Alma, Georgia

Alma was founded in 1900 as a stop on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It was incorporated as a city in 1906 and designated seat of the newly formed Bacon County in 1914.[7] There are two theories about the origin of the name of the town. The first is that it was named for the wife of a traveling salesmen, Alma Sheridan; the other is that it was named for the initial letter of the four state capitals Georgia has had: Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville, and Atlanta.[8][9]

There are four sites in Alma listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Alma Depot, Bacon County Courthouse, Bacon County School, and the Rabinowitz Building.

Alma is located in southeastern Georgia at 31°32′30″N 82°28′0″W (31.541543, -82.466666).[10]

The city is located along U.S. Routes 1 and 23. The two run through the center of the city together before splitting just north of the city. U.S. 1 connects the city with Baxley, 19 mi (31 km) to the north, and U.S. 23 connects the city with Hazlehurst, 25 mi (40 km) to the northwest. U.S. 1/23 also lead south together 29 mi (47 km) to Waycross. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes 32 and 64.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²), of which 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²) is land and 0.69 square miles (1.8 km²), or 11.27%, is water.[11]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 3,236 people, 1,243 households, and 826 families residing in the city. The population density was 564.6 people per square mile (218.1/km²). There were 1,510 housing units at an average density of 263.5 per square mile (101.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.97% White, 38.57% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 1.89% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.42% of the population.

There were 1,243 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 24.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% 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 3.06.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,324, and the median income for a family was $21,941. Males had a median income of $25,362 versus $15,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,574. About 27.6% of families and 32.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.7% of those under age 18 and 24.2% of those age 65 or over.

Alma is served by the Bacon County School District.[13] The district has 126 full-time teachers and over 1,900 students,[14] and operates these schools:

• Bacon County Elementary School
• Bacon County Primary School
• Bacon County Middle School
• Bacon County High School

Alma is also served by Coastal Pines Technical College.

• Abbi Williams - Owner/Principal designer of Red Door Design Studio, Host of HGTV's Southern Spitfire[15]

• Kelly Andrews - Local Star

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bacon County, Georgia

• City of Alma official website
• Alma/Bacon County Development Authority