Statesboro

Statesboro is the largest city and county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, located in the southeastern part of the state. It is home to the flagship campus of Georgia Southern University. As of 2018, the Statesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area had an estimated population of 74,722. Statesboro inspired the blues song "Statesboro Blues", written by Blind Willie McTell in the 1920s, and covered in a well-known version by the Allman Brothers Band. In 2017, Statesboro was selected in the top three of the national America's Best Communities competition and was named one of nine Georgia "live, work, play" cities by the Georgia Municipal Association. The city is located at 32°2643N 81°4645W (32.445147, -81.779234) The city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (35.9 km²), of which 13.5 sq miles (35.0 km²) is land and 0.35sq miles (0.9km²), or 2.60%, is water. The City is in the coastal plain region, or Low Country, of Georgia, so it is mainly flat with a few small hills. Pine, oak, magnolia, dogwood, palm, sweetgum, and a variety of other trees can be found in the area. With an elevation of 250 feet (76 m), the downtown area is one of the highest places in Bulloch county.

Economy

The economy of Statesboro is based on education, manufacturing, and agribusiness sectors. Statesboro serves as a regional economic hub and has more than one billion dollars in annual retail sales. Georgia Southern University is the largest employer in the city, with 6,700 regional jobs tied directly and indirectly to the campus. The Development Authority of Bulloch County retains over 100 acres of GRAD (Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development) land at the Gateway Industrial Park. Southern Gateway Park is a newly developed 200-acre tract located at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Interstate 16 in close proximity to the Court of Savannah. GAF, the largest privately owned roofing manufacturer in North America, relocated to Statesboro in the early 21st century. The city is home to multiple manufacturing facilities, including Briggs & Stratton Plant, which is the third-largest employers in the region with 950 employees. The development of Southern Gateway is served by municipal water, sewer and natural gas lines. The City of Savannah is the home of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Savannah College of Art and Design, which was founded in 1883. The Georgia State Museum is located in Statesboro and is the oldest state museum in the United States, dating back to 1875. The State Museum was the first to be built in the state of Georgia, and was opened in 1876. It is located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, near the city's historic downtown area. The state museum is the only one of its kind in the South.

Geography

Statesboro is located at 32°2643N 81°4645W (32.445147, -81.779234). The city is located in southeastern Georgia along U.S. Routes 80, 25, and 301. With an elevation of 250 feet (76 m), the downtown area is one of the highest places in Bulloch County. Pine, oak, magnolia, dogwood, palm, sweetgum, and a variety of other trees can be found in the area. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (35.9 km²) of which 13.5 square miles is land and 0.35 sq mi (0.9km²) is water. The city's population was 2,816 in the 2010 Census. The area is mainly flat with a few small hills, and the city is in the coastal plain region, or Low Country, of Georgia, so it is mostly flat. It is located on the Atlantic seaboard and is located near the Georgia-Florida state line. It has a population of 2,788, according to the U.N. Census Bureau. It was the site of the World War II Battle of the Bulge, which took place in World War I. The town is home to the Georgia National Guard and the Georgia Army National Guard Air and Marine Corps Air Reserve Base, which was founded in 1864. It also hosts the Georgia State Museum, which dates back to 1854.

Climate

Statesboro has a humid subtropical climate, according to the Köppen classification. The city experiences very hot and humid summers with average July highs of about 91 degrees. Winters are mild with average January highs of 58 degrees and lows of 36 degrees. Afternoon thunderstorms associated with the summer heat and humidity can spawn from time to time. Winter storms are rare, but they happen periodically, the most recent being an ice storm in January 2018. On February 12, 2010, approximately two inches of snow fell on the city. The average temperature in January is 58 degrees, and in February it is 36 degrees and in March it is 63 degrees. The temperature in July is 91 degrees, while in August it is about 70 degrees. In December, the average temperature is about 60 degrees, but it can reach as high as 80 degrees in January. In April, the city experiences an average of about 70 degree highs and lows, and the average August high is about 80 degrees and the monthly average low is around 70. It is the third most humid city in the U.S. with an average July high of 91 degrees and an average August low of 70. In January, average July lows are about 70 and average August highs of 91. In August, average temperatures in the city are about 80 and August highs are about 90. In October, average August lows are around 70 and September highs are around 80. In November, average September lows are 70 and October highs of 80.

Demographics

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 28,422 people, 8,560 households, and 3,304 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 53% White, 39.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 1.6% from other races and 3% from two or more races. The city's median income was $19,016, and the median income for a family was $35,391. In the city, the population was spread out, with 14.3% under the age of 18, 48.7% from 18 to 24, 16.6%) and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The per capita income for the city is $12,585. About 20.5% of families and 42.6%. of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 21.4%. of those age 65 or over. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age is 22 years. For every 100 females, there are 88.6 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over, there there are 87.3 males. There are 9,235 housing units at an average density of 737.6 per square mile (284.8/km²). The city has a population of 33,438 people.

Education

Georgia Southern University was founded as a land grant college in 1906. On July 1, 1990, it became the fifth university of the University System of Georgia. The university's Division I athletic teams, the Georgia Southern Eagles, compete in the Sun Belt Conference. Georgia Southern has a museum of cultural and natural history, a botanical garden, and a center for wildlife education located within the campus grounds. Two community colleges are also located in Statesboro, including Ogeechee Technical College (OTC) and East Georgia State College (EGSC), a USG college based in nearby Swainsboro, operates a satellite center within thecampus of Georgia Southern. For the past decade, the university has combined a capital building program with beautification of the nearly 700-acre (2.8 km²) campus. It is located on U.S. Highway 301 South, outside of the city limits and approximately 3 miles (5 km) from the campus ofGeorgia Southern. It was founded in 1906 as the First District Agricultural and Mechanical School, open only to white students. As of 2015, it is a comprehensive residential university of nearly 20,000 students. It offers graduate programs on campus, at satellite centers, and by distance and on-line delivery. It also offers technical and adult education to area students, and is a part of the Technical College system of Georgia, providing technical andadult education to students. The school's mascot is the "Eagle" and the school's colors are blue and white.

History

In 1801, George Sibbald of Augusta donated a 9,301-acre (37.64 km²) tract for a centrally located county seat for the growing agricultural community of Bulloch County. The area was developed by white planters largely for cotton plantations that were worked by black slave labor. In the era from 1880 to 1930, Georgia had the highest rate of lynchings of any state in the nation. In 1908, Statesboro led the world in sales of long-staple Sea Island Cotton, a specialty of the Low Country. After this period, it became racially integrated and with development of graduate programs and research in numerous fields since 1990 it has had university status as Georgia Southern University. In December 1803, the Georgia legislature created the town of Statesborough. The community most likely was named after the notion of states' rights, an issue central in the 1800 United States presidential election. In 1866 the state legislature granted a permanent charter to the city, changing the spelling of its name to the present "Statesboro" During the Civil War and General William T. Sherman's famous March to the Sea through Georgia, a Union officer asked a saloon proprietor for directions to Statesboro. The proprietor replied, "You are standing in the middle of town," indicating its small size. After the Civil war, the small town began to grow, and Statesboro has developed as a major town in southeastern Georgia. In 2008, more than 20 million pounds of tobacco passed through warehouses in Statesboro, then the largest market of the "Bright Tobacco Belt" spanning Georgia and Florida.

Arts and Culture

The culture of Statesboro reflects a blend of both its southern heritage and college town identity. The city has developed a unique culture, common in many college towns, that coexists with the university students in creating an art scene, music scene and intellectual environment. Statesboro is home to numerous restaurants, bars, live music venues, bookstores and coffee shops that cater to its creative college town climate. Downtown Statesboro has been featured in several motion pictures including Now and Then (1995) as well as 1969. Georgia Southern offers a variety of cultural options available both for the university and the wider community. Mill Creek Regional Park is a large outdoor recreational facility with athletic fields and a water park, Splash in the Boro. The Georgia Southern Symphony, the Georgia Southern Planetarium, Georgia Southern Museum, and the Botanical Gardens at Bland Cottage are all available to the public. Georgia Trend magazine has named Statesboro one of eight "Renaissance Cities" by Georgia Trend. The downtown area is currently undergoing a revitalization. It houses the Emma Kelly Theater, named after the local singer, known as the "Lady of 6,000 Songs". The center also contains art studios, conference rooms and an exhibition area. Touring groups appear at the Performing Arts Center, and also featured are shows put on by Georgia Southern students and faculty. The Old Bank of statesboro and Georgia Theater have been adapted with renovation for the David H. Averitt Center for the Arts. The center is located in downtown Statesboro.

Sports

Georgia Southern University Eagles field 17 varsity teams in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and are members of the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. South Georgia Tormenta FC fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club's inaugural season was the 2016 season. Games are played at Eagle Field. There are plans to build a new stadium in the near future. In november 2022 the team won their championship. The team won an unprecedented six national championships during their time at the Football Championship Subdivision level. The Eagles won their sixth national championship in November 2022 when they won the championship against the University of South Carolina-Chapel Hill. They have won their last five national championships at the FBS level, including three in a row from 2008 to 2009. The last of these came in 2010 when they were crowned champions of the FCS Division I-I-AA level. In 2011, they won their fifth national championship. In 2012, they became the first team in FBS history to win back-to-back national championships. In 2013, they were the first FBS team to win three consecutive national titles. In 2014, the team was the first to win four consecutive national championships in a single season. In 2015, the Eagles were the only FBS school to win more than one national title in the same season. They also won the title in 2012 and 2013. In the 2014 season, they also won their second national championship, beating Georgia Tech in the final game of the season.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Statesboro, Bulloch County, Georgia = 85. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 100. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Statesboro = 5.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 33,438 individuals with a median age of 23.2 age the population grows by 21.06% in Statesboro, Bulloch County, Georgia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,229.94 residents per square mile of area (860.97/km²). There are average 2.17 people per household in the 10,643 households with an average household income of $21,282 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.20% of the available work force and has dropped -6.06% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 18.68%. The number of physicians in Statesboro per 100,000 population = 147.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Statesboro = 45.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.3 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 95. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 212. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 38.7 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 28, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Statesboro, Bulloch County, Georgia which are owned by the occupant = 26.49%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 22 years with median home cost = $107,710 and home appreciation of -3.88%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $7.18 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,093 per student. There are 14.9 students for each teacher in the school, 469 students for each Librarian and 439 students for each Counselor. 5.07% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 17.89% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 14.57% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).