LaGrange, Georgia

LaGrange is a city in Troup County, Georgia, United States. It is named after the country estate near Paris of the Marquis de La Fayette, who visited the area in 1825. The population was 25,998 at the 2000 census. LaGrange has been the county seat of Troup County since December 16, 1828 and is home to LaGrange College, the oldest private college in the state. Its proximity to West Point Lake, a few miles to the west, makes it a tourist destination for bass fishermen.

History

LaGrange began to be settled in the early 19th century soon after the ceding of the land in this part of Georgia from the Creek Indians and the establishment of Troup County, Georgia. The City was incorporated in December of 1828

During the American Civil War, LaGrange was defended by a volunteer women's auxiliary group known as the Nancy Harts. After the Confederate defeat in nearby West Point, Georgia, the Federal troops, led by Colonel Oscar LaGrange marched north to LaGrange, with Confederate prisoners near the front of the column. The Nancy Harts formed up and negotiated a surrender.

Although there was looting and burning of local assets by Union troops, Colonel LaGrange spared the homes of LaGrange, including Bellevue, the home of Senator Benjamin Harvey Hill. This may have been a returned favor. Colonel LaGrange had previously been under Confederate medical care for wounds received and had been cared for by the niece of Senator Hill. After his care, LaGrange was later exchanged for a Union prisoner and returned to duty. This became an opportunity to return the kindness he had been shown.

To show their gratitude for sparing their homes, one of the Nancy Harts hosted a dinner for Colonel LaGrange, and the Colonel paroled some local prisoners so that they could attend. Many women of the town cooked all night to provide the meal. The next morning the Federal troops marched out taking various men of LaGrange as prisoners of war. They were soon freed when it was learned of Robert E. Lee's previous surrender.

LaGrange developed as a railroad center and as an industrial center for the textile industry which was established and grew from the late 19th century and peaked in the mid-twentieth century. The City was fortunate that as the textile industry declined it was replaced with a diverse mixture of new industry which provided strong employment for a number of years until it too began to decline and move out of the country. The anouncement in 2006 of proposed construction of an assembly plant in Troup County for the Korean automobile manufactuer,Kia Motors is expected to reverse the manufacturing decline trend.

LaGrange maintained is position as a transportation hub with the completion of Interstates 85 and 185 which pass through the City. This location has benefitted the City development by providing industrial and commercial access for businesses such as Wal-Mart that several years ago opened a Distibution Center.

Geography

Location of LaGrange, Georgia

LaGrange is located at 33°2′12″N 85°1′55″W (33.036575, -85.031930)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 76.5 km² (29.5 mi²). 75.0 km² (29.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (2.00%) is water.

Local landmarks

The center of the town is Lafayette Square, with ornamental plantings and a statue, situated in the center of a fountain, of the Marquis de La Fayette, itself a replica of the La Fayette statue in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. Also downtown is the Troup County Courthouse and Government Center. Hills and Dales, the estate of Fuller E. Callaway, a textile pioneer is now open to visitors and is located just west of downtown.

Notable residents

• Professional Golfer, Allen Doyle.
• Professional baseball player, Mike Cameron.
• Professional baseball player, Dernell Stenson.
• Professional baseball player, Jimmy Haynes.
• Professional football player, Quentin McCord.
• Rapper Bubba Sparxxx grew up in LaGrange.
• Stop STD Association director Sam Craig resides in LaGrange
• Local pimp Scottie McRae settled down in LaGrange.--24.181.74.164 00:16, 9 August 2006 (UTC)Scottie

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 25,998 people, 10,022 households, and 6,504 families residing in the city. The population density was 346.6/km² (897.8/mi²). There were 11,000 housing units at an average density of 146.7/km² (379.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.5% African American, 49.2% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.44% of the population.

There were 10,022 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,719, and the median income for a family was $36,438. Males had a median income of $29,082 versus $21,790 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,640. About 18.2% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.9% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

LaGrange is characterized by a fairly sharp racial divide compared to similarly-sized towns in the New South. Recreational and educational facilities owned by the Callaway Foundation (e.g., pools, libraries) offered de facto segregation for upper-middle class Whites until the early 1990s. Junior high schools were gender-segregated, many believed, to keep adolescent African American males away from White females. Neighborhoods in the city are quite segregated by ethnicity. This situation is ameliorating, in some respects, in the last ten years.

Sister cities

• Craigavon, Northern Ireland

External links

• City of LaGrange
• Troup County History - Nancy Harts: Female Company Defends Against Raiders
• World Finger Jousting Federation