Jackson, Georgia

Template:Distinguish Template:More citations needed Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Butts County, Georgia, United States.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The population was 5,045 in 2010,<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref> up from 3,934 at the 2000 census. In 2020, its population was 5,557.<ref name=":0" /> The community was named after governor James Jackson.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

History

Founded in 1826, Jackson began as a Template:Convert 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 Civil War, much of Jackson was razed by the army of General William T. Sherman during his 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 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. 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.

Geography

Jackson is located in the center of Butts County at Template:Coord.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is Template:Convert southeast of downtown Atlanta. The center of population of Georgia is located Template:Convert northeast of Jackson near the Butts County/Newton County line.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, or 0.50%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

Jackson racial composition as of 2020<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	2,721	48.97%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,399	43.17%
Native American	10	0.18%
Asian	25	0.45%
Pacific Islander	3	0.05%
Other/Mixed	211	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	188	3.38%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,557 people, 1,799 households, and 1,141 families residing in the city.

Government

Jackson is governed by an elected city council of five members, each representing a district of the city. The council is presided over by the mayor, who is elected at-large. All officials serve four year terms. The current mayor of Jackson is Carlos Duffey, who was elected in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

Jackson is the home of WJGA-FM 92.1.

Jackson is a frequent backdrop for a number of television shows. Beginning in 2016, Jackson appeared in Stranger Things, representing the show's setting in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the early 1980s. Exterior filming locations included the downtown (with some buildings freshly painted for filming), a furniture store (standing in for a cinema exterior), and the Butts County Probate court.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The popularity of the show has attracted many fans to the town. Other shows which have been filmed in the area include The CW's The Originals.

State prison

The Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison of the Georgia Department of Corrections is a maximum security prison in unincorporated Butts County about Template:Convert southwest of Jackson. It is home to Georgia's death row and execution facility.<ref>"Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison Template:Webarchive." Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on July 18, 2010. "HWY 36 WEST" "JACKSON, GA 30233." and the travel directions "Take I-75 south toward Macon to Exit 201, Jackson/Barnesville. Exit and turn left, go over the bridge and travel approximately ¼ mile. Go through two lights and you will see the entrance to the Diagnostic Center ahead on the left, several truck stops and fueling stations on the right. Turn left on Prison Boulevard and follow it to the facility."</ref> The prison is also home to maximum security general population (non-death row).

Education

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The Butts County School District, grades pre-school to twelve, consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.<ref>Georgia Board of Education Template:Dead link, Retrieved June 1, 2010.</ref> The district has 184 full-time teachers and over 3,370 students.<ref>School Stats, Retrieved June 1, 2010.</ref>