Damascus is a city in Early 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. The population was 254 at the 2010 census.

History

An early variant name was Kestler. An act of

Georgia General Assembly 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 ...

officially changed the name to Damascus in 1914. The present name is a transfer from nearby

Old Damascus The Ancient City of Damascus ( ar, دِمَشْق ٱلْقَدِيمَة, Dimašq al-Qadīmah) is the historic city centre of Damascus, Syria. The old city which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, contains numerous ...

, which was bypassed when the railroad was built through the area. An

EF2 tornado The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia. The Enhanced Fujita scale repla ...

struck the area south of town, causing major damage and injuring five people.

Geography

Damascus is located in eastern Early County at (31.298580, -84.717429).

Georgia State Route 45 State Route 45 (SR 45) is a state highway that runs south-to-north through portions of Seminole, Miller, Early, Calhoun, Terrell, Webster, and Sumter counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route connects Iron ...

passes through the community, leading north to Arlington and south to Colquitt.

Georgia State Route 200 State Route 200 (SR 200) is a state highway that runs west-to-east through portions of Early and Baker counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its western terminus is in Blakely, and its eastern terminus is in Newt ...

also passes through the center of town, leading east to

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

and northwest to Blakely, the Early County seat. 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 ...

, Damascus has a total area of , of which , or 0.48%, is water.

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 277 people, 100 households, and 74 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 115 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 36.10%

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 ...

, 63.54%

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 ...

, and 0.36% from two or more races. There were 100 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% 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, 24.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.16. In the town the population was spread out, with 30.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,333, and the median income for a family was $19,318. Males had a median income of $31,500 versus $19,286 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 town was $12,583. About 31.4% of families and 23.5% 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 20.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 61.9% of those 65 or over.

Education

Public school students are zoned to the

Early County School District The Early County School District is a public school district in Early 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 S ...

which operates three schools in Blakely: Early County Elementary School, Early County Middle School, and Early County High School. Damascus is home to Southwest Georgia Academy, which was founded in 1970 as a

segregation academy Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend desegregated public schools. They were founded between 1954, when the U.S. ...

and participates in the

Georgia Independent School Association The Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) is an association of private, independent, and parochial schools throughout the state of Georgia. It was established in 1967 as the Georgia Association of Independent Schools, at the time a large n ...

. Its property formerly housed

Damascus High School Damascus High School (DHS) is a public high school in Damascus, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Montgomery County Public Schools district. History Damascus High School was built in 1950 and renovated in 1978. Athletics The Damasc ...

.Welcome
" Southwest Georgia Academy. Retrieved on July 31, 2017.

Gallery

File:Early County Fire Damascus District 601.jpg, Early County Fire Damascus District fire station File:Damascus Post Office, Georgia.jpg, Damascus Post Office

Notable people

* Robbie Robinson, bodybuilder, actor, three-time Mr. Universe overall winner *

Shawn Williams (American football) Shawn Williams (born May 13, 1991) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years Williams was born in D ...

, football player, Atlanta Falcons

References

{{authority control Cities in Early County, Georgia Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)