Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,816 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta - Sandy Springs (GA) - Gainesville (GA) - Alabama (partial) CSA.

History

Thomaston was incorporated on January 1, 1825, and designated as the seat of Upson County. The town was named for General Jett Thomas, an Indian fighter in the War of 1812.

Geography

Thomaston is located near the center of Upson County at 32.90 N, -84.333333 W (32° 54′ 0″ N, 84° 20′ 0″ W). The city is located in the west central Piedmont region of the state.

U.S. Route 19 is the main north–south route through the city, leading north to Zebulon and south to Butler. Georgia State Routes 36 and 74 are the main east–west routes through the city. GA-36 leads northeast to Barnesville and southwest to Woodland. GA-74 leads east to Yatesville and northwest to Woodbury.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Thomaston had a population of 9,816. The median age was 38.8 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 78.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 73.6 males age 18 and over.

96.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,082 households in Thomaston, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 26.9% were married-couple households, 19.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 46.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. As of the 2020 census, there were 1,779 families residing in the city.

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|4,899

|49.91%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|4,202

|42.81%

|-

|Native American

|21

|0.21%

|-

|Asian

|34

|0.35%

|-

|Pacific Islander

|1

|0.01%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|357

|3.64%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|302

|3.08%

|}

Health care

Its principal hospital is the Upson Regional Medical Center at 801 West Gordon Street.

Industry

Industry in the city is driven primarily by manufacturing which makes up 36.5%. The second largest industry is educational, health, and social service comprising 21.0%. The third largest industry is retail trade at 11.6% of the total industry in Thomaston. The remaining portions of industry include agriculture, construction, wholesale trade, transportation, information, finance, management, administration, arts and entertainment, food service, recreation, accommodation, and public administration.

Arts and culture

National Register of Historic Places

The Upson County courthouse was built in 1908, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Pettigrew-White-Stamps House
  • Silvertown Mill District

Annual events

Thomaston hosts an annual Emancipation Proclamation Celebration each May. It is the nation's oldest and longest running emancipation celebration of its kind. The district has 279 full-time teachers and over 5,009 students.

  • Upson-Lee Elementary School
  • Upson-Lee Primary School
  • Upson-Lee Middle School
  • Upson-Lee High School
  • Upson-Lee Pre-K
  • Upson-Lee Alternative School

Colleges and universities

Southern Crescent Technical College is located in Thomaston, and is a two-year technical school.

==Notable people==<!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WP:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline -->

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thumb|left|John Brown Gordon by [[Mathew Brady.]]

  • Coy Bowles – musician and member of Zac Brown Band
  • Elia Goode Byington (1858–1936) – journalist
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (b. 1993) – former University of Georgia basketball player, SEC basketball player of the year (2012-13 season), and first round draft pick in the 2013 NBA draft
  • Mike Cavan (b. 1948) – former University of Georgia quarterback, college head coach (Valdosta State, East Tennessee State, and SMU), and director of football administration at the University of Georgia
  • Wayne Cochran (1939–2017) – singer
  • Scott Franklin (b. 1964) – U.S. representative for Florida's 18th congressional district
  • Ivylyn Girardeau (1900–1987) – medical missionary in Pakistan and India
  • John B. Gordon (1832–1904) – U.S. senator for Georgia, governor of Georgia, and Confederate States Army major general
  • Frank Gordy (1904–1983) – founder of The Varsity fast-food chain
  • William Guilford (1844–1909) – Georgia House of Representatives member
  • Bill Hartman (1915–2006) – football player and College Football Hall of Fame inductee
  • John Holliman (1948–1998) – journalist and correspondent for CNN, noted for his live coverage of the Persian Gulf War
  • Marion Montgomery (1925–2011) – poet, novelist, educator, and critic
  • Dallas Raines (b. 1954) – meteorologist
  • Thelma Thompson Slayden (1907–1977) – novelist
  • Hunter Strickland (b. 1988) – baseball player
  • Travon Walker (b. 2000) – defensive lineman for the Jacksonville Jaguars. First overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of University of Georgia

References

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  • Official City of Thomaston, Georgia Government Website Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more
  • City-Data.com Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Thomaston