McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Its population was 22,084 at the 2010 census, up from 8,493 in 2000. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Henry County. The

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Blacksville, Flippen, Kelleytown, and Ola are located near McDonough, and addresses in those communities have McDonough ZIP Codes.

History

The town was named for naval officer Commodore

Thomas Macdonough Thomas Macdonough, Jr. (December 31, 1783 – November 10, 1825) was an early-19th-century Irish-American naval officer noted for his roles in the first Barbary War and the War of 1812. He was the son of a revolutionary officer, Thomas Macdonou ...

and founded in 1823 around a traditional

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

design. The buildings surrounding the square are intact, although there are some vacancies. The county courthouse and historic jail building are on the north side near the Welcome Center in a historically maintained Standard Oil service station, built in 1920. The station also houses the Main Street Program Office and Hospitality and Tourism Office. One block east of the square, the town's original cotton warehouse has been replaced with the Henry County Judicial Center. In the same area the Henry County Courthouse Annex has an original oil on canvas "Cotton Gin" ( by 11 feet) by artist

Jean Charlot Louis Henri Jean Charlot (February 8, 1898 – March 20, 1979) was a French-born American painter and illustrator, active mainly in Mexico and the United States. Life Charlot was born in Paris. His father, Henri, owned an import-export business ...

. He painted this oil in 1942 for the town post office. His works can be found all over the world in everything from children's books to large murals. The town was a relay station on the New York City to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

stagecoach line and was connected by other stage lines with Fayetteville and Decatur, and with Macon by way of

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

. On June 23, 1900, a washout during a thunderstorm caused a train wreck about north of town on the Camp Creek Bridge. The

runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock marke ...

undermined about of the

Georgia Southern Railroad Georgia Southern Railroad Company was incorporated under act of the Georgia General Assembly on March 2, 1875.ICC, ''Southern Ry. Co.'' valuation report, 1931, p. 213. The line of railroad of the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company in Georgia ...

( Macon division) prior to the accident, and the passenger train subsequently caught fire, killing 39. This was one of the worst train crashes in American history and is known as the Camp Creek train wreck. It was featured on an episode of the paranormal TV series '' Haunted Towns'' in 2017. Several individual buildings and two historic districts in the city are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

, including the downtown McDonough Historic District.

Geography

McDonough is in central Henry County, southeast of downtown

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. U.S. Route 23 passes through the center of the city, leading northwest to Stockbridge and south to Locust Grove.

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

passes through the southwestern arm of the city, with access from Exits 216, 218, and 221. I-75 leads northwest to Atlanta and southeast to Macon. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.50%, are water.

Transportation

* Xpress GA provides local bus service. McDonough is served by the following highways: *

* U.S. Highway 23 *

Georgia State Route 20 State Route 20 (SR 20) is a state highway roughly in the shape of a capital J rotated ninety degrees to the left, which travels through portions of Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Walton, Rockdale, Newton, and H ...

Georgia State Route 42 State Route 42 (SR 42) is a state highway that runs southeast-to-northwest through portions of Peach, Crawford, Monroe, Butts, Henry, Clayton, and DeKalb counties in the central and north-central parts of the U.S. state of Georgia. The ...

Georgia State Route 81 State Route 81 (SR 81) is a diagonal state highway that travels southwest-to-northeast in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its path exists within portions of Henry, Newton, Walton, and Barrow counties. It connec ...

Georgia State Route 155 State Route 155 (SR 155) is a state highway that travels south-to-north through portions of Spalding, Henry, Rockdale, and DeKalb counties in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Route description Spalding County ...

* Georgia State Route 351 *

Georgia State Route 401 __NOTOC__ Year 401 ( CDI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vincentius and Fravitus (or, less frequently, year 1154 ' ...

* Georgia State Route 920 (unsigned designation for Jonesboro Rd) Until the mid-1960s the Southern Railway operated the

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

to Miami '' Ponce de Leon, '' which made stops in McDonough.

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 8,493 people, 3,069 households and 2,102 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,234 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.4% white, 34.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 1.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population. There were 3,069 households, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14. 26.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...

was $40,482 and the median family income was $46,818. Males had a median income of $34,669 versus $28,318 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,029. About 9.6% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over. Although it is considered to be located in Stockbridge many of the Eagle's Landing Country Club's homes are within McDonough's 30253 zip code.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, there were 22,084 people, 8,053 households, and 5,404 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 9,063 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 34.8% white, 58.2% black or African American, 1.8% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.2% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.1% of the population. Of the 8,053 households, 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 23.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.9% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age was 33.1 years.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 29,051 people, 8,543 households, and 5,778 families residing in the city.

Media

WKKP is the local radio media outlet. It broadcasts 24 hours a day on 100.9 FM and 1410 AM, and has a classic country format. It also broadcasts AP network news at the top of each hour, during the week. The Henry Herald and the Henry County Times are the local county news print media.

Economy

Snapper Inc. manufacturing residential and professional lawn care and snow removal equipment, was based in McDonough. The company began in 1894 as Southern Saw Works, and claims to have invented the first self-propelled rotary lawn mower. The company was sold to Briggs and Stratton, which operated the plant until its closure in 2015.

Goya Foods Goya Foods, Inc. is an American producer of a brand of foods sold in the United States and many Spanish-speaking countries. It has facilities in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Spain. It is under third-generation ownersh ...

has its Atlanta offices in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

near McDonough.

Events

The city hosts a Geranium Festival each springtime on the third Saturday in May, celebrating the locally grown flowers and community. The one-day festival serves as a showcase of local artistry and talent through the open-air craft markets and live musical performances. The festival is sponsored by the McDonough Lions Club, and held on the McDonough Square. 2009 marks the 32nd anniversary of the festival.

Sports

The city's semi-professional soccer team Georgia Revolution FC plays in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...

at the Warhawk Stadium.

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

developmental territory

Deep South Wrestling Deep South Wrestling (DSW) is a professional wrestling promotion in the state of Georgia. Deep South worked in tandem with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as a developmental territory from September 1, 2005, until April 18, 2007. Deep Sout ...

was based in McDonough.

Film

* The film '' A Madea Christmas'' by Tyler Perry was filmed in the town square and all around McDonough. * The television show, ''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

'' was filmed in the town square and all around McDonough and was aired March 2014. * Scenes for the 1989 Oscar-winning

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

epic, '' Glory'' were filmed in the town. * A pilot episode for the WB show '' Roswell'' was filmed on the city square at the old Phillips 66 service station. * A scene from the movie '' We Are Marshall'' was filmed on Hwy. 155 near Miller's Mill. * "The McDonough Road" is mentioned by Rhett Butler in the 1939 classic, ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind may also refer to: Music * ''Gone with the Wind'' ...

''. * The 1977 film ''

Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows ...

'' was filmed primarily in Georgia in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro and Lithonia.

Education

Henry County School District

The

Henry County School District Henry County Schools is a public school district in Henry County, Georgia, United States, based in McDonough. It serves the communities of Blacksville, Flippen, Hampton, Kelleytown, Locust Grove, McDonough, Ola, and Stockbridge. Schools ...

holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. The district has twenty eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, and ten high schools. The district has 1,543 full-time teachers and over 40,000 students.

Henry County Public Schools

Elementary schools

*Cotton Indian Elementary School *Dutchtown Elementary School *East Lake Elementary School *Flippen Elementary School *Hickory Flat Elementary School *McDonough Elementary School *New Hope Elementary School *Oakland Elementary School *Ola Elementary School *Pleasant Grove Elementary School *Rock Spring Elementary School *Timber Ridge Elementary School *Tussahaw Elementary School *Unity Grove Elementary School *Walnut Creek Elementary School *Wesley Lakes Elementary School

Middle schools

*Eagle's Landing Middle School *Henry County Middle School *Ola Middle School *Woodland Middle School *Union Grove Middle School

High schools

*Academy for Advanced Studies * Dutchtown High School * Eagle's Landing High School *Henry County Evening Academy * Henry County High School * Ola High School * Union Grove High School * Stockbridge High School * Woodland High School * Hampton High School * Locust Grove High School *Luella High School

Private schools

* Eagle's Landing Christian Academy * Community Christian School * Strong Rock Christian School *New Creation Christian Academy * Creekside Christian Academy *Living Word Christian *McDonough Christian Academy *Sunbrook Academy at Luella *The Sharon School *Peoples Baptist Academy

Online schools

* Impact academy

Higher education

Gordon State College Gordon State College is a public college in Barnesville, Georgia. A member of the University System of Georgia, Gordon State's spring 2021 enrollment was 2,890 students. The college campus incorporates , which includes academic buildings, resid ...

has a satellite center in McDonough and has been a partner with the Academy for Advanced Studies since 2009. Gordon State at McDonough offers day and evening classes and has a weekend college program dedicated to Human Services baccalaureate degree. *

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 s ...

has a Regional Academic Center in McDonough. The center, opened in 2003, offers Teacher Education programs through the university's Tift College of Education as well as programs in Criminal Justice and General Studies in the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. Additionally, Atlanta Bible College is located in McDonough.

Notable people

* Jordan Akins, Current NFL Tight End for the Houston Texans who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft; was born, and presumably raised in McDonough, Georgia *

Darrell Armstrong Darrell Eugene Armstrong (born June 22, 1968) is a former American professional basketball player, who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association. He is currently an assistant coach for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, who won the cha ...

, former NBA player; lives in McDonough * Erasmus W. Beck, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1833 * Travis Bergen,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher; born in McDonough in 1993 * Herman Cain, businessman and candidate for 2012 Republican presidential nomination; lived in McDonough *

Daz Cameron Dazmon Jaroid Cameron (born January 15, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He attended Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia, and was selected by the Houston Astros in ...

, top baseball outfield prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization *

Casting Crowns Casting Crowns is a contemporary Christian and Christian rock band started in 1999 by youth pastor Mark Hall, who serves as the band's lead vocalist, as part of a youth group at First Baptist Church in Downtown Daytona Beach, Florida. They later ...

, contemporary Christian band including frontman Mark Hall; their ministry is based at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough *

Jason Heyward Jason Alias Heyward (born August 9, 1989), nicknamed "J-Hey" is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals ...

, former

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

All-Star outfielder and first-round selection in the

2007 Major League Baseball Draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the fir ...

; starting outfielder for

2016 World Series The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...

champion Chicago Cubs; attended high school in McDonough * James T. Holtzclaw, Confederate general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

; born in McDonough in 1833 * John Lunsford, politician and businessman * Tre McBride, former NFL & XFL wide receiver; born in McDonough * Matt Murton,

Hanshin Tigers The Hanshin Tigers (Japanese: 阪神タイガース ''Hanshin Taigāsu'') are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and is owned by Hanshin Electric Railwa ...

outfielder 2010–15; former MLB player with the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and Colorado Rockies; went to high school in McDonough * Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Hall Of Fame center; lives in McDonough *

J. R. Pinnock Danilo Agustin "J.R." Pinnock (born December 11, 1983) is an American-Panamanian professional basketball player. His parents are natives of Panama. Born in Fort Hood, Texas, Pinnock attended Coastal Christian Academy in Virginia Beach, Virgi ...

George Washington Colonials The George Washington Colonials are the athletic teams of George Washington University of Washington, D.C. The Colonials compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference for m ...

guard; went to high school in McDonough * Renford Reese, professor, authorhttp://www.answers.com/Renford+Reese * Andrew Sloan, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1845 * Dalvin Tomlinson, defensive end for the New York Giants; born in McDonough in 1994 * D. J. White, football cornerback for Indianapolis Colts *

James W. Wise James Walter Wise (March 3, 1868 – September 8, 1925) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Born near McDonough, Georgia, McDonough, Henry County, Georgia, Wise attended the com ...

, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1868 *

Austin Theory Austin White (born August 2, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Austin Theory and is the current WWE United States Champion in his ...

, wrestler, was born in McDonough, Georgia in 1997 *

Collective Soul Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of lead vocalist Ed Roland, rhythm guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin, drummer Johnny Rabb, and lead guitarist J ...

, Band members used to live in McDonough in the early 2000s. * McKenna Hellam, fashion model who grew up on a farm in McDonough

References

External links

City of McDonough official website''Henry Herald''Henry County School System

''Henry Neighbor''
newspaper
''Henry County Times''

Henry County Chamber of CommerceGeranium FestivalTaste of HenryCommunity Gardens of Henry CountyShingleroof Campground
historical marker {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcdonough, Georgia Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Henry County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)