Dublin is a city in Laurens 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. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,074. It 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 Laurens County.

History

The original settlement was named after

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Dublin, according to a historical marker at the town's main

Oconee River The Oconee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map Accessed April 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it joins ...

bridge, was one of the last encampments at which Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family stayed before being captured by

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

forces in May 1865. In the Dublin riot of July 1919 there were a series of violent racial riots between white and black members of the community. These were part of a larger series of racial violence during the 1919 Red Summer. On April 17, 1944,

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

gave his first public speech, "The Negro and the Constitution" at First African Baptist Church in Dublin.

Geography

Dublin is located in north-central Laurens County. The town, named such because the Middle Georgia

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

reminded Irish settlers of terrain in their native country, was founded on the Oconee River, which starts in the foothills of the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the world, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsy ...

in northern Georgia before combining with the

Ocmulgee River The Ocmulgee River () is a western tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi (410 km) long, in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the westernmost major tributary of the Altamaha.

to form the Altamaha, a river which then proceeds to its mouth on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The Oconee forms the eastern boundary of Dublin, separating it from the city of East Dublin. 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.59%, are water.

Location

The city is located in the central part of the state along

Interstate 16 Interstate 16 (I-16), also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway, is an east–west Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Georgia. It carries the hidden designation of State Route 404 (SR 404) for its ...

. Access to the city can be found from exits 49, 51, 54, and 58. Via I-16, Savannah is east, and Macon is northwest. US routes 80, 319, and

441 __NOTOC__ Year 441 ( CDXLI) 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 Seleucus without colleague (or, less frequently, year ...

also run through the city. US 441 connects the city to Milledgeville, northwest, and McRae–Helena, south. Numerous state and local highways also run through the city.

Historic districts

Dublin has two historic districts designated by the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

: the Dublin Commercial Historic District and the Stubbs Park–Stonewall Street Historic District. The Dublin Commercial Historic District consists of the original downtown commercial core, including the earliest extant building in the district: the Hicks Building, dating to 1893. The historic district contains 78 contributing properties, including the Dublin Carnegie Library First National Bank Building, and the former United States Post Office building. Structures within the district represent a wide range of architectural styles, including

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

, Neoclassical,

Commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

, and

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

. The Stubbs Park-Stonewall Street Historic District is located west of Dublin's central business district. The district contains 470 contributing properties, most of which are residential homes constructed between the late 1910s to the early 1940s. The predominant architectural styles of the area consist of Craftsman, Gothic Revival,

Folk Victorian Folk Victorian is an architectural style employed for some homes in the United States and Europe between 1870 and 1910, though isolated examples continued to be built well into the 1930s. Folk Victorian homes are relatively plain in their construc ...

, and Georgian Cottage. In addition to historic residences, the district contains properties including historic churches, historic cemeteries, and Dublin's first public park, Stubbs Park.

Climate

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 16,074 people, 5,520 households, and 3,336 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 in ...

of 2000, there were 15,857 people, 6,130 households, and 4,027 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,977 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.42%

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 ...

, 45.54%

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 o ...

, 0.20% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.29% 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, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 1.14% of the population. There were 6,130 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,532, and the median income for a family was $36,463. Males had a median income of $30,830 versus $21,553 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 $16,560. About 22.5% of families and 27.5% 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 41.1% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Dublin Micropolitan Statistical Area

Dublin is the principal city of the Dublin Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

and Laurens counties and had a combined population of 53,434 at the 2000 census.

Government

Dublin's city government is made up of a mayor and a city council composed of seven council members. Four of the council members represent wards, or districts, within the city boundaries; the remaining three members are considered council members at large, representing the entire city as legislative members. Dublin was chosen as a City of Excellence by the Georgia Municipal Association and ''Georgia Trend'' magazine in 2000. This distinction recognized Dublin as one of the ten best managed and most livable cities in Georgia when evaluated on areas like public safety, cultural activities, fiscal management, and downtown viability. In 2005, Dublin was designated as a "Signature Community" by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Dublin was also recognized by the American Association of Retirement Communities (AARC) as a Seal of Approval Community in 2009. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Dublin Post Office and the Court Square Station in Dublin. The Carl Vinson Veterans Administration Medical Center is located in Dublin. It was originally commissioned as Naval Hospital Dublin on January 22, 1945, as an ideal location for convalescence from rheumatic fever. As such it was the site of the commissioning of Naval Medical Research Unit Four on May 31, 1946, to study the disease. The Navy transferred the hospital to the Veterans Affairs Department in November 1947, and it was subsequently named for congressman

Carl Vinson Carl Vinson (November 18, 1883 – June 1, 1981) was an American politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for over 50 years and was influential in the 20th century expansion of the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the Democratic ...

who was responsible for getting it built in Dublin. Today, the medical center provides a range of services to veterans in Middle and South Georgia, including primary care, mental health, ambulatory and urgent care, optometry, women's health, and extended care. The medical center features a 340 operating-bed facility and has approximately 1,100 employees. Dublin's Laurens County Library is known for its

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

department, with archives and records going back two hundred years.

Arts and culture

Theatre Dublin

Theatre Dublin, originally known as the Martin Theater, was constructed in 1934 in Dublin's Historic Downtown Commercial District. The theatre features

architectural design, with flat symmetrical wall surfacing and horizontal bands, in addition to an overhanging marquee and neon sign. Since its renovation in 1996, Theatre Dublin has served as a performing arts center for Dublin-Laurens County and surrounding areas. The theatre houses a regular variety of events and performances, including musical artists, plays and performances, orchestras, concerts, and showings of both classical and contemporary films.

Dublin Carnegie Library

The Dublin Carnegie Library was built in 1904 by a grant from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. It is located in Dublin's Historic Downtown Commercial District, and the Dublin Carnegie is one of only three surviving Carnegie Libraries in the state of Georgia listed on the

and still in its original form. The Dublin Carnegie served as public library for the region until the 1960s, at which point the city and county constructed a larger public library. In the late 1970s, the Dublin Carnegie Library was structurally stabilized and maintained by the Dublin-Laurens Historical Society. For more than 35 years, the building served as the home of the Dublin-Laurens Museum. In 2014, the Dublin-Laurens Museum moved to a new location, leaving the Dublin Carnegie Library unoccupied. The Dublin Downtown Development Authority then renovated the building to its historic stature, restoring many of the building's original features. Since the renovation by the DDA in 2014, the Dublin Carnegie has served as an event space and fine arts gallery, featuring local and statewide art displays.

Education

Public schools

The Dublin City School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and an alternative school. The district has approximately 2,400 students as of 2016. *Hillcrest Elementary School *Susie Dasher Elementary School *Dublin Middle School * Dublin High School *Moore Street School (Alternative) The

Laurens County School District The Laurens County School District is a public school district in Laurens County, Georgia, United States, based in Dublin. It serves communities outside of Dublin: Cadwell, Dexter, Dudley, East Dublin, Lovett, Montrose, and Rentz, as well a ...

holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and serves areas outside of the Dublin city limits.

Private schools

*Trinity Christian School

Higher education

Georgia Military College Georgia Military College (GMC) is a 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 originally known as M ...

- Dublin Campus * Oconee Fall Line Technical College - South Campus *

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

- Dublin Campus

Notable events

Festivals

Dublin is known for its St Patrick's festival which takes place annually during March.

Sister city

* Osaki, Miyagi, Japan

Pageants

Dublin is home to several scholarship pageants, which are largely popular in the southern United States: * The Miss Saint Patrick's Scholarship pageant, sponsored by the Pilot Club, is held every year in March in conjunction with the

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

celebration. * Dublin and Laurens County's

America's Junior Miss Distinguished Young Women, formerly known as America's Junior Miss, is a national non-profit organization that provides scholarship opportunities to high school senior girls. Depending on the schedule of the various state and local programs, you ...

Pageant is a scholarship competition held yearly for high school juniors. The winners of both the Dublin and Laurens County pageants advance to the state pageant. Its new name is Distinguished Young Women. * The Miss and Outstanding Teen Irish Capital Scholarship Pageant is an official Miss Georgia and Miss America preliminary pageant and is held in the fall. The Miss Irish Capital Pageant is currently on hiatus and will hopefully return soon. Former Miss Irish Capital winners are: Donna Sellers, Carly Floyd, Amanda Rampley and Brittney Griffith. Former Miss Irish Capital Outstanding Teen winners are: Katie Lassiter, Jordan Mason and Katherine Phipps. Tom Lively started the pageant and was the executive director for the first three years until moving to the Atlanta, Georgia, area and was the executive director of the Miss Southern Empire Pageant for two years. Kenn Nix was the last executive director for the Miss Irish Capital Pageant. They hope to return soon.

In literature

Dublin, the Oconee River, and Laurens County are mentioned in the opening page of James Joyce's ''

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction which combines a bod ...

'': "nor had topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselves to Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time." (Joyce explained in a letter: "Dublin, Laurens Co, Georgia, founded by a Dubliner, Peter Sawyer, on r. Oconee. Its motto: Doubling all the time.")

Notable people

* Jamel Ashley, retired track athlete who competed in the sprint events * Jermaine Hall, basketball player for

Maccabi Ashdod Maccabi Ashdod B.C. ( he, מכבי אשדוד) is a professional basketball team based in the port city of Ashdod, Israel. The team currently plays in the Israeli National League. History The team was founded in 1961 by "Maccabi Ashdod Sport ...

of the Israeli Basketball Premier League * Anthony Kewoa Johnson, retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the light heavyweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

* Matt Hatchett - Businessman and politician. He is a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

from the 150th District. *

Marcos Knight Marcos Shyderrick Knight (born September 24, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for BC UNICS of the VTB United League. College career After attending West Laurens High School in Dublin, Georgia, Knight spent one year each at j ...

, professional basketball player * J. Roy Rowland, congressman from 1983 to 1995 and a resident of Dublin * Demaryius Thomas, football player in the NFL for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

* Quincy Trouppe, baseball player in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

Erik Walden Erik Lashawn Walden (born August 21, 1985) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Middle Tennessee State and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played for the Ka ...

, National Football League player * Darrell Williams Jr., football player in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers *Ron Rogers, retired Football Player at Georgia Tech and in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens *

Leh Keen Lehman McGrath Keen III (born July 22, 1983) is an American racecar driver born in Dublin, Georgia, who competes in the United SportsCar Championship. He most recently drove the No. 22 Alex Job Racing WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America in the ...

, racing driver

References

External links

*
Official websiteDublin-Laurens County Chamber of CommerceDublin Carnegie LibraryDublin Downtown Development AuthorityCarl Vinson Veterans Administration Medical CenterTheatre DublinDublin St. Patricks Festival
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Laurens County, Georgia Dublin, Georgia micropolitan area County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)