Summerville is a city and 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 Chattooga County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,435 at the 2020 census.

History

Summerville was founded in 1838 as the seat of the newly formed Chattooga County. It was incorporated as a town in 1839 and as a city in 1909. Summerville was named from the fact it was a popular summer resort. The city thrived in the late 1880s with the construction of the Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad (later part of the

Central of Georgia The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constr ...

system).Elizabeth Cooksey,
Chattooga County
" ''New Georgia Encyclopedia'', 2005. The Chattooga County Courthouse, 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 ...

, was completed in 1909. The Summerville Depot, completed by the Central of Georgia in 1918, is also listed on the National Register, and is home to several annual festivals. The Summerville Commercial Historic District was listed on the

in 2012. It covers about eight city blocks centered around Commerce Street, Georgia Avenue, and Washington Avenue in Summerville.

Geography

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 of it land. The city lies along the Chattooga River at the western base of the Taylor Ridge. U.S. Route 27 connects Summerville with

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, to the north, and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to the southeast. Georgia State Route 114 connects the city with Lyerly to the south, and Georgia State Route 48 connects the city with Menlo near the

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

state line to the west.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,435 people, 1,769 households, and 997 families residing in the city.

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 4,556 people, 1,823 households, and 1,141 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,092 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 72.06%

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 ...

, 25.31%

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 ...

, 0.07% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.90% from other races, and 1.51% 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 1.58% of the population. Summerville-Depot-ga

There were 1,823 households, out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% 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, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,911, and the median income for a family was $35,579. Males had a median income of $26,707 versus $20,222 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 $15,090. About 18.1% of families and 20.7% 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 28.5% of those under age 18 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in Summerville is administered by the Chattooga County School District. The district operates four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The district has 184 full-time teachers and over 2,834 students.School Stats
Retrieved June 3, 2010. *Leroy Massey Elementary School *Lyerly Elementary School *Menlo Elementary School *Summerville Elementary School *Summerville Middle School * Chattooga County High School

Notable people

* Bobby Lee Cook, noted trial attorney * Edna Cain Daniel, journalist and publisher * Howard Finster,

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

ist * Brody Malone, artistic gymnast * Senorise Perry, NFL player

References

External links

*
Official site
{{authority control Cities in Chattooga County, Georgia Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Micropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state) County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)