Comer is a city in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

and Oglethorpe County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States. It had a population of 1,126 as of the 2010 census. Comer is the largest city in Madison County based on population and total land area. The city is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

, which is included in the

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 ...

- Athens-Clarke County-

Sandy Springs Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

, Georgia

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

. Comer's motto is "Make Our Town Your Town".

History

The present City of Comer was

incorporate Incorporation may refer to: * Incorporation (business), the creation of a corporation * Incorporation of a place, creation of municipal corporation such as a city or county * Incorporation (academic), awarding a degree based on the student having ...

d by an Act of the

Georgia Legislature The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly e ...

on January 1, 1893. The community was named after A. J. Comer, a pioneer citizen.

Geography

Comer is located at . The city is concentrated around the intersection of Georgia State Routes 72, 98, and 22, about east of

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. Comer is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

basin.

Watson Mill Bridge State Park Watson Mill Bridge State Park is a Georgia state park located near Comer and Carlton on the South Fork of the Broad River. The park is named for the Watson Mill Bridge the longest original-site covered bridge in Georgia, which spans across t ...

lies just to the southeast. 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 the ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Neighborhoods

* Downtown * Jubilee * Clairmont * Brickyard * Royal Oaks * Shannons Place * Village Station * Arnold Park * Spring Stone * Hill Street * Madison Street * Clover Ave * College Ave * Laurel Ave * Hawks View

Major highways

State Route 22 * Georgia 72

State Route 72 Business * Georgia 72

State Route 72 Bypass * Georgia 72

State Route 72 Spur * Georgia 98

State Route 98

Education

Children in the City of Comer are zoned to attend the following schools for the Comer School Zone, Madison County School District. * Comer Elementary School (CES), Home of the Comer Comets * Madison County Middle School (MCMS), Home of the Mustangs * Madison County High School (MCHS), Home of the Red Raiders * Broad River College and Career Academy The Gholston Fund is an education-directed trust set up by J. Knox Gholston before his death to continue his legacy of funding local

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

projects in Comer.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,052 people, 391 households, and 251 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 424 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.95%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 20.25%

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 ...

, 0.19% Native American, 0.48%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.38% 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 0.76% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.05% of the population. There were 391 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.04. Main street Comer GA

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,059, and the median income for a family was $40,750. Males had a median income of $33,333 versus $22,969 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,742. About 12.4% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Comer is divided into four city

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

s, each represented by a single elected city council member, elected at-large city mayor, as well as an elected

county commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

er who serves one of five

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Elected officials

*Mayor: Jimmy Yarbrough *City Council Members **District 1 Sherman Mattox **District 2 Ron Farren **District 3 Laura Minish **District 4 Michael Wilder *State Senate District 47 Frank Ginn *State House District 33 Rob Leverett *US Congress District 9 Andrew Clyde

Appointed officials

* City Clerk / Court Clerk: Mary Anderson * Assist. City Clerk / Assist. Court Clerk: Donna Hawks * Utilities Superintendent: Scott Porter * Chief of Police: Cherilyn Bell * Fire Chief: Lee Bales * City Attorney: David Syfan, of Hulsey, Olivar, & Mahar * Municipal Court Judge: Robert Sneed * City Engineer: Tom Sloope, P.E., Carter and Sloope, Inc.

Public safety

*The City of Comer is served by the Comer Police Department. The department is led by Police Chief Cherilyn Bell and has 2 employees. *The City of Comer is served by the Comer Volunteer Fire Department. The department is led by Fire Chief Johnny Bridges. *The City of Comer is served by the Madison County Emergency Medical Service for EMS basic and advance life support services. The department is led by Director Bobby Smith, who is also the Madison County EMA director. *The City of Comer is served by the Madison County Rescue Service for basic crash rescue and advanced technical rescue services. The department is led by Rescue Chief Mark Perry.

Public housing

The City of Comer has two separate sets of

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

public housing units. Managed and run by the Athens

Housing Authority A housing authority or ministry of housing is generally a governmental body that governs aspects of housing or (called in general " shelter" or "living spaces"), often providing low rent or free apartments to qualified residents. The existence o ...

. Athens Housing Authority -

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

(Spring Circle) Athens Housing Authority -

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

(Ivy Street) Each housing unit has approximately 15 apartment units.

Public utilities and maintenance

* City of Comer Water and Sewer Department - Utilities Superintendent: Scott Porter * City of Comer Streets and Sanitation Department - Utilities Superintendent: Scott Porter Electric service in Comer is provided by

Georgia Power Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolida ...

, a

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...

Southern Company Southern Company is an American gas and electric utility holding company based in the southern United States. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with executive offices also located in Birmingham, Alabama. The company is the second largest ...

, and one customer-owned electric

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

, Jackson EMC. Water utility and sewer service is provided by the City of Comer Water and Sewer Department.

Garbage collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable m ...

is provided by AAA Sanitation.

Natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

is supplied by

Atlanta Gas Light Atlanta Gas Light Company (AGLC), commonly still known as Atlanta Gas Light (AGL), is the largest natural gas wholesaler in the Southeast U.S., and is the leading subsidiary of parent company AGL Resources. It was founded in 1856 and is headqua ...

through various marketers within the

deregulated Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...

market. Telephone and hardline internet service is provided by either

Windstream Windstream Holdings, Inc., also doing business as Windstream Communications or Windstream, is a provider of voice and data network communications (broadband, VoIP, MPLS), and managed services ( virtual servers, managed firewall, data storage, clou ...

Charter Communications Charter Communications, Inc., is an American telecommunications and mass media company with services branded as Spectrum. With over 32 million customers in 41 states, it is the second-largest cable operator in the United States by subscribers, ...

depending on where you live in the city.

Healthcare

Comer Health and Rehabilitation Center is a 24/7 short or long term personal care facility that offers

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

, in-house wound care and restorative care. Comer Health and Rehabilitation is a subsidiary of Ethica Health and Retirement Services.

Jubilee Partners

A sister program to

Habitat for Humanity Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and nonprofit organization which was founded in 1976 by couple Millard and Linda Fuller. Habitat for Humanity is a Ch ...

, Jubilee Partners is a 258-acre Christian service community located on Jubilee Road in Comer. Founded in 1979 by a small group of people from

Koinonia Farm Koinonia Farm is a Christian farming intentional community in Sumter County, Georgia. History The farm was founded in 1942 by two couples, Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England, as a "demonstration plot for the Kingdom of Go ...

s in

Americus, Georgia Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley an ...

, who wanted to establish a community in

Northeast Georgia Northeast Georgia is a region of Georgia in the United States. The northern part is also in the north Georgia mountains, while the southern part (east of metro Atlanta) is still hilly but much flatter in topography. Northeast Georgia is also ser ...

that would function similar to the Americus community.Jubilee Partners official site
Retrieved: 2 May 2020.

References

External links

City of Comer Georgia Website
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Comer
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Madison County, Georgia Athens – Clarke County metropolitan area