Grovetown is a city in

Columbia County, Georgia Columbia County is a county located in the east central portion of the US state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,035. The legal county seat is Appling, but the ''de facto'' seat of county government is Evans.

, United States. It is part of the

Augusta metropolitan area The Augusta metropolitan area is a metropolitan area in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina centered on the principal city of Augusta. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Census Bureau and other agencies define Augusta's Metr ...

and the

Central Savannah River Area The Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) is a trading and marketing region in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina, spanning fourteen counties in Georgia and seven in South Carolina. The term was coined in 1950 by C.C. McCollum, the winn ...

. The 2019 population estimate was 15,152. The mayor is Gary Jones.

History

From the building of the

Georgia Railroad 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 ...

, which travels through the city until at least the 1860s, the community was known as "Belair". The city was chartered by 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 ...

and officially incorporated on January 1, 1881. The name of the small village purportedly came from the old Grove Baptist Church that was founded in 1808. A poet famous in the post-Civil War era,

Paul Hamilton Hayne Paul Hamilton Hayne (January 1, 1830 – July 6, 1886) was a nineteenth-century Southern American poet, critic, and editor. Biography Paul Hamilton Hayne was born in Charleston, South Carolina on January 1, 1830. After losing his father as a yo ...

, moved to Copse Hill in the Parham Road area in the 1860s. He solicited 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 ...

to establish the Grovetown post office. The first U.S. mail service was inaugurated on September 28, 1877, with Charles Clifford as

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. Mr. Clifford was also the

train depot A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing su ...

agent and the owner of the corner store. The first railroad depot was a small structure built in 1878–79. The last depot was an ornate structure built in 1891 at a cost of $5,041.74. It served the citizens of Grovetown until 1970, when passenger trains no longer traveled on the Augusta–

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 498,7 ...

line. It was demolished in 1973. Many wealthy and influential Augusta residents had summer homes in Grovetown, escaping the heat and disease of the city. They commuted on the old "Picayune" train, relying on its frequent service. The Rosland Hotel, later known as the "Eagle", was built in the 1880s. Its huge rotunda was frequently used for church gatherings, suppers, parties, and dances. It later became a boarding house and burned in the 1970s. The Church of Christ is now located on the site. Several country stores were established on Old Wrightsboro Road near the railroad crossing. One was S. F. Poole's store, where the gazebo now stands at the corner with Robinson Avenue, with a "philosophers' bench" by the door. During the early days, many famous residents lived in the Grovetown area: Hayne, the literary figure; Stewart Phinizy and James Tobin, cotton brokers; Charles Phinizy, banker and railroad president; Dr. H. H. Steiner, physician; and John Dodge, pharmacist and

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Austral ...

enthusiast. Dodge brought his stable from

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and built a large home and racetrack. With the construction of

Camp Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. It ...

in 1942, Grovetown experienced rapid growth; it was no longer a small agricultural town. Due to its close proximity to Fort Gordon, Many military families looked to Grovetown for housing. Gradually, more and more retired military saw the benefits of living in the small town and population began to grow and stabilize.

Annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

and multi-housing construction has increased the population of the formerly quiet town. Currently, Grovetown has a population of approximately 15,000, up from the 1990 census figure of 3,596. A variety of stores, dining establishments, schools, and churches add to the town's culture. Services include

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or plea ...

al facilities, a public safety department, two

fire station __NOTOC__ A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ...

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

and sewer services, a

senior center A senior center (or senior centre) is a type of community center where older adults congregate for fellowship with others to fulfill many of their social, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs. A regular part of senior centers is card and bo ...

, and museum.

Geography

Grovetown is located in southern Columbia County. Downtown Augusta is east. The northern boundary of

Fort Gordon Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. ...

is south. 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 th ...

, Grovetown has a total area of , of which , or 0.23%, 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 off ...

, there were 15,577 people, 4,028 households, and 2,986 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of 2019, there were 15,152 people and 4,028 households residing in the city. As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators serving ...

, the population density was . There were 2,473 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.3%

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 ...

, 27.8%

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, and 7.8% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 15.6% of the population. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18 and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the city was $68,756. 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 $24,599.

Parks and recreation

City parks include the Liberty Park Community Center, and Goodale Park, which is named after Joseph Daniel "Danny" Goodale Jr., a

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is a person who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States Armed Forces, and ot ...

who died in 1969.

Education

Grovetown Middle School, Grovetown Elementary School, and Cedar Ridge Elementary School are located in the city limits of Grovetown.

Grovetown High School Grovetown High School is located in Grovetown, Georgia, United States, in Columbia County, and opened on August 10, 2009. Its enrollment for the 2010-2011 school was approximately 1300 students; its most recent enrollment approached 2,100. Ac ...

, Columbia Middle School, Brookwood Elementary School, and Euchee Creek Elementary School are located near the city. Baker Place Elementary School is also near the city.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Grovetown is mainly served by

Georgia State Route 223 State Route 223 (SR 223) is a east–west state highway in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its routing travels through portions of McDuffie, Columbia, and Richmond counties. The highway connects Thomson with Grove ...

(SR 223), locally known as Robinson Avenue from just northwest of

's Gate 2 to the

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, thei ...

with Harlem–Grovetown Road and as

Wrightsboro Road Wrightsboro Road is a major road in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia, traveling through the northwestern part of McDuffie County, the extreme northern part of Warren County, the southeastern part of Wilkes County, the south ...

past this point. It is also served by SR 388 east of this intersection. Here, SR 388 takes on the Wrightsboro Road name until an intersection with Katherine Street. At this intersection, the

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

turns left onto Horizon South Parkway, while Wrightsboro Road continues toward Augusta. Harlem–Grovetown Road connects the city with

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

. There are railroad tracks of

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

that extend through Grovetown, used mostly by freight trains.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Columbia County, Georgia Augusta metropolitan area