Sparta is a city in and 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 ...

of Hancock 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 is part of the Milledgeville Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 1,400 at the 2010

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 inc ...

History

Sparta was founded in 1795 in the newly formed Hancock County. The town was designated county seat in 1797. It was incorporated as a town in 1805 and as a city in 1893. The community was named after

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

, a city-state in

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cu ...

Geography

Sparta is located at (33.2773, -82.9715). 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 ...

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

Major Highways

State Route 15 * Georgia 16

State Route 16 * Georgia 22

State Route 22

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 1,357 people, 669 households, and 419 families residing in the city.

2010 census

According to the 2010

estimate, there were 1,522 people, 617 households and 385 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 725 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 4.5%

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 ...

, 95.70%

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.33% Asian, and 0.46% 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 0.70% of the population. There were 617 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.4% 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 ...

living together, 31.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% 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 3.20. Age distribution was 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

was $21,664, and the median family income was $24,044. Males had a median income of $21,375 versus $17,375 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 $11,403. About 31.8% of families and 34.8% 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 ...

, including 46.2% of those under age 18 and 38.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Sparta is the site of Georgia's

Hancock State Prison Hancock State Prison is a Georgia Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Hancock County, Georgia. The facility opened in 1991 and currently has a capacity of 1191 prisoners. In 2010, Hancock state prison participated in the 2 ...

Education

Hancock County School District

The

Hancock County School District The Hancock County School District is a public school district based in the community of Kiln, Mississippi ( USA). In addition to Kiln, the district also serves the communities of Diamondhead, Pearlington, sections of Waveland and Bay St. L ...

holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 103 full-time teachers and over 1,659 students. *Lewis Elementary School *Hancock Central Middle School * Hancock Central High School * John Hancock Academy

Notable people

* Thomas "Pee Wee" Butts – professional baseball player *

George Darden George Washington "Buddy" Darden III (born November 22, 1943) is an American politician and lawyer from Georgia. He served in the state house and then for more than five terms as Congressman from Georgia. Early life Darden was born in Hancock ...

– United States Representative from Georgia who went to high school in Sparta *

Harvey Grant Harvey Grant (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional National Basketball Association basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player. College Grant transferred to Oklahoma after a year ...

– professional basketball player *

Horace Grant Horace Junior Grant Sr. (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for Michael Reinsdorf, the president and chief operating officer of the Chicago Bulls. He attended and played college baske ...

– professional basketball player *

Tommy Hurricane Jackson Thomas "Tommy" Jackson (August 9, 1931 – February 14, 1982), often known as "Hurricane" Jackson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1961. In July 1957, he fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight championship. Jackso ...

– professional boxer *

Adella Hunt Logan Adella Hunt Logan (February 10, 1863 – December 10, 1915) was an African-American writer, educator, administrator and suffragist. ''Includes image'' ''Indicates that she has sufficient notability to be covered in two of OUP's biographical wor ...

– suffragist *

Jean Toomer Jean Toomer (born Nathan Pinchback Toomer; December 26, 1894 – March 30, 1967) was an American poet and novelist commonly associated with the Harlem Renaissance, though he actively resisted the association, and with modernism. His reputatio ...

–

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

writer and poet, once served as a principal in Sparta * Angeria Paris VanMichaels - dragqueen and contestant on RuPaul's Dragrace season 14

References

External links

Sparta
historical marker
Sparta Cemetery
historical marker
Pierce Memorial Methodist Church
historical marker {{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Hancock County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Milledgeville micropolitan area, Georgia