Helena was a city in Telfair and Wheeler counties in the

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. The population was 2,883 at the 2010 census, up from 2,307 in 2000 and 1,256 in 1990. The population increase accompanied establishment of the McRae Correctional Institution, which provided new jobs. The prison population is counted as well. On January 1, 2015, Helena and the adjacent city (and Telfair County seat) of McRae merged to form McRae-Helena.

History

The

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 directl ...

incorporated the place as the Town of Helena in 1890. It is unknown why the name "Helena" was applied to this community. By 2013, Helena's wastewater capacity had become too large for the city to manage. Simply turning over water services to neighboring McRae would have left Helena with only two services. Eventually, the two cities agreed to merge. The necessary legislation was signed into law on April 10, 2014. At midnight on January 1, 2015, Helena and McRae merged as the city of McRae-Helena.

Geography

Helena is located at (32.074601, -82.912698). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,307 people, 520 households, and 322 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 603 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 42.35%

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, 54.18%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.39% Asian, 2.43% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 3.42% of the population. There were 520 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 14.2% under the age of 18, 15.3% from 18 to 24, 44.5% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 235.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 281.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,212, and the median income for a family was $25,543. Males had a median income of $26,772 versus $18,208 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $9,520. About 25.3% of families and 29.8% 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 46.0% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Telfair County, Georgia Cities in Wheeler County, Georgia Populated places disestablished in 2015 Former municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)