Georgetown is a city in Quitman County, Georgia, United States. It is on the Alabama-Georgia state line next to Walter F. George Lake and across the Chattahoochee River from Eufaula, Alabama. Per the 2020 census, the population was 2,235. In 2006, Georgetown and Quitman County voted to consolidate their governments, becoming the smallest such consolidated entity in the Lower 48 states.
History
Settled in the early 1830s, Georgetown was first named Tobanana for the nearby creek. The Tobanana Post Office was established on January 10, 1833. On September 21, 1836, the name of the town was changed to "Georgetown" after the historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Georgetown was designated in 1859 as the county seat of Quitman County and was laid out as a town by order of the Inferior Court. The town was incorporated by an act of the legislature on December 9, 1859.
A brigade of federal cavalry, commanded by General Benjamin Grierson, camped for a time near Georgetown on the banks of the Tobanana Creek at the close of the American Civil War.
Georgetown was destroyed by fire in 1903; every building except for the post office and three houses were destroyed.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km2), of which 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (30.46%) is water.
U.S. Route 82, as well as Georgia State Routes 27 and 39, are the main highways through the city. U.S. 82 runs west–east through the city as Middle Street, leading west 3 mi (4.8 km) to Eufaula, Alabama across the Chattahoochee River and southeast 24 mi (39 km) to Cuthbert. GA-39 runs north–south through the city briefly concurrent with U.S. 82, leading north 22 mi (35 km) to Omaha and south 23 mi (37 km) to Fort Gaines. GA-27 begins in the city and leads northeast 24 mi (39 km) to Lumpkin.
Demographics
In 2000, there were 973 people, 367 households, and 274 families residing in the city. The population density was 355.0 inhabitants per square mile (137.1/km2). By the 2020 census, there were 2,235 people residing in the city, down from 2,513 in 2010.
Education
The Quitman County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. It consists of one elementary-middle school, and one high school that consists of grades ninth through twelfth. The district has 22 full-time teachers and over 314 students.
County students attended Stewart-Quitman High School (now Stewart County High School) from 1978, until Quitman County High opened, in 2009.
Notable residents
- Bryant T. Castellow (1876–1962), born near Georgetown; a politician, educator and lawyer
- The Castellows, country music trio
- Gladys L. Catchings (1901–1992), born in Georgetown; a nurse, hospital administrator and educator
Gallery
References
External links
- Official website of Georgetown -Quitman County
