McDonough, Georgia

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McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its population was 29,051 in 2020. The city is the county seat of Henry County.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The unincorporated communities of Blacksville, Flippen, Kelleytown, and Ola are located near McDonough, and addresses in those communities have McDonough ZIP codes.

History

The town was named for naval officer Commodore Thomas Macdonough<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and founded in 1823 around a traditional town square design. The buildings surrounding the square are intact, although there are some vacancies. The county courthouse and historic jail building are on the north side near the Welcome Center in a historically maintained Standard Oil service station, built in 1920. The station also houses the Main Street Program Office.

One block east of the square, the town's original cotton warehouse has been replaced with the Henry County Judicial Center. In the same area the Henry County Courthouse Annex has an original oil on canvas "Cotton Gin" (Template:Frac by 11 feet) by artist Jean Charlot. He painted this oil in 1942 for the town post office. His works can be found all over the world in everything from children's books to large murals.

The town was a relay station on the New York City to New Orleans stagecoach line and was connected by other stage lines with Fayetteville and Decatur, and with Macon by way of Jackson.<ref name="History of Henry County">Template:Cite web Template:Title missing</ref>

Geography

McDonough is in central Henry County, Template:Convert southeast of downtown Atlanta. U.S. Route 23 passes through the center of the city, leading northwest Template:Convert to Stockbridge and south Template:Convert to Locust Grove. Interstate 75 passes through the southwestern arm of the city, with access from Exits 216, 218, and 221. I-75 leads northwest to Atlanta and southeast Template:Convert to Macon.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 1.50%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web Template:Dead link Template:Cbignore</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census population

McDonough racial composition as of 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	4,998	17.2%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	20,092	69.16%
Native American	55	0.19%
Asian	610	2.1%
Pacific Islander	30	0.1%
Other/Mixed	1,306	4.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,960	6.75%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,051 people, 8,543 households, and 5,778 families residing in the city.

Economy

Snapper Inc. manufacturing residential and professional lawn care and snow removal equipment, was based in McDonough.Template:Citation needed The company began in 1894 as Southern Saw Works, and claims to have invented the first self-propelled rotary lawn mower.<ref name="Snapper" /> The company was sold to Briggs and Stratton,<ref name="Snapper">Template:Cite web</ref> which operated the plant until its closure in 2015.Template:Citation needed

Goya Foods has its Atlanta offices in an unincorporated area near McDonough.<ref>"Contact Us." Goya Foods. Retrieved on March 26, 2016. "Goya Atlanta 4005 Haworth Parkway McDonough, GA 30253"</ref><ref>Maps of McDonough." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 19, 2016.</ref>

Arts and culture

Several individual buildings and two historic districts in the city are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the downtown McDonough Historic District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Events

The city hosts a Geranium Festival each springtime on the third Saturday in May, celebrating the locally grown flowers and community.<ref name="flower">Template:Cite web</ref> The one-day festival serves as a showcase of local artistry and talent through the open-air craft markets and live musical performances. The festival is sponsored by the McDonough Lions Club, and held on the McDonough Square and surrounding areas.<ref name="flower" />

Sports

The city's semi-professional soccer team Georgia Revolution FC plays in the National Premier Soccer League at the Warhawk Stadium.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

WWE developmental territory Deep South Wrestling was based in McDonough.Template:Citation needed

Education

Henry County School District

The Henry County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. The district has twenty eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, and ten high schools.<ref>Georgia Board of Education Template:Dead link, Retrieved June 19, 2010.</ref> The district has 1,543 full-time teachers and over 40,000 students.<ref>School Stats, Retrieved June 19, 2010.</ref>

Henry County Public Schools

Elementary schools

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Cotton Indian Elementary School
Dutchtown Elementary School
East Lake Elementary School
Flippen Elementary School
Hickory Flat Elementary School
McDonough Elementary School
New Hope Elementary School
Oakland Elementary School
Ola Elementary School
Pleasant Grove Elementary School
Rock Spring Elementary School
Timber Ridge Elementary School
Tussahaw Elementary School
Unity Grove Elementary School
Walnut Creek Elementary School
Wesley Lakes Elementary School

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Middle schools

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Eagle's Landing Middle School
Dutchtown Middle School
McDonough Middle School
Ola Middle School
Woodland Middle School
Union Grove Middle School

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High schools

Academy for Advanced Studies
Dutchtown High School
Eagle's Landing High School
Henry County Evening Academy
McDonough High School
Ola High School
Union Grove High School
Luella High School

Private schools

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Eagle's Landing Christian Academy<ref>Eagle's Landing Christian Academy, Retrieved June 19, 2010.</ref>
New Creation Christian Academy<ref>New Creation Center, Retrieved June 19, 2010.</ref>
Creekside Christian Academy<ref>Creekside Christian Academy, Retrieved August 8, 2010.</ref>
Living Word Christian
McDonough Christian Academy
Sunbrook Academy at Luella <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Sharon School
Peoples Baptist Academy

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Higher education

Gordon State College has a satellite center in McDonough.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Mercer University opened a campus in McDonough in 2003, and offers teacher education, criminal justice, and general studies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Grace Biblical Seminary opened in 2004, and offers theological and ministries degrees.{18}
Atlanta Bible College is located in McDonough.Template:Citation needed

Media

WKKP is the local radio station, broadcasting on 100.9 FM and 1410 AM; it has a classic country format.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Henry Herald is the local county news print media.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Film

The film A Madea Christmas was filmed in the town square and around McDonough.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The television show Resurrection was filmed in the town square and around McDonough.
Scenes for the 1989 Civil War film, Glory, were filmed in the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A pilot episode for Roswell was filmed on the city square at the old Phillips 66 service station.
The 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit was filmed primarily in Georgia in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro and Lithonia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Infrastructure

Transportation

Xpress GA provides local bus service.

McDonough is served by the following highways:

Until the mid-1960s the Southern Railway operated the Cincinnati to Miami Ponce de Leon, which made stops in McDonough.<ref>Southern Railway timetable, May 1, 1965, Table 3</ref>

Notable people

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Jordan Akins, Current NFL Tight End for the Houston Texans who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL draft; was born, and presumably raised in McDonough, Georgia
Darrell Armstrong, former NBA player; lives in McDonough
Erasmus W. Beck, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1833
Travis Bergen, MLB pitcher; born in McDonough in 1993
Herman Cain, businessman and candidate for 2012 Republican presidential nomination; lived in McDonough<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Daz Cameron, top baseball outfield prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization
Antonio Gibson, American football player; attended high school in McDonough
Jason Heyward, former Atlanta Braves All-Star outfielder and first-round selection in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft; starting outfielder for 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs; attended high school in McDonough
James T. Holtzclaw, Confederate general in the American Civil War; born in McDonough in 1833
John Lunsford, politician and businessman<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tre McBride, former NFL & XFL wide receiver; born in McDonough
Matt Murton, Hanshin Tigers outfielder 2010–15; former MLB player with the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Colorado Rockies; went to high school in McDonough
Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Hall Of Fame center; lives in McDonough
J. R. Pinnock, George Washington Colonials guard; went to high school in McDonough
Renford Reese, professor, author
Chris Rodriguez Jr., American football player
Andrew Sloan, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1845
Dalvin Tomlinson, defensive end for the New York Giants; born in McDonough in 1994
D. J. White, football cornerback for Indianapolis Colts
James W. Wise, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1868
Austin Theory, wrestler, was born in McDonough, Georgia in 1997
Collective Soul, Band members used to live in McDonough in the early 2000s.
McKenna Hellam, fashion model who grew up on a farm in McDonough