Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 9,816 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta - Sandy Springs (GA) - Gainesville (GA) - Alabama (partial) CSA.

History

Thomaston was incorporated on January 1, 1825, and designated as the seat of Upson County. The town was named for General

Jett Thomas Jett Thomas (May 13, 1776 – January 6, 1817) was an American military officer, politician, and builder who served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and participated in the early construction of the University of Georgia. ...

, an Indian fighter in the War of 1812.

Geography

Thomaston is located near the center of Upson County at 32.90 N, -84.333333 W (32° 54′ 0″ N, 84° 20′ 0″ W). The city is located in the west central

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

region of the state. U.S. Route 19 is the main north–south route through the city, leading north to Zebulon and south to

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

. Georgia State Routes 36 and 74 are the main east–west routes through the city. GA-36 leads northeast to Barnesville and southwest to

Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

. GA-74 leads east to Yatesville and northwest to Woodbury.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,816 people, 3,333 households, and 1,779 families residing in the city.

Health care

Its principal hospital is the Upson Regional Medical Center at 801 West Gordon Street.

Industry

Industry in the city is driven primarily by manufacturing which makes up 36.5%. The second largest industry is educational, health, and social service comprising 21.0%. The third largest industry is retail trade at 11.6% of the total industry in Thomaston. The remaining portions of industry include agriculture, construction, wholesale trade, transportation, information, finance, management, administration, arts and entertainment, food service, recreation, accommodation, and public administration.

Arts and culture

National Register of Historic Places

The Upson County courthouse was built in 1908, and is 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 ...

. * Pettigrew-White-Stamps House * Silvertown Mill District

Annual events

Thomaston hosts an annual Emancipation Proclamation Celebration each May. It is the nation's oldest and longest running emancipation celebration of its kind.

Parks and recreation

* Sprewell Bluff Park, located on the Flint River * The Greatest Generation Recreational Park

Education

Thomaston-Upson County School District

The Thomaston-Upson County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 279 full-time teachers and over 5,009 students. *Upson-Lee Elementary School *Upson-Lee Primary School * Upson-Lee Middle School * Upson-Lee High School *Upson-Lee Pre-K *Upson-Lee Alternative School

Colleges and universities

Southern Crescent Technical College is located in Thomaston, and is a two-year technical school.

Notable people

* Coy Bowles - Grammy award-winning country artist

Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini (fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukulele, ...

* Elia Goode Byington (1858–1936), journalist * Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - shooting guard for the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

* Mike Cavan - football player at Univ. of Ga. and former head coach at SMU * Wayne Cochran - musician (Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders) * Ivylyn Girardeau - medical missionary in Pakistan * John Brown Gordon - one of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

's most trusted Confederate generals during the American Civil War; governor of Georgia 1886–1890 * Frank Gordy (1904–1983) - founder of The Varsity restaurant chain * William Guilford (1844–1909) - businessman and state legislator * Bill Hartman - football running back for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

before World War II * John Holliman (1948–1998) - broadcast journalist best known as one of CNN's "Boys of Baghdad" during the first Persian Gulf War * Marion Montgomery - poet, novelist, educator, and critic; close friend and critic of

Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. O'Connor was a Southern writer who of ...

* Dallas Raines - Weather personality at KABC in Los Angeles * Thelma Thompson Slayden (1907–1977) - Novelist recognized by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

for her contributions to community health and national legislation. * Cedric Smith - African American painter * Hunter Strickland - MLB pitcher * Travon Walker- 1st overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

References

External links

Official City of Thomaston, Georgia Government Website
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Thomaston {{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Micropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Upson County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) 1825 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)