Abbeville (Georgia)

Wilcox County

13-00184

Abbeville is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is located in Wilcox County and is its administrative headquarters.

Geography

Abbeville is located in the east of Wilcox County at the Ocmulgee River. The nearby towns are Rhine and Rochelle. The nearest major town, Warner Robins, is about 76 kilometers away. Albany ( Georgia) is located about 113 kilometers southwest of the capital of Georgia, Atlanta, about 243 kilometers north. The city covers an area of 7.9 km ².

History

At the foundation of the county on December 22, 1857, specified that the first Monday in March 1858 its administration officials should be chosen. They were commissioned to a central location as judicial and administrative headquarters to determine. It is reported that David Fitzgerald for this purpose, 60 acres ( 24.3 hectares) of land donated by the river Ocmulgee. Although his lands not central, but lay on the eastern border of the county, the Foundation has been accepted. The settlement, which developed at this point, was named Abbeville and formally charged on September 15, 1883 to the city.

Population

According to the census of 2000, the population is 2,298, of which 75.2 % men and 24.8 % women. The average age of the citizens of Abbeville is 35.8 years. 58.4 % of residents are African American and 41 % White (not Hispanic ). The average annual income per household is $ 21,193 with under the U.S. average ( $ 41,994 ). Approximately 31.7 % of the population live below the poverty line. Thus, the share of the poor is higher than in the U.S. average (12.4%). The surplus of men due to the fact that a state prison for up to 1,342 inmates was opened in Abbeville in 1994, which explains the unusually high population growth ( 150.1 %) between the censuses of 1990 and 2000.

Public institutions

Abbeville has a private high school, the Kings Of Kings Christian School. The nearest colleges are located in the city Albany: The Darton College, Albany State University and Albany Technical College. The city has no public hospitals. The nearest hospitals are located in Eastman and Fitzgerald.

Attractions

The neoclassical courthouse of Wilcox County, which was established in 1903 as a replacement for wood construction from 1858 is listed in the cultural monument list of the U.S. federal government.

The Ocmulgee River on the outskirts provides habitat for many animal species and is a popular recreational area. Because of the numerous wild boars (English: wild hogs ), the city is nicknamed Wild Hog Capital of Georgia and enjoys through the annual Wild Hog Festival (wild boar festival ) local celebrity.