Editing Commerce, Georgia

{{Short description|City in Georgia, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
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|official_name            = Commerce, Georgia
|other_name               = 
|native_name              = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English -->
|nickname                 = 
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|motto                    = "A city on the right track"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commercega.org/|title= City of Commerce Georgia Website|publisher= City of Commerce Georgia Website |accessdate= September 6, 2012}}</ref>
 
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|map_caption              = Location in [[Jackson County, Georgia|Jackson County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
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|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        = [[Jackson County, Georgia|Jackson]], [[Banks County, Georgia|Banks]]
|subdivision_type3        = 
|subdivision_name3        = 
|subdivision_type4        = 
|subdivision_name4        = <!-- Politics ----------------->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = Mayor
|leader_name1             = J. Clark Hill III
|leader_title2            = 
|leader_name2             = 
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|established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
|established_date         = 
|established_title2       = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
|established_date2        = 
|established_title3       = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
|established_date3        = January 1, 1885<ref>{{cite web|url= http://georgia.gov/cities-counties/commerce| title= Commerce|publisher= Georgia Gov |accessdate= September 6, 2012}}</ref>
<!-- 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           = 34.66
|area_land_km2            = 34.32
|area_water_km2           = 0.34
|area_total_sq_mi         = 13.38
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|area_blank1_sq_mi        = <!-- Population   ----------------------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_note          = 
|population_total         = 7387
|population_density_km2   = 215.25
|population_density_sq_mi = 557.51
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|timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
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|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|coordinates              = {{coord|34|12|23|N|83|27|40|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes      = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
|elevation_m              = 278
|elevation_ft             = 912
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|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code              = 30529, 30599
|area_code                = [[Area code 706|706]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 13-19112<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              = 0355254<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|https://commercega.gov/}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

'''Commerce''' is a city in [[Jackson County, Georgia|Jackson County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], {{convert|70|mi}} northeast of [[Atlanta]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the city had a population of 7,387.

==History==
=== Native American history ===
Before European settlers arrived, the area around present-day Commerce was inhabited by the [[Muscogee|Creek]] and the [[Cherokee]] people.<ref name="Wilson">{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=Gustavus James Nash |title=The Early History of Jackson County, Georgia: "The Writings of the Late G.J.N. Wilson, Embracing Some of the Early History of Jackson County". The First Settlers, 1784; Formation and Boundaries to the Present Time; Records of the Talasee Colony; Struggles of the Colonies of Yamacutah, Groaning Rock, Fort Yargo, Stonethrow and Thomocoggan |date=1914 |publisher=Kessinger Publishing |isbn=978-1165799794 |edition=2nd |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyhistoryofja00wil/earlyhistoryofja00wil_djvu.txt |accessdate=10 November 2016}}</ref> Historians describe a territorial war between the Creeks and Cherokees over the land in the county during the 1770s.<ref>Wilson, Gustavus, ''Early History of Jackson County, GA''. Atlanta: White Publishing, 1911.</ref>

The Lacoda Trail, which extended from present-day [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] to the north Georgia mountains, was a significant trade and travel route through this area. ([[Georgia State Route 334]], which follows a {{convert|9|mi|adj=on|0}} section of this ancient trail, was designated the "Lacoda Trail Memorial Parkway" by the [[Georgia General Assembly]] in 1998.)

The Cherokee ceded their disputed lands east of the [[Oconee River]] in the Treaty of Augusta (1783) and the Creeks did likewise in their own Treaty of Augusta (1783) and the Treaty of Galphinton (1785).<ref>{{cite web |title=Creek Indian Land Cessions |url=https://www.nps.gov/ocmu/learn/historyculture/upload/Accessible-Creek-Land-Cessions.pdf |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref>Walter, Williams (1979). "Southeastern Indians before Removal, Prehistory, Contact, Decline". Southeastern Indians: Since the Removal Era. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press.</ref>

===Early settlement===
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2009}}
The first permanent white settlement in Jackson County began near present-day Commerce on January 20, 1784, when [[German Americans|German]] immigrant William Dunson was awarded a land grant on Little Sandy Creek. The settlement was named "Groaning Rock",<ref name="Wilson"/> supposedly because of a nearby hollow rock formation that produced a moaning sound when the wind passed over it. (Descendants of William Dunson are still living on the original tract of land.)

A trading post was established by Eli Shankle near Groaning Rock in 1808, named "Harmony Grove". The common explanation is that the name is a play on his wife, Rebecca's, maiden name: Hargrove. There is also an old Appalachian [[hymn tune]] called "Harmony Grove", found in an 1830 book called ''[[The Virginia Harmony]]''. This tune is popular today as the melody to "[[Amazing Grace]]".

The Harmony Grove Female Academy, the first all-female school chartered in the state of Georgia, was chartered by the state legislature on December 20, 1824.

The Harmony Grove post office was established on October 14, 1825; Russell Jones was its first postmaster.

On September 1, 1876, the [[North Eastern Railroad (Georgia)|North Eastern Railroad]] opened its line from Athens to [[Lula, Georgia|Lula]], which passed through the heart of Harmony Grove. The railroad line had the most significant impact on the shape of the city, which began expanding both directions along the line. These tracks are now owned by the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]].

=== City history ===
The Harmony Grove community was officially incorporated as a town on December 24, 1884, including all areas within a one-mile radius of the railroad depot, one half mile east, and 400 yards west.

Harmony Grove Mills, Inc. was organized under the laws of Jackson County on April 3, 1893, for the purpose of processing and producing cotton [[textile]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://commercega.gov/experience/about-us|title= History of Commerce|publisher= City of Commerce Website |accessdate= July 11, 2023}}</ref> It served various purposes over the years, including the manufacture of [[denim]] overalls and the earliest production of electricity in the city. The mill village created to house employees makes up a significant portion of the homes on the southeast end of Commerce today. The mill had been in operation under various corporations until the spring of 2004, when it closed operations and was sold; it has been used for warehouse storage space since, and is currently for sale. The building is still a major feature of the city.

Near the end of the 19th century, many began to feel that the name "Harmony Grove" was too long to write and sounded too much like a country village. In addition, many didn't like the fact that mail frequently went to another post office by the same name in [[Dawson County, Georgia|Dawson County]]. Harmony Grove was reincorporated and renamed "Commerce" on August 6, 1904, in an effort to address these concerns and reflect the city's commercial dominance in the north Georgia cotton trade.<ref>{{cite book |title=Weird, Wacky, and Wild Georgia Trivia |last1=Watson |first1=Stephanie |first2=Lisa |last2=Wojna |year=2008 |publisher=Blue Bike Books |isbn=978-1-897278-44-4 |pages=60}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/c.pdf |title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins |publisher=Winship Press |author=Krakow, Kenneth K. |year=1975 |location=Macon, GA |pages=49 |isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref>

In 1959, a series of controversial town hall meetings were held to try to convince members of the federal Interstate Highway System to re-route the proposed [[Interstate 85]], originally planned to go through [[Gainesville, Georgia|Gainesville]] ([[Hall County, Georgia|Hall County]]), through Commerce and [[Lavonia, Georgia|Lavonia]] ([[Franklin County, Georgia|Franklin County]]). The proposal was changed, and the interstate was routed through Jackson County. Even more so than the railroad nearly a century before, this major transportation artery brought tremendous commercial advantage to Commerce, at a time it desperately needed it.

==Geography==
Commerce is located in northeastern Jackson County at {{coord|34|12|23|N|83|27|40|W|type:city}} (34.206520, -83.461203).<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> [[Interstate 85]] runs through the northern part of the city, with access from Exits 147 and 149. I-85 leads southwest {{convert|70|mi}} to [[Atlanta]] and northeast {{convert|78|mi}} to [[Greenville, South Carolina]]. [[U.S. Route 441]] runs along the eastern border of Commerce, leading north {{convert|27|mi}} to [[Demorest, Georgia|Demorest]] and south {{convert|19|mi}} to [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], Commerce has a total area of {{convert|30.6|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|30.3|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{Convert|0.2|sqkm|order=flip|1}}, or 0.77%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1319112| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Commerce city, Georgia| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| accessdate=May 2, 2018| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213112850/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US1319112| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> Commerce sits on a [[drainage divide]] between tributaries of the [[Oconee River]] to the southwest and tributaries of the [[Savannah River]] to the northeast.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1890= 611
|1900= 1454
|1910= 2238
|1920= 2459
|1930= 3002
|1940= 3294
|1950= 3351
|1960= 3551
|1970= 3702
|1980= 4092
|1990= 4108
|2000= 5292
|2010= 6544
|2020= 7387
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Commerce racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1319112&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-17|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Pct.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|5,311
|71.9%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|886
|11.99%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|12
|0.16%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|129
|1.75%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|1
|0.01%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|284
|3.84%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|764
|10.34%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 7,387 people, 2,547 households, and 1,824 families residing in the city.

== Education ==
All portions of the Commerce city limits are in the [[Commerce City School District]].<ref name=Schooldistmap2020>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13157_jackson/DC20SD_C13157.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Jackson County, GA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|pages=5-6, 12 (PDF p. 6-7, 13/27)|accessdate=2023-05-07}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13157_jackson/DC20SD_C13157_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

The Commerce City School District oversees public education for pre-school to grade twelve. It consists of two elementary schools (the primary school includes a pre-school program), a middle school and a high school.<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=771&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education]{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved June 5, 2010.</ref> As of August 2010, district has 89 full-time teachers and over 1,358 students.<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/JACKSON/COMMERCE_CITY.html School Stats], Retrieved June 5, 2010.</ref>
*Commerce Primary School (pre-K through 2nd grade)
*Commerce Elementary School (3rd and 4th grades)
*Commerce Middle School (5th through 8th)
*Commerce High School (9th through 12th)

[[Jackson County School District (Georgia)|Jackson County School District]] includes areas outside of the city of Commerce.<ref name=Schooldistmap2020/>

==Notable people==<!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WP:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline -->
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* [[Terry Allen (running back)|Terry Allen]], former [[American football|football]] [[running back]] in the [[National Football League]]; born in Commerce<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlleTe00.htm?redir| title= Terry Allen|publisher= Pro-Football-Reference.com |accessdate= September 6, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Bill Anderson (singer)|Bill Anderson]], [[country music]] singer, songwriter and television personality, famous for "City Lights"  written in Commerce; raised in Commerce
* [[Chris Beck (baseball)|Chris Beck]], [[Major League Baseball]] pitcher for the [[Chicago White Sox]]
* [[Clay Hendrix]], current head football coach at [[Furman University]]; born in Commerce
* [[Mike Bowers]], former [[Attorney General of Georgia]]; born in Commerce<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.balch.com/mbowers/| title= MICHAEL J. BOWERS|publisher= Balch & Bingham LLP |accessdate= September 6, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Olive Ann Burns]], award-winning author of ''[[Cold Sassy Tree]]'', a novel loosely based on her experiences growing up in Commerce
* [[Spud Chandler]], right-handed [[starting pitcher]] in [[major league baseball]] who played his entire career for the [[New York Yankees]] from 1937 through 1947; born in Commerce<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/chandsp01.shtml| title= Spud Chandler|publisher= Baseball-Reference.com |accessdate= September 6, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Lamartine G. Hardman]], served two terms as the [[List of Governors of Georgia|65th governor]] of the state of Georgia from 1927 to 1931; born in Commerce<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/GovernmentPolitics/Politics/PoliticalFigures&id=h-2133| title= Lamartine Hardman (1856-1937)
|publisher= The New Georgia Encyclopedia |accessdate= September 6, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Mary Hood]], award-winning writer of predominantly [[Southern literature]]
* [[Dennis Law]], former NFL wide receiver
* [[Sammy Brown (linebacker, born 2005)|Sammy Brown]], current Clemson linebacker [https://clemsontigers.com/sports/football/roster/sammy-brown/]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.commercega.org/ City of Commerce official website]
*[http://www.mainstreetnews.com ''The Jackson Herald'']
*[http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=7878 Commerce profile on Epodunk]

{{Jackson County, Georgia}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Jackson County, Georgia]]
[[Category:1784 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]