Demorest ( ) is a city in Habersham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,022 at the 2020 census, up from 1,823 at the 2010 census, and 1,465 at the 2000 census. It is the home of Piedmont University.
Geography
Demorest is located in south-central Habersham County. U.S. Route 441 Business (signed "U.S. 441 Historic Route") runs through the center of town as Central Avenue, leading north to Clarkesville, the county seat, and south 4 miles to Cornelia.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Demorest has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.28%, are water.
| align = right
| align-fn = center
2020 census
{| class="wikitable"
|+Demorest racial composition
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|White
|1,613
|79.77%
|-
|Black or African American
|107
|5.29%
|-
|Native American
|2
|0.1%
|-
|Asian
|22
|1.09%
|-
|Pacific Islander
|14
|0.69%
|-
|Other/mixed
|100
|4.95%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|164
|8.11%
|}
As of the 2020 census, Demorest had a population of 2,022.
90.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 9.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 662 households in Demorest, including 395 families. Of all households, 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. 37.8% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 36.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Demorest was platted in 1890 as a temperance town, and named after William Jennings Demorest, a prohibition advocate. Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place as the "City of Demorest" in 1889.
Notable landmarks
thumb|The new pedestrian footbridge has a ramp on one side and an elevator and stairs on the other.
thumb|left|The Demorest Women's Club in downtown next to the pedestrian footbridge
Notable landmarks in the city include Demorest Springs Park, the Old Demorest Train Depot, Demorest Women's Club and the former Lake Demorest.
One of Demorest's most popular landmarks is the Johnny Mize Athletic Center and Museum. The museum is owned by Piedmont University and is named for Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Mize. Mize was born in Demorest, and played baseball at Piedmont. The museum houses Mize memorabilia from his time at Piedmont as well as from his professional baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and the New York Yankees. In addition to the museum, Mize's childhood home is a Georgia Historical site with a private owner.
The most recent landmark is the new addition of the pedestrian bridge over a span of Historic U.S. 441 in front of the Piedmont University campus. The new bridge was assembled off-site and lowered into place by crane. The bridge was modeled after the Vanderbilt University 21st Avenue Pedestrian Bridge. The installation of the bridge was a joint project of the Georgia Department of Transportation, Piedmont College and the city of Demorest.
References
External links
- https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-12-c.pdf