Central Georgia is an eleven-county region in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. It abuts the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

, just to the north, and is anchored by both the Macon and Warner Robins metropolitan areas.

Geography

According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the region consists of the following counties: Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Jones, Monroe,

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and Agriculture, cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called necta ...

, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, and Wilkinson.

Demographics

In 2010, the estimated total population of central Georgia, including the counties of Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford,

, Jones, Monroe,

, and Twiggs counties, was 445,608 people.Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685 The population has grown by 11% over the last 10 years. The fastest growth was reported in Houston County, which saw a population growth of 26.3% followed by Monroe (21.5%) and Jones (21.3%) counties. The racial make-up of the region as of 2010 was 55.9% non-Hispanic white, 38.7% African American and 1.6% Asian, with about 1.8% identified as mixed or two more races. Houston County had the highest educational attainment for

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

s (14.5%) and graduate or

professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

s (11.2%) for the population over 25 years old in the Central Georgia region in 2011. By the 2020 U.S. census, the counties forming Central Georgia had a total resident population of 509,994. Forming part of the

Bible Belt The Bible Belt is a region of the Southern United States and the Midwestern state of Missouri (which also has significant Southern influence), where evangelical Protestantism exerts a strong social and cultural influence. The region has been de ...

, Central or Middle Georgia is predominantly

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, since the colonial era. According to the

Association of Religion Data Archives The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. One of the primary goals of the archive is to democratize access to academic information on religion by making t ...

in 2020, the majority of the region is

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The largest Christian denominations were the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, National Baptist Convention USA,

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...

, National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. The region's largest non-Christian religions were

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, the Baha'i Faith, Unitarian Universalism, and

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

. The largest Jewish movements in the region were

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, is a Jewish religious movements, Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations ...

and

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...

Economy

The economy in Central Georgia tends to cluster around five areas:

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

, healthcare and hospitals,

kaolin Kaolinite ( ; also called kaolin) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina (). ...

, warehousing and distribution, and heritage and

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

.Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685 Macon is the region's

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

and trade center and the Macon-Bibb county serves as the region's center of employment. The Central Georgia region has been competitive in the United States in terms of economic growth and stability, but within the state of Georgia, the region has not experienced much growth. The region lags behind most other regions in the state in terms of well-being of its residents and overall economic growth. As of 2017, over 46,000 workers from nearby counties commute to the Macon-Bibb county for work. To assist in business growth and development, the Macon Economic Development Commission recruits new businesses and industries to the region. In August 2017, the Canadian based Irving Consumer Products announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in Macon that would create additional jobs. The Central Georgia Business and Technology Park in Thomaston is a 240-acre facility that houses tenants such as Southern Company, Solutions Pest & Lawn, Criterion Technologies, and Chief Manufacturing. Houston County is located 75 miles south of the Atlanta International Airport, and home to Georgia's largest industrial complex at the Warner Robins Air Force Base. Houston county has more than 3,000 acres of land for industrial development and one of the lowest property tax rates in middle Georgia. The county is designated one of Georgia's Entrepreneur Friendly Communities. Houston County has experienced a population growth, from 89,208 in 1990 to a population of 160,000 in 2015.

Major employers

Central Georgia's largest employer is Robins Air Force Base, with more than 22,300 employees as of 2015, followed by Geico with over 5,690 employees and the Medical Center of Central Georgia, with over 4,600 employees. Other employers in the region include the Houston County Board of Education, Bibb County Board of Education, Houston Healthcare,

Perdue Farms Perdue Farms is the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, based in Salisbury, Maryland. Perdue Foods is a major chicken, turkey, and pork processing company in the United States. Perdue AgriBusiness ranks among the top United S ...

, the Macon-Bibb County Government, the Blue Bird Corp, Coliseum Health System, and Frito lay.

Education

Middle Georgia State University Middle Georgia State University is a public university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia, United States. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers programs to students on five campuses in Middle Georgia and online. Middle ...

Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...

Central Georgia Technical College Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and provides education for an eleven-county service area in central Georgia. The school's service area includes Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Dooly, ...

Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a Private university, private, Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's college in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the fi ...

Georgia Military College Georgia Military College (GMC) is a Public college, public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was ori ...

Georgia College Georgia College & State University (Georgia College or GCSU) is a public liberal arts university in Milledgeville, Georgia, United States. The university enrolls approximately 7,000 students and is a member of the University System of Georgi ...

* Fort Valley State University

Culture and attractions

Central Georgia has several cultural attractions that include the Ocmulgee National Monument, Georgia National Fairground, and the Museum of Aviation at the Robins Air Force Base. Macon is home to over 10 museums, 5 tours and 7 annual festivals. Some of the museums include the Tubman African American Museum, the

Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and the Museum of Arts & Sciences. The region has an abundance of nature and wildlife; the High Falls state park is located just north west of Macon. High Falls was a prosperous Industrial town with several stores, including a mill, a cotton gin and a shoe factory until it fell from prosperity.

Notable annual events

The region hosts several events each year, with Macon, the population center hosting over 20 annual events and has been nicknamed the festival capital of Georgia. Macon's popular events include the International Cherry Blossom Festival, the Bragg Jam, the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration. Other popular events include the Georgia Peach Festival which is hosted in Byron and Fort Valley, and the annual miss Georgia Peach pageant hosted in Fort Valley.

Transportation

The region features a regional airport, the Middle Georgia Regional Airport. The region is only hours away from the

port of Savannah The Port of Savannah is a major United States of America, U.S. seaport located at Savannah, Georgia, Savannah, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of 2021, the port was the third busiest seaport in the United States. Its facilities for oceangoing ...

, a major U.S. seaport. Major freeways and highways in the region include, Interstate-75, Interstate-475, Interstate-16, Georgia State Route-80, Georgia State route-23, and Georgia State route-19.

Notable people

*Clarence Reid, a.k.a. Blowfly - musician and songwriter * Ed Roberts - Physician and founder of MITS where he created the

Altair 8800 The Altair 8800 is a microcomputer introduced in 1974 by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) based on the Intel 8080 CPU. It was the first commercially successful personal computer. Interest in the Altair 8800 grew quickly after i ...

microcomputer, starting the

microcomputer revolution The history of the personal computer as a mass-market consumer electronic device began with the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s. A personal computer is one intended for interactive individual use, as opposed to a mainframe computer whe ...

. It featured Microsoft's first software, the

Altair BASIC Altair BASIC is a discontinued interpreter for the BASIC programming language that ran on the MITS Altair 8800 and subsequent S-100 bus computers. It was Microsoft's first product (as Micro-Soft), distributed by MITS under a contract. Altair B ...

and employed

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American businessman, computer programmer, and investor. He co-founded Microsoft, Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the ...

, and

Monte Davidoff Monte Davidoff (; born 1956) is an American computer programmer. Davidoff is from Glendale, Wisconsin. He graduated from Nicolet High School in 1974, and went on to Harvard College, where he majored in applied mathematics, the department at Harv ...

. * Obie Walker - claimant of the World Colored Heavyweight Championship boxing title in the 1930s *

Fish Scales A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scale (zoology), scales, which can also provide effective Underwater camouflage, camouflage through the us ...

— Alternative Southern Rap Artist * Betty Cantrell — Miss America 2016 * Robert Waymouth — Chemistry professor at Stanford University *

Melvyn Douglas Melvyn Douglas (born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg, April 5, 1901 – August 4, 1981) was an American actor. Douglas came to prominence in 1929 as a suave leading man, perhaps best typified by his performance in the romantic comedy '' Ninotchka'' ( ...

— Actor * Carrie Preston — Actress *

Jack McBrayer Jack McBrayer (; born May 27, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his portrayal of characters on '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' and as Kenneth Parcell in ''30 Rock''. For his role in ''30 Rock'', McBraye ...

— Actor *

Jason Aldean Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...

— Country Singer * Sonny Perdue — Former Governor of Georgia * Deborah Roberts — ABC News Correspondent * Joel Godard — Late night show tv announcer * Richard "Little Richard" Penniman - Singer * Casey Hayward — NFL football player * Kareem Jackson --- NFL Football player * Grey Henson --- Actor

References

"History, Mission, Vision, and Philosophy , Central Georgia Technical College". Central Georgia Technical College. Retrieved 2018-02-21. "Middle Georgia State University - History of Macon State College". mga.smartcatalogiq.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21. Peach Shops at Byron Big Peach Antiques Mall (Roadside America) "Georgia Cities by Population". www.georgia-demographics.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16. Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685 "Economy: The Middle Georgia Report". Georgia Trend. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy" (PDF). Peach County Development. 2018. "Home - Macon Economic Development Commission". Macon Economic Development Commission. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Irving Consumer Products announced plans to locate a $400 million manufacturing plant in Macon-Bibb County, creating 200 jobs". Macon Economic Development Commission. Archived from the original on 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Thomaston Industrial Park". Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2018-07-18. "Economic Development - Houston County". Houston County Georgia. Retrieved 2018-07-13. "Middle Georgia's largest employers". macon. Retrieved 2018-07-13. www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Top 5 Famous People From Milledgeville". www.gatewaymacon.org. Retrieved 2018-07-13. www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Top 5 Famous Macon Actors - Top 5's Everything Else - Gateway Macon". www.gatewaymacon.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-13. Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685 "Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy" (PDF). Peach County Development. 2018. "Living in Macon - Why Macon Works - Macon Economic Development Commission". www.maconworks.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Ga state park". "Macon GA Events , Festivals, Concerts & Farmers Markets". www.maconga.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Home - Georgia Peach Festival". www.gapeachfestival.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Things to do in Middle Georgia: The Georgia Peach Festival". Warner Robins Real Estate - Warner Robins GA 31088. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2018-07-19. www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Home - Middle Georgia Regional Airport". iflymacon.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Sea Ports - Georgia Department of Economic Development". Georgia Department of Economic Development. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Map of Georgia Cities - Georgia Road Map". geology.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19. "Living in Central Georgia". www.thethg.com {{coord, 33, 45, N, 84, 20, W, region:US-GA_scale:1200000, display=title Geography of Macon, Georgia Geography of Bibb County, Georgia Geography of Houston County, Georgia