Lula is a city in

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

and

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. As banks ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The population was 2,822 at the 2020 census, and the town has both Hall and Banks county zoning. Lula is the railroad junction between the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

northeast line and the

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

north line of

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

. Lula was established in 1874 and incorporated as a city by 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 ...

in 1905. The city was established and gained relevance by creating a junction for the Airline Railroad (later named the Southern Railroad). This provided essential economy and goods in the late 1800s that jumpstarted the establishment of the city. A notable annual event that takes place each year in the city of Lula is the Railroad Days Festival that includes celebrating the history of the city by having entertainment, local venders, and a parade. Residents are either zoned to the Hall County School District, or the Banks County School District.

History

It's been recorded by many that the naming of the city of Lula was inspired by a daughter of the Athens businessman Ferdinand Phinizy. However, there is no official recording that any of Phinizy's children were named Lula, but some assume that it could have been a nickname for one his daughters. Nonetheless, the town was created in part because of Phinizy. A business man and director of railroad companies, he bought the White Sulphur Springs Resort that rested between the city of Gainesville and where Lula would one day be. Because of this, Phinizy encouraged the establishment and building of railroads to run through Hall County. A civil engineer named Joel Hurt began construction of Lula in 1874, but "In 1876, the North Eastern Railroad of Georgia opened, connecting

and Lula (just north of Gainesville), where it connected with the Air Line Railroad." At first, residents of the area assumed that the railroad junction would be built in the town of Belton (also referred to as 'Bellton' with an extra 'L' that was lost over time) the next town over, because it was the larger of the two. However, the company building the rail line was persuaded by a generous amount of land deeded to build the railway by brothers Joseph H. and Dunstan E. Banks. The requirement for the land to be deeded was that the town of Lula be constructed at the junction, and that the main depot rest on land donated by the brothers. At the time when the connector was being built, it was a legal requirement that 40 miles of track was laid to be eligible for a state charter. Because Belton was not selected for the junction and it wasn't desired to run the extra mile into the neighboring town, one mile was laid going into the hills of the mountains and was never used. After the rail line was finished, the Banks brothers opened a store and warehouse, and many other businesses opened causing Lula to outgrow Belton. The schools for Belton and Lula consolidated in 1911, and eventually the Belton depot closed and trains only came to Lula. Water supply was also an issue for Belton, and Lula could more easily extend their reserves. All of these events led to the community voting a majority in favor of absorbing the sister town of Belton in 1955. Marcelle Woody became the first female mayor in 1991 and served the city until 1996. Notably, she initiated the first employee health insurance program, adding two new water tanks, and restoring and remodeling the old city hall.

Geography

The city of Lula is located at coordinates 34°22′15″N 83°40′57″W. 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 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²), of which 0.012 square miles (0.03 km²), or 0.26%, is water. Most of Lula is in Hall County, with a small eastern portion of the city located in Banks County. The Hall County portion of Lula is part of the Gainesville, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Banks County portion of Lula is next to the town that makes up most of Banks County,

Gillsville, Georgia Gillsville is a city in Banks and Hall counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 235 at the 2010 census. The Hall County portion of Gillsville is part of the Gainesville, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The com ...

. Major roads that go through Lula are

Georgia State Route 52 State Route 52 (SR 52) is a state highway that travels west to east through portions of Whitfield, Murray, Gilmer, Dawson, Lumpkin, Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In t ...

, Georgia State Route 51 S, and State Route 365 (also referred to as Sidney Lanier Parkway).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,822 people, 1,012 households, and 724 families residing in the city. The Lula population by county breakdown was as follows: 2,000 in Hall County and 158 in Banks County.

2000 census

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 1,438 people, 531 households, and 399 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 585 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 8.14%

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 ...

, 0.42% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 1.25% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population. There were 531 households, out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% 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, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,741, and the median income for a family was $43,667. Males had a median income of $30,195 versus $23,750 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 $15,246. About 7.5% of families and 11.5% 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 ...

, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

American Community Survey 2023 Estimates

The American Community Survey provides data for a period of 5 years, and it shows that the Median Household Income in Lula is $64,282. 15.6% or more of the residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and there is an employment rate of 63.7%. About 16.5% of residents are without healthcare.

Education

The portion of Lula in Hall County is zoned for the Hall County School District. The Hall County schools with Lula residents are Lula Elementary School, East Hall Middle School, and East Hall High School. The portion of Lula in Banks County is zoned for the

Banks County School District The Banks County School District is a public school district in Banks County, Georgia, United States, based in Homer. It includes all of Banks County. In addition to all of Homer, the district also includes Banks County sections of Alto, Bal ...

. The Banks County Schools with Lula residents are Banks County Elementary School, Banks County Middle School, and

Banks County High School Banks County High School is a public co-educational high school located in Homer, in the mountains of northern Georgia, United States. The school enrolls about 928 students in grades 9– 12. School district The school serves all of Banks Coun ...

Railroad Days Festival

A notable event for the town includes Railroad Days, a yearly festival held every May. The Railroad Days Festival began in 1976 to celebrate the history of the city and the railroads that began everything. The festival is thrown and planned by Lula city hall and community members. Activities for the event includes a parade, entertainment, and local vendors selling goods. The parade takes place on the Saturday morning of the weekend festival. Parade floats are made up of local business and community groups. There can oftentimes be local groups that perform music or dance for entertainment. The rest of the weekend is made up of local vendors setting up booths to sell locally made crafts, gifts, and foods.

References

External links

City of Lula, Georgia Official WebsiteLula Downtown Development Authority
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Banks County, Georgia Cities in Hall County, Georgia