McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the

Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...

. Its population was 29,051 in 2020. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Henry County. The unincorporated communities of Blacksville, Flippen, Kelleytown, and Ola are located near McDonough, and addresses in those communities have McDonough ZIP codes.

History

The town was named for naval officer Commodore Thomas Macdonough and founded in 1823 around a traditional

town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

design. The buildings surrounding the square are intact, although there are some vacancies. The county courthouse and historic jail building are on the north side near the Welcome Center in a historically maintained

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...

service station, built in 1920. The station also houses the Main Street Program Office. One block east of the square, the town's original cotton warehouse has been replaced with the Henry County Judicial Center. In the same area the Henry County Courthouse Annex has an original oil on canvas "Cotton Gin" ( by 11 feet) by artist Jean Charlot. He painted this oil in 1942 for the town post office. His works can be found all over the world in everything from children's books to large murals. The town was a relay station on the New York City to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

stagecoach line and was connected by other stage lines with Fayetteville and Decatur, and with Macon by way of Jackson.

Geography

McDonough is in central Henry County, southeast of downtown

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 ...

. U.S. Route 23 passes through the center of the city, leading northwest to Stockbridge and south to Locust Grove.

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

passes through the southwestern arm of the city, with access from Exits 216, 218, and 221. I-75 leads northwest to Atlanta and southeast to Macon. 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 , of which are land and , or 1.50%, are water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,051 people, 8,543 households, and 5,778 families residing in the city.

Economy

Snapper Inc. manufacturing residential and professional lawn care and snow removal equipment, was based in McDonough. The company began in 1894 as Southern Saw Works, and claims to have invented the first self-propelled rotary lawn mower. The company was sold to Briggs and Stratton, which operated the plant until its closure in 2015. Goya Foods has its Atlanta offices in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

near McDonough.

Arts and culture

Several individual buildings and two historic districts in the city are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, including the downtown McDonough Historic District.

Events

The city hosts a

Geranium ''Geranium'' is a genus of 422 species of annual, biennial, and perennial plants that are commonly known as geraniums or cranesbills. They are found throughout the temperate regions of the world and the mountains of the tropics, with the gre ...

Festival each springtime on the third Saturday in May, celebrating the locally grown flowers and community. The one-day festival serves as a showcase of local artistry and talent through the open-air craft markets and live musical performances. The festival is sponsored by the McDonough Lions Club, and held on the McDonough Square and surrounding areas.

Sports

The city's semi-professional soccer team Georgia Revolution FC plays in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

at the Warhawk Stadium. WWE developmental territory Deep South Wrestling was based in McDonough.

Education

Henry County School District

The Henry County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. The district has twenty eight elementary schools, nine middle schools, and ten high schools. The district has 1,543 full-time teachers and over 40,000 students.

Henry County Public Schools

Elementary schools

*Cotton Indian Elementary School *Dutchtown Elementary School *East Lake Elementary School *Flippen Elementary School *Hickory Flat Elementary School *McDonough Elementary School *New Hope Elementary School *Oakland Elementary School *Ola Elementary School *Pleasant Grove Elementary School *Rock Spring Elementary School *Timber Ridge Elementary School *Tussahaw Elementary School *Unity Grove Elementary School *Walnut Creek Elementary School *Wesley Lakes Elementary School

Middle schools

*Eagle's Landing Middle School *Dutchtown Middle School *McDonough Middle School *Ola Middle School *Woodland Middle School *Union Grove Middle School

High schools

*Academy for Advanced Studies *Dutchtown High School * Eagle's Landing High School *Henry County Evening Academy * McDonough High School * Ola High School * Union Grove High School *Luella High School

Private schools

* Eagle's Landing Christian Academy *New Creation Christian Academy * Creekside Christian Academy *Living Word Christian *McDonough Christian Academy *Sunbrook Academy at Luella *The Sharon School *Peoples Baptist Academy

Higher education

Gordon State College Gordon State College is a public college in Barnesville, Georgia, United States. A member of the University System of Georgia (USG), Gordon State's spring 2023 enrollment was 2,846 students. Gordon College became a four-year state college in ...

has a satellite center in McDonough. *

Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...

opened a campus in McDonough in 2003, and offers teacher education, criminal justice, and general studies. *Grace Biblical Seminary opened in 2004, and offers theological and ministries degrees. *Atlanta Bible College is located in McDonough.

Media

WKKP is the local radio station, broadcasting on 100.9 FM and 1410 AM; it has a classic country format. '' The Henry Herald'' is the local county news print media.

Film

* The film '' A Madea Christmas'' was filmed in the town square and around McDonough. * The television show ''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

'' was filmed in the town square and around McDonough. * Scenes for the 1989

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

film, '' Glory'', were filmed in the city. * A pilot episode for '' Roswell'' was filmed on the city square at the old Phillips 66 service station. * The 1977 film '' Smokey and the Bandit'' was filmed primarily in Georgia in the cities of McDonough, Jonesboro and Lithonia.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Xpress GA provides local bus service. McDonough is served by the following highways: *

* U.S. Highway 23 * Georgia State Route 20 * Georgia State Route 42 * Georgia State Route 81 * Georgia State Route 155 * Georgia State Route 351 *

Georgia State Route 401 __NOTOC__ Year 401 ( CDI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vincentius and Fravitus (or, less frequently, year 1154 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

Until the mid-1960s the Southern Railway operated the

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

to Miami '' Ponce de Leon, '' which made stops in McDonough.

Notable people

* Jordan Akins, Current NFL Tight End for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

who was drafted in the 3rd round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

; was born, and presumably raised in McDonough, Georgia * Darrell Armstrong, former NBA player; lives in McDonough * Erasmus W. Beck, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1833 * Travis Bergen,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher; born in McDonough in 1993 *

Herman Cain Herman Cain (December 13, 1945July 30, 2020) was an American businessman and Tea Party movement activist in the Republican Party. Cain graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He then earned a master's degree ...

, businessman and candidate for 2012 Republican presidential nomination; lived in McDonough * Daz Cameron, top baseball outfield prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization * Antonio Gibson, American football player; attended high school in McDonough * Jason Heyward, former

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

All-Star outfielder and first-round selection in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft; starting outfielder for 2016 World Series champion

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

; attended high school in McDonough * James T. Holtzclaw, Confederate general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

; born in McDonough in 1833 * John Lunsford, politician and businessman * Tre McBride, former NFL & XFL wide receiver; born in McDonough * Matt Murton,

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

outfielder 2010–15; former MLB player with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

, and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

; went to high school in McDonough *

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Hall Of Fame center; lives in McDonough * J. R. Pinnock, George Washington Colonials guard; went to high school in McDonough * Renford Reese, professor, author * Chris Rodriguez Jr., American football player * Andrew Sloan, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1845 * Dalvin Tomlinson, defensive end for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

; born in McDonough in 1994 * D. J. White, football cornerback for

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

* James W. Wise, United States congressman; born in McDonough in 1868 *

Austin Theory Austin Tyler White (born August 2, 1997) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Bodybuilding, bodybuilder. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring nam ...

, wrestler, was born in McDonough, Georgia in 1997 *

Collective Soul Collective Soul is an American rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia. Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of the brothers Ed (lead vocalist) and Dean Roland (rhythm guitarist), Will Turpin (bassist), Johnny Rabb (drummer), a ...

, Band members used to live in McDonough in the early 2000s. * McKenna Hellam, fashion model who grew up on a farm in McDonough

In popular culture

"The McDonough Road" is mentioned by Rhett Butler in the 1939 film, ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

''.

References

External links

City of McDonough official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcdonough, Georgia Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Henry County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)