km2           = 
|area_urban_sq_mi         = 
|area_metro_km2           = 
|area_metro_sq_mi         = <!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 16230
|population_density_km2   = 552.13
|population_density_sq_mi = 1429.96
|population_metro         = 
|population_density_metro_km2     = 
|population_density_metro_sq_mi   = 
|population_urban                 = <!-- General information  --------------->
|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|32|4|31|N|84|13|36|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
|elevation_m              = 146
|elevation_ft             = 479
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
|postal_code              = 31709, 31710, 31719
|area_code                = [[Area code 229|229]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 13-02116<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0331037<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.cityofamericus.net/|cityofamericus.net}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

'''Americus''' is the county seat of [[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref> As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the [[Americus micropolitan area|Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area]], a [[United States micropolitan area|micropolitan area]] that covers [[Schley County, Georgia|Schley]] and Sumter counties<ref>[https://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/List5.txt MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629011245/http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/List5.txt |date=June 29, 2007 }}, [[Office of Management and Budget]], 2007-05-11.  Accessed 2008-07-27.</ref> and had a combined population of 36,966 at the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 census]].<ref name="GR2" />

[[Habitat for Humanity]] was founded in Americus and its international headquarters is there, as well as [[The Fuller Center for Housing]]'s international headquarters, [[Georgia Southwestern State University]], the [[Windsor Hotel (Americus)|Windsor Hotel]], The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rosalynncarter.org|title=Rosalynn Carter Institute}}</ref> and many other organizations. The city is notable for its rich history, including a large business and residential historic district, being one of the 29 places where [[Martin Luther King]] was jailed, the infamous [[Leesburg Stockade]] incident, and its close proximity to [[Jimmy Carter National Historical Park]], [[Andersonville National Historic Site]], and [[Koinonia Farm]].

==History==
===Early years===
For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The Starksville Road, now Lee Street, was an important highway before the city was founded, and is now the location of many of the older buildings and homes listed in the [[Americus Historic District]].<ref name="nrhpdoc2" /> The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed railroad in state history made Americus the eighth largest city in Georgia into the 20th century. It was known as the "Metropolis of Southwest Georgia", a reflection of its status as a cotton distribution center.

In 1890, Georgia's first chartered [[electric street car]] system went into operation in Americus. One of its restored cars is on permanent display at the Lake Blackshear Regional Library, a gift from the Robert T. Crabb family who acquired the street car in the 1940s.

The town was already graced with an abundance of [[Antebellum architecture|antebellum]] and [[Victorian architecture]] when local capitalists opened the [[Windsor Hotel (Americus)|Windsor Hotel]] in 1892. A five-story Queen Anne edifice, it was designed by a Swedish architect, [[Gottfried L. Norrman]], in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]. Vice-president Thomas R. Marshall gave a speech from the balcony in 1917, and soon to be New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke in the dining room in 1928.

On January 1, 1976, the city center was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as the Americus Historic District. The district boundaries were extended in 1979.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

===Into the 20th century===
For the local minority community, Rev. Dr. Major W. Reddick established the [[Americus Institute]] (1897–1932). [[Booker T. Washington]] was a guest speaker there in May 1908. Rev. Alfred S. Staley was responsible for locating the state Masonic Orphanage in Americus, which served its function from 1898 to 1940. Both men engineered the unification of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia in 1915, the former as president and the latter as recording secretary. The public school named in honor of A.S. Staley was designated a National School of Excellence in 1990.

Two other colleges were also established in Americus, the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School in 1906 (now [[Georgia Southwestern State University]]), and the South Georgia Trade and Vocational School in 1948 (now [[South Georgia Technical College]]). South Georgia Technical College is located on the original site of Souther Field.<ref>[http://www.souther-field.com/ Souther Field]</ref>

In [[World War I]], an [[United States Army Air Service|Army Air Service]] training facility, Souther Field (now [[Jimmy Carter Regional Airport]]), was commissioned northeast of the city limits. [[Charles A. Lindbergh]], the "Lone Eagle", bought his first airplane and made his first solo flight there during a two-week stay in May 1923. Recommissioned for [[World War II]], Souther Field was used for [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] pilot training (1941–1942)<ref>Gilbert S. Guinn, ''The Arnold Scheme: British Pilots, The American South and the Allies Daring Plan'', History Press, 2007</ref> as well as US pilot training before ending the war as a German [[prisoner-of-war]] camp. The town was incorporated in 1832, and the name Americus was picked out of a hat.<ref>{{cite book|title=Weird, Wacky, and Wild Georgia Trivia|last=Watson|first=Stephanie|author2=Lisa Wojna|year=2008|publisher=Blue Bike Books|isbn=978-1-897278-44-4|page=59}}</ref>

[[Shoeless Joe Jackson]] served as the field manager for the local baseball team after his banishment from professional baseball. A plaque at Thomas Bell Stadium commemorates his contribution to the local baseball program.

===Race relations and the civil rights movement===
In 1913, a young black man named Will Redding was lynched by a white mob. Redding refused the Chief of Police's order to stop loitering, was arrested, a struggle ensued, and ultimately Redding grabbed the Chief's gun and shot him. He was then chased down, shot, and put in jail. An angry mob went into the jail and tore down the door to Redding's cell, dragged him out onto Forsyth street, and beat him to death with crow bars and hammers.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Anderson|first1=Alan|title=Remembering Americus Georgia: Essays on Southern Life|date=July 30, 2006|publisher=History Press (SC)|isbn=9781596291317|pages=73–74https://books.google.com/books?id=svf_7DV9i6UC&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=remembering+americus+georgia+essays&source=bl&ots=8fJVoP2Xbf&sig=Z4YA9QeYHCJoQkww6tZLuGRoLv4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=J64cVLmbAoGZyAS8lIHYDg&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=remembering%20americus%20georgia%20essays&f=false }}</ref>

[[Koinonia Farm]], an interracial Christian community, was organized near Americus in 1942 by [[Clarence Jordan]]. Its interracial nature occasioned much opposition from local residents. A terrorist campaign of violence, intimidation, vandalism, and harassment by the [[Ku Klux Klan]] and others went on for the next 25 years, as well a boycott of Koinonia's products, such that by the late 1960s the once-thriving community was practically  depopulated and essentially defunct. In the late 1960s [[Millard Fuller|Millard]] and Linda Fuller, with Clarence Jordan, revived Koinonia Farm and it thrived again. Miller and Fuller founded [[Habitat for Humanity International]] at Koinonia in 1976 before moving it into Americus the following year. In 2005, they founded [[The Fuller Center for Housing]], also in Americus. Koinonia Farm remains in operation and is currently located southwest of Americus on Highway 49.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/koinonia-farm/ |title=Koinonia Farm |encyclopedia=New Georgia Encyclopedia |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref>

The [[Civil rights movement|civil rights era]] in Americus was a time of great turmoil. An uptown store which had refused to honor the Koinonia boycott was bombed in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sojo.net/articles/sponsored/facing-down-kkk-story-koinonia-farm-and-christian-hospitality#%20 |title=Facing Down the KKK: The Story of Koinonia Farm and Christian Hospitality |author=Amanda Moore |date=April 25, 2017 |work=Sojourners  |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref> The [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] (SNCCC) organized the peaceful protests and a voter registration drive, the [[Americus Movement]]. Rev. Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] spent a weekend in the courthouse jail in 1961, after an arrest in Albany.

In 1963 occurred the [[Leesburg Stockade]] incident. A group of African-American girls aged 12 to 15 were arrested in Americus after trying to buy movie tickets at a theatre's whites-only window, as a form of civil protest. At least fourteen girls were taken to a filthy "hellhole",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gpb.org/news/2016/08/15/the-girls-of-the-leesburg-stockade |title=The Girls Of The Leesburg Stockade |author=Bradley George, Grant Blankenship |date=August 15, 2016 |publisher=GBP (Georgia Public Broadcasting) |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref> an isolated prison in [[Leesburg, Georgia]] where they were held incommunicado for at least 45 days, in appalling conditions, without right of correspondence or legal representation, and with their families not knowing where they had been or disappeared to. Some weeks later, the girls were surreptitiously photographed by [[Danny Lyon]] who had learned the girls' location. The publishing of Lyon's photograph in the black press eventually brought the situation to national attention, and the girls were released some weeks later without ever having been charged with any crime.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional/leesburg-legacy/VJ665jMdNmoTkeaZiKF9kM/ |title=Leesburg's legacy |author=Nedra Rhone, Rosalind Bentley |date=March 21, 2019 |work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/hidden-herstory-leesburg-stockade-girls |title=Hidden Herstory: The Leesburg Stockade Girls |author=Tulani Salahu-Din |date= |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/17/us/leesburg-stockade-girls-return-after-60-years/index.html |title=Stolen Girls: The untold story of the Leesburg Stockade Girls |author= Randi Kaye, Anne Clifford |date=September 17, 2023 |work=CNN |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref>

In the same year of 1963, the local Sumter Movement to end [[racial segregation]] was organized and led by Rev. Joseph R. Campbell. Four of its activists were arrested under Georgia's 1871 Anti-Treason Act. A federal court ruled the law unconstitutional, establishing that peaceful protests could not be punishable by execution.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/americus-movement/ |title=Americus Movement |author=Glenn Robins |date=2020 |encyclopedia=New Georgia Encyclopedia |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/sumter-county-in-the-civil-rights-movement/ |title=Sumter County in the Civil Rights Movement |publisher=Georgia Historical Society |accessdate=September 18, 2023}}</ref> Color barriers were first removed in 1965 when J.W. Jones and Henry L. Williams joined the Americus police force. Lewis M. Lowe was elected as the first black city councilman ten years later. With their election in 1995, Eloise R. Paschal and Eddie Rhea Walker broke the gender barrier on the city's governing body. In 1968, the last segregated black school in Americus was closed, [[A. S. Staley High School]].<ref name="Frady-1971">{{Cite book |last=Frady |first=Marshall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qVMEAAAAMBAJ&dq=staley+high+school+americus&pg=PA49 |title=One Another Town |date=February 12, 1971 |publisher=[[Life (magazine)]] |page= |pages=46–49 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1971, the city was featured in a [[Marshall Frady]] article, "One Another Town", in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine.<ref name="Frady-1971" /> The portrayal of the city's school integration was relatively benign, especially considering the community's history of troubled race relations.

=== 2007 tornado ===
Americus was hit by an EF3 tornado around 9:15 pm on [[Tornado outbreak of February 28 – March 2, 2007|March 1, 2007]]. The tornado was up to {{convert|1|mi|km|abbr=on|adj=mid|-wide}}, and carved a {{convert|38|mi|km|abbr=on}} path of destruction through the city and surrounding residential areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/html/pns3107.txt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211103502/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/html/pns3107.txt |archive-date=2009-02-11 |title=PRELIMINARY DAMAGE REPORT FOR 1 MARCH 2007 TORNADO OUTBREAK}}</ref>  It destroyed parts of [[Sumter Regional Hospital]], forcing the evacuations of all of the patients there. There were two fatalities at a Hudson Street residence near the hospital; all SRH patients were evacuated safely. The hospital, however, faced major reconstruction issues and was eventually torn down. A new hospital, Phoebe Sumter, opened at a new location on the corner of US 19 and Highway 280 in December 2011.

Georgia [[Governor of Georgia|Governor]] [[Sonny Perdue]] said, "It was worse {{sic|that}} I had feared. The hospital was hit, but the devastation within the area of Sumter County and Americus was more than I imagined. The businesses around the hospital are totally destroyed. Power is still not restored in many places. It's just a blessing frankly that we didn't have more fatalities than we did."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=6168189|title=Sumter hospital shows tornado's worst punch|access-date=2018-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712025333/http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=6168189|archive-date=2018-07-12|url-status=dead}}</ref> Over 500 homes were affected, with around 100 completely destroyed.  Several businesses throughout the town were seriously damaged or destroyed as well.

President George W. Bush visited the area on March 3, calling what he saw "tough devastation."

==Geography==
Americus is located at {{coord|32|4|31|N|84|13|36|W|type:city}} (32.075221, -84.226602).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|10.7|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|10.5|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.2|sqmi|km2}} (1.87%) is water.

===Climate===
{{Weather box   <!-- Infobox begins -->
| single line = Y
| location    = Americus, Georgia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1891&ndash;2005

|Jan record high F = 85
|Feb record high F = 84
|Mar record high F = 93
|Apr record high F = 95
|May record high F = 102
|Jun record high F = 108
|Jul record high F = 108
|Aug record high F = 110
|Sep record high F = 111
|Oct record high F = 98
|Nov record high F = 90
|Dec record high F = 86

<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high F  =59.0
| Feb high F  =62.6
| Mar high F  =69.8
| Apr high F  =76.5
| May high F  =84.2
| Jun high F  =89.0
| Jul high F  =90.8
| Aug high F  =90.4
| Sep high F  =86.5
| Oct high F  =77.9
| Nov high F  =68.1
| Dec high F  =61.0
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
| Jan mean F  =46.9
| Feb mean F  =50.2
| Mar mean F  =56.4
| Apr mean F  =63.0
| May mean F  =71.4
| Jun mean F  =77.7
| Jul mean F  =80.4
| Aug mean F  =79.8
| Sep mean F  =75.3
| Oct mean F  =65.5
| Nov mean F  =55.1
| Dec mean F  =49.1
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low F  =34.7
| Feb low F  =37.8
| Mar low F  =43.0
| Apr low F  =49.6
| May low F  =58.7
| Jun low F  =66.4
| Jul low F  =70.0
| Aug low F  =69.2
| Sep low F  =64.1
| Oct low F  =53.1
| Nov low F  =42.0
| Dec low F  =37.1

|Jan record low F = 3
|Feb record low F = 4
|Mar record low F = 14
|Apr record low F = 28
|May record low F = 40
|Jun record low F = 45
|Jul record low F = 55
|Aug record low F = 57
|Sep record low F = 39
|Oct record low F = 28
|Nov record low F = 12
|Dec record low F = 2

<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| precipitation colour    =  green
| Jan precipitation inch  =4.69
| Feb precipitation inch  =4.72
| Mar precipitation inch  =4.68
| Apr precipitation inch  =4.78
| May precipitation inch  =3.12
| Jun precipitation inch  =4.79
| Jul precipitation inch  =5.95
| Aug precipitation inch  =4.62
| Sep precipitation inch  =4.40
| Oct precipitation inch  =2.71
| Nov precipitation inch  =3.50
| Dec precipitation inch  =5.39

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 9.5
|Feb precipitation days = 8.8
|Mar precipitation days = 8.6
|Apr precipitation days = 7.4
|May precipitation days = 6.8
|Jun precipitation days = 11.3
|Jul precipitation days = 12.1
|Aug precipitation days = 10.7
|Sep precipitation days = 7.4
|Oct precipitation days = 5.6
|Nov precipitation days = 7.6
|Dec precipitation days = 9.3

<!-- Snowfall -->
| Jan snow inch  =0.0
| Feb snow inch  =0.0
| Mar snow inch  =0.1
| Apr snow inch  =0.0
| May snow inch  =0.0
| Jun snow inch  =0.0
| Jul snow inch  =0.0
| Aug snow inch  =0.0
| Sep snow inch  =0.0
| Oct snow inch  =0.0
| Nov snow inch  =0.0
| Dec snow inch  =0.1

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.1
|Feb snow days = 0.0
|Mar snow days = 0.0
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.0
|Dec snow days = 0.0

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00090253&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Americus, GA
|access-date = March 4, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=ffc
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Atlanta
|access-date = March 4, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 3259
|1880= 3635
|1890= 6398
|1900= 7674
|1910= 8063
|1920= 9010
|1930= 8760
|1940= 9281
|1950= 11389
|1960= 13472
|1970= 16091
|1980= 16120
|1990= 16512
|2000= 17013
|2010= 17041
|2020= 16230
|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 Decade|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 1850-1870<ref name=1870CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1870|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1870-1880<ref name=1880CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=[[United States 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  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1910|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  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|pages=251–256}}</ref><br> 1940<ref name=1940CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1950<ref name=1950CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1950|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1960<ref name=1960CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1960|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-12-c.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1970<ref name=1970CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1970|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ga-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1980<ref name=1980CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1990<ref name=1990CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1990|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-5/cph-5-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 2000<ref name=2000CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 2010|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Americus racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1302116&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-15|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|4,382
|27.0%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|10,079
|62.1%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|17
|0.1%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|394
|2.43%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|4
|0.02%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/mixed]]
|345
|2.13%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|1,009
|6.22%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 16,230 people, 6,162 households, and 3,557 families residing in the city.

==Economy==

===Largest employers===
According to the city's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofamericus.net/Departments/finance/Budget_Information/CITYOFAMERCUSCAFR.pdf|title=City of Americus 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report|access-date=February 23, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723042651/http://www.cityofamericus.net/Departments/finance/Budget_Information/CITYOFAMERCUSCAFR.pdf|archive-date=July 23, 2011}}</ref> the largest employers in the area were:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer
! # of employees
|-
| 1
|Sumter County Schools
|950
|-
|2
|[[Eaton Cooper Lighting]]
|600
|-
|3
|[[Habitat for Humanity]]
|400
|-
|4
|[[Wal-Mart]]
|399
|-
|5
|[[Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital|Phoebe]] Sumter Medical Center
|396
|-
|6
|[[United Methodist Church|Magnolia Manor]]
|375
|-
|7
|[[Georgia Southwestern State University]]
|280
|-
|8
|Southern Star Community Services
|253
|-
|9
|[[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter County]]
|235
|-
|10
|City of Americus
|195
|}

== Education ==
=== Primary and secondary schools ===
The [[Sumter County School District (Georgia)|Sumter County School District]] holds grades pre-school to twelfth, which consist of one primary school and one  elementary school, two middle schools, and two high schools.<ref name="Georgia Board of Education">[http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=729&T=0&FY=2008 Georgia Board of Education]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved June 26, 2010.</ref> The district has 353 full-time teachers and over 5,774 students.<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/SUMTER/SUMTER_COUNTY.html School Stats], Retrieved June 26, 2010.</ref>

Elementary schools:
*Sumter County Primary School
*Sumter County Elementary School
*Sumter County Intermediate School

Secondary schools:
*Sumter County Middle School
*Americus-Sumter Ninth Grade Academy
*Americus-Sumter County High School

K-12 charter school:
*Furlow Charter School

K-12 private school:
*[[Southland Academy]]

=== Higher education ===
*[[Georgia Southwestern State University]]<ref>[http://gsw.edu/main/ Georgia Southwestern State University] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706220823/http://gsw.edu/main/ |date=2010-07-06 }}, Retrieved June 26, 2010.</ref>
*[[South Georgia Technical College]]<ref>[http://www.southgatech.edu/index.cfm?PageID=122 South Georgia Technical College] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720045506/http://www.southgatech.edu/index.cfm?PageID=122 |date=July 20, 2011 }}, Retrieved June 26, 2010.</ref>

All schools and colleges are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

===Public libraries===
[[File:Lake Blackshear Regional Library.jpg|thumb|Lake Blackshear Regional Library of the [[Lake Blackshear Regional Library System]]]]
The community has the Lake Blackshear Regional Library, a part of the [[Lake Blackshear Regional Library System]]. It was temporarily relocated to a shirt factory warehouse also located in Americus after the tornado in 2007, but, once the reconstruction of the library finished around 2012, it was moved back to its original place.

==Notable places==
* [[Americus Historic District]]; [[NRHP]]–listed<ref name="nrhpdoc2">{{cite web |author=Macgregor |first=Elizabeth Z. |last2=Scarborough |first2=Llona |date=1976 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Americus Historic District |url={{NRHP url|id=76000648}} |accessdate=May 19, 2025 |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}} With {{NRHP url|id=76000648|photos=y|title=accompanying pictures}}</ref>
* [[Campbell Chapel A.M.E. Church (Americus, Georgia)|Campbell Chapel A.M.E. Church]], Americus; [[NRHP]]–listed<ref name="nrhpdoc">{{cite web |author= |date=September 1997 |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Campbell Chapel AME Church |url={{NRHP url|id=97001195}} |accessdate=May 14, 2025 |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}} With {{NRHP url|id=97001195|photos=y|title=accompanying pictures}}</ref>
* Habitat for Humanity Global Village and Discovery Center, Americus<ref>[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/habitat-for-humanitys-global-village-discovery-center Habitat for Humanity Global Village and Discovery Center]</ref>

==Baseball==
{{Main|Americus (baseball team)|l1 = Americus Minor League Baseball History}}
There have been eight [[Minor league baseball|minor league]] teams that have represented the city of Americus during 20 seasons spanning 1906–2002. Since classification of the minors began, seven of them have been labeled as class D loops and one played in an independent league. Several ballplayers for Americus teams subsequently played in the [[Major League Baseball|major leagues]].

==Notable people==
* [[Griffin Bell]]
* [[Mike Cheokas]], politician<ref>{{cite web |url=http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/31576/mike-cheokas |title=Mike Cheokas' Biography |publisher=[[Vote Smart]] |accessdate=March 5, 2021}}</ref>
*[[Brent Cobb]]
*[[Howell Cobb]]
*[[Philip Cook (general)|Philip Cook]]
*[[Charles F. Crisp]]
*[[Charles R. Crisp]]
*[[Cassandra Pickett Durham]]
*[[Lonne Elder III]]
*[[Millard Fuller]]
*[[Chan Gailey]]
*[[Jimmy Garrison]]
*[[Victor Green]]
*[[Shirley Green-Reese|Dr. Shirley Green-Reese]]
*[[Kent Hill]]
*[[George Hooks]]
*[[Alonzo Jackson]]
*[[Eddie Jackson (American football, born 1980)|Eddie Jackson]]
*[[Otis Leverette]]
*[[Angel Martino]]
*[[Joanna Moore]]
*[[Ruby Muhammad]]
*[[James Nabrit Jr.]]
*[[Leonard Pope]]
*[[Dan Reeves]]
*[[Mo Sanford]]
*Emma Lane - Inventor of the [[Lane cake|Lane Cake]]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Americus Public Safety Building.jpg|The Russell Thomas Jr. Public Safety Building houses the Americus police and fire departments.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cityofamericus.net City website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060522190121/http://www.americusgeorgia.net/ Community website]
* [http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-939 Americus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201015333/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-939 |date=February 1, 2013 }} (in the ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'')
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090214105403/http://www.theamericusnewsletter.com/ ''The Americus Newsletter'']
* [http://www.americus-sumterchamber.com Americus Sumter Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/sgnewspapers South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive], Digital Library of Georgia
* [http://crdl.usg.edu/events/americus_movement/ Americus Movement], Civil Rights Digital Library
* {{cite web|url=http://www.americusga.gov/#!area-attractions/cmuv|title=City of Americus Home Page|website=city-of-americus}}

{{Sumter County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:1832 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Americus, Georgia micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Sumter County, Georgia]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Sumter County, Georgia]]