Editing Plains, Georgia

{{Short description|City in the United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info -->
|name                     = Plains, Georgia
|settlement_type          = [[List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)|City]]
|motto                    = "Home of the [[Jimmy Carter|47th President]]"<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.plainsgeorgia.org/ |title= Official Page of the City of Plains, Georgia |publisher= Official Page of the City of Plains, Georgia |access-date= September 4, 2012}}</ref>

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Plains, Georgia (5746324119).jpg
|image_caption            = Plains downtown storefronts (2011)
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               = Plains, GA Seal.png
|seal_size                = 85px

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Sumter_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Plains_Highlighted.svg
|map_caption              = Location within [[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter County]] and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|image_map1               =
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|coordinates_footnotes    = <ref name="GNIS"/>
|coordinates              = {{coord|32|2|1|N|84|23|36|W|region:US-GA|display=inline,title}}
|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 Kansas|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Sumter County, Georgia|Sumter]]
|subdivision_type3        =
|subdivision_name3        =

<!-- Established -->
|established_title        = Founded
|established_date         = {{Start date and age|1885}}
|established_title1       = [[Platted]]
|established_date1        =
|established_title2       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date2        =
|named_for                =

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Joseph Recker Jr.

<!-- Area -->
|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_sq_mi         = 0.81
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.81
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|area_total_km2           = 2.11
|area_land_km2            = 2.11
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|unit_pref                = Imperial

<!-- Elevation -->
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GNIS"/>
|elevation_ft             = 499

<!-- Population -->
|population_footnotes     =
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_total         = 573
|pop_est_footnotes        =
|pop_est_as_of            =
|population_est           =
|population_density_sq_mi = auto
|population_density_km2   = auto

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
|utc_offset               = −5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = −4
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code              = 31780
|area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
|area_code                = [[Area code 229|229]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = {{FIPS|13|61628}} <ref name="GNIS"/>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS ID]]
|blank1_info              = 356474 <ref name="GNIS">{{cite gnis2|356474|Plains, Georgia}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://plainsgeorgia.gov/|plainsgeorgia.gov}}
}}

'''Plains''' is a city in [[Sumter County, Georgia]], United States.<ref name="GNIS"/>  As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population of the city was 573.  It is the birthplace, hometown, place of death, and burial location for [[Jimmy Carter]] and his wife [[Rosalynn Carter|Rosalynn]], who were the [[President of the United States|39th president]] and [[First Lady of the United States|first lady of the United States]] from 1977 to 1981.

==History==
Originally inhabited by the [[Muscogee people]],<ref name=cop>{{cite web |url=http://www.plainsgeorgia.org/history/ |title=Official Page of the City of Plains :: |website=www.plainsgeorgia.org}}</ref> three small settlements existed close to what would become Plains by the 1840s: [[Lebanon, Georgia|Lebanon]], Magnolia Springs, and Plains of Dura.<ref name=nps>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/jica/planyourvisit/plainsgeorgia.htm|title=Plains Historic District - Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) |website=www.nps.gov}}</ref> In 1885, a significant turning point occurred when a major east–west railroad extended into the area and led to the three settlements being consolidated into one.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/jica/planyourvisit/plainsgeorgia.htm|title=Plains Historic District|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=28 November 2023}}</ref> As railway access expanded into the region in response to increased [[Cotton#Cultivation|cotton farming]], these settlements coalesced closer to the new railway location.<ref name=ge>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/ArticlePrintable.jsp?id=h-3280|title=Plains|website=New Georgia Encyclopedia}}</ref> As businesses rapidly developed, local businessmen successfully petitioned the [[Georgia General Assembly|Georgia State Legislature]] to shorten "Plains of Dura" to simply "Plains."<ref name=cop /> The city was [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1896.<ref name=ge />

Plains continued to experience growth fueled by cotton cultivation into the early 20th century. A substantial school and the pioneering [[Wise Sanitarium]] were both built in the 1920s.<ref name=ge /> Despite branching into [[Peanut#Cultivation|peanut cultivation]],<ref name=ge /> the community lost much of its prosperity during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name=nps />

The city remained a small and quiet one until Plains native [[Jimmy Carter]] rose to political prominence as [[Governor of Georgia|Georgia's governor]] in 1971, before becoming [[U.S. president]] from 1977 to 1981.<ref name=ge /> During the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]] and for many years afterwards, the city saw a giant influx in tourism due to Carter's name, with nearly 10,000 people (around 18 times the population of Plains) pouring into the community daily.<ref>Buccellato, Robert (2016). ''Jimmy Carter in Plains: The Presidential Hometown''. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1467115414}}.</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|0.8|sqmi|km2}}, all land. The city's boundary is in the shape of a circle.<ref>{{cite web|title=Map of Plains, Georgia|url=http://www.plainsgeorgia.org/page12.html|url-status=dead|access-date=2021-05-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727175244/http://www.plainsgeorgia.org/page12.html|archive-date=2011-07-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Enigma, Georgia: Mystery of the South's Circular Towns |url=https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/655-enigma-georgia-mystery-of-the-souths-circular-towns/ |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=Big Think |date=May 2014 |language=en-US}}</ref> It is located in west-south-western Georgia, {{Convert|120|mi}} due south of [[Atlanta]].

===Climate===
This area climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.  According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Plains has a [[humid subtropical climate]], abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=780790&cityname=Plains,+Georgia,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Plains, Georgia Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase}}</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Plains, Georgia
|single line = Yes
|Jan high F = 57
|Feb high F = 61
|Mar high F = 68
|Apr high F = 77
|May high F = 84
|Jun high F = 89
|Jul high F = 91
|Aug high F = 90
|Sep high F = 86
|Oct high F = 78
|Nov high F = 69
|Dec high F = 60
|year high F = 76
|Jan low F = 35
|Feb low F = 37
|Mar low F = 44
|Apr low F = 51
|May low F = 60
|Jun low F = 67
|Jul low F = 69
|Aug low F = 69
|Sep low F = 64
|Oct low F = 53
|Nov low F = 44
|Dec low F = 37
|year low F = 52
|Jan precipitation inch = 4.9
|Feb precipitation inch = 4.6
|Mar precipitation inch = 5.2
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.5
|May precipitation inch = 3.3
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.7
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.2
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.5
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.5
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.4
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.3
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.2
|year precipitation inch = 49.4
|precipitation colour = green
|source 1 = Weatherbase<ref name=Weatherbase>
{{cite web
|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=780790&cityname=Plains-Georgia
|publisher=Weatherbase
|title=Weatherbase.com
|year=2013
}}
Retrieved on October 16, 2013.
</ref>
|date=October 2013
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 374
|1880= 459
|1890= 510
|1900= 290
|1910= 407
|1920= 479
|1930= 406
|1940= 364
|1950= 359
|1960= 273
|1970= 236
|1980= 231
|1990= 286
|2000= 637
|2010= 776
|2020= 573
|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=[[US 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 |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> 1870-1880<ref name=1880CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |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=|pages=251–256}}</ref><br> 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> 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> 1960<ref name=1960CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |website=[[US 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  |website=[[US 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  |website=[[US 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 |website=[[US 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  |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> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}
Plains is part of the [[Americus, Georgia|Americus]] [[Micropolitan statistical area|Micropolitan Statistical Area]].

{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Plains, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Plains city, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US1361628|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Plains city, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1361628&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Plains city, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US1361628&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|238
|392
|style='background: #ffffe6; |239
|37.36%
|50.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |41.71%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|379
|331
|style='background: #ffffe6; |307
|59.50%
|42.65%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |53.58%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.17%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.52%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|2
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5
|0.31%
|0.26%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.87%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|18
|51
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18
|2.83%
|6.57%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.14%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''637'''
|'''776'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''573'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}As of the 2000 census,<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> there were 637 people, 215 households, and 136 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|780.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 244 housing units at an average density of {{convert|298.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 38.62% [[White people|White]], 59.81% [[African American]], 1.26% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race were 2.83% of the population. There were 215 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 16.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 30.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 69.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 58.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,719, and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $16,406 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $11,602. About 22.2% of families and 25.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 47.2% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The city is located in the [[Sumter County School District (Georgia)|Sumter County School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13261_sumter/DC20SD_C13261.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sumter County, GA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-01}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13261_sumter/DC20SD_C13261_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

==Points of interest==
Many of the town's attractions are centered around Jimmy Carter, including the [[Jimmy Carter National Historical Park]]. Carter's high school, birthplace, campaign headquarters, former site of family business, his brother [[Billy Carter|Billy]]'s service station, and his burial site are all within a close vicinity of one another in the center of town. The iconic [[Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue|Smiling Peanut Statue]], a gift to Carter from supporters in [[Evansville, Indiana]], lies on the outskirts of town. His boyhood home is in nearby [[Archery, Georgia|Archery]].

[[Andersonville National Historic Site]] and the [[National Prisoner of War Museum]] are located in the vicinity of Plains. [[Georgia Southwestern State University]] is located in the nearby town of [[Americus, Georgia|Americus]]. [[Westville (Georgia)|Westville]], a re-created town depicting the living history of mid-19th-century Georgia, is located in the nearby town of [[Lumpkin, Georgia|Lumpkin]].

==Notable residents==
President [[Jimmy Carter]] was born in Plains at the Wise Sanitarium, now renamed the [[Lillian G. Carter Nursing Center]] in honor of his mother. His wife [[Rosalynn Carter|Rosalynn]] and their daughter [[Amy Carter|Amy]] were also born in Plains, as were his younger brother [[Billy Carter|Billy]], younger sister [[Gloria Carter Spann|Gloria]], youngest sister [[Ruth Carter Stapleton|Ruth]], and cousin [[Hugh Carter|Hugh]]. When he left office in 1981, Carter and his wife returned to live in [[Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter House|the home in Plains]] they have occupied since 1961, where they both died. Rosalynn Carter died on November 19, 2023, and President Carter [[Death and state funeral of Jimmy Carter|died]] on December 29, 2024. Both are interred on the grounds of their home, which is part of the Jimmy Carter National Historic Park.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="220px" heights="165px">
File:Welcome to Plains Home of the 39th President.png|The Plains [[welcome sign]], featuring the [[Seal of the president of the United States]]
File:Plains, Georgia water tower.png|The Plains [[water tower]]
File:17 02 044 carter.jpg|Carter's High School, now a [[Jimmy Carter National Historical Park|visitor center and museum]]
File:Giant sized smiling peanut, looking north - Smiling Peanut, South Side of Highway 49, Plains, Sumter County, GA HABS GA,131-PLAIN.V,2-1 (CT).tif|[[Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue]]
File:CarterHQ.jpg|Carter campaign headquarters (2008)
File:JimmyCarteronBicycle.jpg|[[Jimmy Carter]] cycling in Plains (2008)
File:Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter gravesite.jpg|[[Jimmy Carter National Historical Park|Burial site]] of Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter
</gallery>

==References==
{{Portal|Georgia (U.S. State)}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}} <!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded -->
* [https://plainsgeorgia.gov/ Official City Website]
* [http://www.city-data.com/city/Plains-Georgia.html City-Data.com] Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Plains

{{Sumter County, Georgia}}
{{Jimmy Carter}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:1885 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Americus, Georgia micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Sumter County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Jimmy Carter]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1885]]
[[Category:Rosalynn Carter]]