Jefferson, Georgia

Jefferson was founded in 1800. That same year, the seat of Jackson County was transferred to Jefferson from Clarkesboro. Jefferson was incorporated as a town in 1806 and as a city in 1896.[7] The city was named after Thomas Jefferson.[8]

View of the north side of the city's central square

Jefferson is located in central Jackson County at 34°7′36″N 83°35′25″W (34.126736, -83.590297).[9] It is bordered to the northwest by Pendergrass and to the southeast by Arcade. U.S. Route 129 passes through the southwest side of the city, leading northwest 21 miles (34 km) to Gainesville and southeast 19 miles (31 km) to Athens. Interstate 85 runs through the northern end of Jefferson, 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the center of town, with access from Exits 137 and 140. I-85 leads southwest 55 miles (89 km) to Atlanta and northeast 90 miles (140 km) to Greenville, South Carolina.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Jefferson has a total area of 22.0 square miles (57.0 km²), of which 21.7 square miles (56.1 km²) are land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²), or 1.53%, are water.[5] Curry Creek, a tributary of the North Oconee River, flows just to the east of downtown, and the Middle Oconee River runs along the western edge of the city.

View towards the east side of the square showing the Confederate Memorial and the highway leading to Commerce, Georgia

As of the census of 2010, there were 9,432 people, 3,328 households, and 2,531 families residing in the city. There were 3,666 housing units, of which 338, or 9.2%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the city was 83.1% white, 10.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 3.2% some other race, and 1.8% from two or more races. 7.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[11]

Of the 3,328 households, 46.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were headed by married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83, and the average family size was 3.28.[11]

In the city, 30.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.9% were from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.[11]

For the period 2012–2016, the estimated median annual income for a household was $51,419, and the median income for a family was $58,683. The per capita income for the city was $24,376. Male full-time workers had a median income of $49,832, versus $33,567 for females. 12.5% of the population and 11.7% of families were below the poverty line. 8.5% of the population under the age of 18 and 17.3% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.[12]

• Chris Beck, pitcher for New York Mets
• Damon Jesse Gause, war hero
• Brantley Gilbert, country music singer, songwriter
• Crawford W. Long, physician who first used ether for surgical anesthesia
• Brandon Mosley, former Auburn University and former New York Giants offensive lineman
• Corey Smith, country music singer, songwriter

• City of Jefferson official website
• The Jackson Herald, local newspaper
• Builder of the Nation historical marker