Millen is a city, and the county seat of Jenkins County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Millen had a population of 2,966.

The city is intersected by U.S. Route 25 and State Route 17.

History

Millen was first settled in 1835 along the border of what was then Burke and Screven counties. It was originally named "79" due to its approximate distance in miles from the coastal city of Savannah. Planters cultivated cotton as a commodity crop.

In 1854, the Central of Georgia Railway and the Georgia Railroad connected at 79. The town became known as "Millen's Junction" after McPherson B. Millen, the superintendent of the Central of Georgia Railway. It was built in what is today Magnolia Springs State Park, because the location was favorable due to the springs providing potable water and its proximity to the Augusta and Savannah Railroad. On December 3, 1864,

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,966 people, 1,113 households, and 563 families residing in the city. The median age was 41.9 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.7 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

Of the city's households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 25.9% were married-couple households, 24.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 44.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|999

|33.68%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|1,773

|59.78%

|-

|Native American

|7

|0.24%

|-

|Asian

|8

|0.27%

|-

|Pacific Islander

|3

|0.1%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|73

|2.46%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|103

|3.47%

|}

Education

Jenkins County School District

The Jenkins County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. The district has 119 full-time teachers and over 1,754 students.

  • Jenkins County Elementary School
  • Jenkins County Middle School
  • Jenkins County High School

Notable people

  • Jim Busby, Major League Baseball player who retired to Millen after his coaching career was over.
  • Max Burns, politician and academic
  • Russell Davis III, football player
  • Nathan Deal, 82nd governor of Georgia, born in Millen
  • Linda Schrenko, superintendent
  • Courtney Smith, football player
  • Melvin E. Thompson, 70th governor of Georgia, born in Millen
  • Bennie Ward, physicist
  • Kountry Wayne, comedian, TV & film actor, social media influencer, and content creator born and raised in Millen.

See also

  • Camp Lawton (Georgia)
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Jenkins County, Georgia

References

  • The Millen News, the city's weekly newspaper