Covington, Georgia

Covington, Georgia
City
Motto(s):  = Built in 1884, the historic Newton County Courthouse located in Covington, Georgia
Location in Newton County and the state of Georgia
Covington Location of Covington in Metro Atlanta
Coordinates: 33°36′N 83°52′W / 33.600°N 83.867°W / 33.600; -83.867Coordinates: 33°36′N 83°52′W / 33.600°N 83.867°W / 33.600; -83.867
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Newton
Government
• Mayor	Steve Horton
Area [1]
• Total	15.97 sq mi (41.36 km2)
• Land	15.73 sq mi (40.73 km2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.63 km2)
Elevation	741 ft (226 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	13,118
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	14,206
• Density	903.23/sq mi (348.75/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	30014-30016
Area code(s)	470/678/770
FIPS code	13-20064[2]
GNIS feature ID	0355354[3]
Website	The City of Covington official site

Covington Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Show map of Georgia (U.S. state)Show map of the United StatesShow all
Location	Roughly Covington City S of US 278, Covington, Georgia
Coordinates	33°35′41″N 83°51′12″W / 33.59472°N 83.85333°W / 33.59472; -83.85333
Built	1821
Architect	Bruce and Morgan; Golucke, J.W., and Company, et al.
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Second Empire, Italianate
NRHP reference No.	98000969[5]
Added to NRHP	August 6, 1998

Covington is a city in Newton County, Georgia,^[6] located 26 miles east of Atlanta. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 13,118.

History[]

Covington was founded by European immigrants to the United States. It was incorporated in 1821 as the seat of the newly organized Newton County.^[7] Covington was named for United States Army Brigadier General and United States Congressman Leonard Covington,^[8] a hero of the War of 1812. The settlement grew with the advent of the railroad in 1845. Covington incorporated as a city in 1854.^[9]

In 1864, General Sherman's troops marched through during their March to the Sea. Although they looted the city, destroying numerous buildings, several antebellum homes were spared.

Historic districts[]

The Covington Historic District and the North Covington Historic District within the city are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The maps and materials describing these two districts are available for review through City Hall. The Covington Historic District contains Floyd Street and the downtown square. The North Covington Historic District contains North Emory Street and Odum Street as its hub. Both districts have an ordinance to preserve their character, regulating changes proposed for properties, and special permits may be required.

The Covington Mill Village is also a vital part of local history. The Starrsville Historic District, site of the historic settlement of Starrsville, is in the exurban area around Covington. The Newton County Courthouse, brick store, and Salem campground are separately NRHP-listed.^[5]

Geography[]

Covington is located in north central Georgia, in the eastern part of Metro Atlanta. Interstate 20 runs to the north of the city, with access from exits 90, 92, and 93. Via I-20, downtown Atlanta is 35 mi (56 km) west, and Augusta is 112 mi (180 km) east. U.S. Route 278 also runs through the city, leading east 16 mi (26 km) to Rutledge and northwest 11 mi (18 km) to Conyers, concurrent with I-20. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes 36, 81, and 142.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36 km²), of which 13.8 square miles (36 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.72%) is water.

Climate[]

Demographics[]

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 11,547 people, 4,261 households, and 2,906 families residing in the city. The population density was 839.2 people per square mile (324.0/km²). There were 4,542 housing units at an average density of 330.1 per square mile (127.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 51.55% White, 45.54% Black, 0.18% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.87% of the population.

There were 4,261 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 23.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,997, and the median income for a family was $36,408. Males had a median income of $29,622 versus $23,339 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,554. About 14.8% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education[]

Newton County School District[]

The Newton County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of fourteen elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools, an elementary theme school, and a charter school. The district has 853 full-time teachers and 13,681 students.^[12]

Private education[]

• Grace Christian Academy
• Montessori School of Covington
• Providence Classical Christian School
• Peachtree Academy
• Covington Academy
• Point of Grace Christian School
• First Baptist Academy

Higher education[]

• Georgia Piedmont Technical College - Covington Campus^[13]
• Georgia Perimeter College - Newton County Campus^[14]
• Emory University - Oxford Campus^[15]

Tourism events[]

• Gaither's Plantation hosts a Fall Festival every year.
• The Satsuki Garden Club conducts tours of historic houses in Covington every other Christmas.
• The Vampire Diaries, Mystic Falls Tours^[16]

In film and television[]

This list is incomplete; you can help by . (February 2011)

Covington has been featured in numerous TV shows and movies since the 1950s.^[17]

• The American Barbecue Showdown (2020, TV series)

Notable people[]

• George Adams, jazz tenor saxophonist
• George T. Anderson - Confederate General during the Civil War
• Leon Ashley - singer
• Jay Bailey - manufacturing expert
• Boondox (David Hutto) - rapper on Majik Ninja Entertainment
• Dale Carter - professional football player
• Ellia English - actress best known for her role as Aunt Helen on the Jamie Foxx Show
• Akeem Hunt- running back for the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL
• Andy Offutt Irwin award-winning storyteller and recording artist
• Ryan Klesko - former Major League Baseball player
• Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (II) - politician, Secretary of the Interior for Grover Cleveland - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
• Demetrius McCray - football player, cornerback
• Dinah Watts Pace - educator, operated an orphanage in the area
• Sheldon Rankins- defensive tackle for the New York Jets of the NFL
• Jake Reed - former professional football player
• Steadman Vincent Sanford - Chancellor of the University System of Georgia
• Eric Stokes - American football cornerback
• Ben Morgan - Prolific Marine Salvager

See also[]

• Main Street Bank, former local bank

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Covington, Georgia.

Wikisource has the text of a 1905 New International Encyclopedia article about "Covington, Georgia".

• Covington Newton County Life and Living
• The City of Covington official site
• Downtown Covington
• The Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce
• The Center for Community Preservation and Planning
• The Newton Citizen
• The Arts Association in Newton County
• The Covington Municipal Airport Authority