Lyons is a city in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,367 at the 2010 census, up from 4,169 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 Toombs County. Lyons is part of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Lyons was founded ''circa'' 1890 as a depot on the

Central of Georgia Railway The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was cons ...

. The community was named after one Mr. Lyons, a railroad official. It was incorporated on December 9, 1897. In 1905, Lyons was designated seat of the newly formed Toombs County.

Geography

Lyons is located at (32.204287, -82.322732). The city is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 1 and

280 __NOTOC__ Year 280 ( CCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Messalla and Gratus (or, less frequently, year 1033 '' ...

. U.S. 1 runs north-south through the center of town, leading north 12 mi (19 km) to Oak Park just south of its junction with Interstate 16 and south 31 mi (50 km) to Baxley. U.S. 280 runs east-west through the city as West Liberty Avenue, leading southeast 15 mi (24 km) to Reidsville and west 6 mi (10 km) to Vidalia. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes

152 Year 152 ( CLII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Glabrio and Homullus (or, less frequently, year 905 ''Ab urbe condita'' ...

178 Year 178 ( CLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 931 ''Ab urbe cond ...

, and

292 __NOTOC__ Year 292 ( CCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hannibalianus and Asclepiodotus (or, less frequently, year ...

. 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 , of which is land and (0.53%) is water.

Demographics

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 4,239 people, 1,607 households, and 1,013 families residing in the city.

2000 census

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 4,169 people, 1,547 households, and 986 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,787 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 59.25%

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 ...

, 32.38%

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 ...

, 0.36% Native American, 0.17%

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 ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 7.22% from other races, and 0.60% 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 15.06% of the population. There were 1,547 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% 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, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.18. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,202, and the median income for a family was $26,044. Males had a median income of $22,254 versus $16,611 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 $12,364. About 28.6% of families and 37.1% 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 54.8% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Toombs County School District

The Toombs County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 177 full-time teachers and over 2,856 students.School Stats
Retrieved June 28, 2010. The new high school is set to be 4 stories tall and will be completed in April 2012.

Notable people

Jeremy Beasley Jeremy Lonnie Beasley (born November 20, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Toro ...

- MLB Pitcher *Cecile Bledsoe -

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

politician * Mel Blount - NFL player who played with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

* Craig Campbell - country music singer * Don Collins - former professional baseball player * John P. Coursey - Brigadier general and naval aviator in the Marine Corps * Nick Eason - NFL player currently with the

Mads Krügger Matthew Waters (born August 23, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor, who performs under the ring name Mads Krügger. He is known for his time on the independent circuit under the ring names Logan Creed and Krule, during which he ...

- professional wrestler *

Travares Tillman Travares Arastius Tillman (born October 8, 1977) is a former American football safety and current coach. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He is currently ...

- professional football player

References

{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Toombs County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Vidalia, Georgia, micropolitan area