Gainesville is a city in
Hall
County
in Georgia
, United States
of America
. The
population was 25,578 at the 2000 census. Census estimates for 2007
show a population of 34,818. The city is the
county seat of Hall County. Because of its large
number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the
chicken capital of the world.
Gainesville is the
principal city of and is included in the Gainesville, Georgia
Metropolitan
Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta
-Sandy
Springs
-Gainesville, Georgia-Alabama
(part)
Combined Statistical
Area.
Geography

Lake Lanier at River Forks Park
Gainesville is located at (34.304490, -83.833897).
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
29.1 square miles (75.4 km²), of which, 27.1 square
miles (70.2 km²) of it is land and 2.0 square miles
(5.2 km²) of it (6.94%) is water.
Nestled in
the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, parts of
Gainesville lie along the shore of one of the nation's most popular
inland water destinations, Lake Lanier
. Named after Georgia author and musician
Sidney Lanier, the lake was created in
1958 when The U.S.
Army Corps
of Engineers dammed the Chattahoochee River near Buford, Georgia
and flooded an Appalachian mountain valley.
Although
created primarily for hydro-electricity and flood-control, it also
serves as a reservoir providing water to the city of Atlanta
.
Lake Lanier
is also a very popular recreational attraction for
all of North Georgia.
Climate
Gainesville has a subtropical climate with extremely varying
winters and very hot summers. Winter temperatures vary greatly,
with average highs in the 50' and lows in the upper-20's.
Temperatures can swing up and down in days, often one after
another, since
cold fronts and
warm fronts visit frequently.
Spring sees highs in the 70's and 80's with lows in the 40's and
50's although March is the wettest month of the year on
average.
Summer heat can be intense, but generally highs are in the mid to
upper 80s. Gainesville's altitude shaves a few degrees off the
summer heat. The area is extremely
humid,
and the
heat index can reach the
100's.
Fall has temperatures similar to spring but with much less
humidity, especially later in the season. In late October to
November the leaves are in the midst of changing colors to
brilliant reds, yellows, golden oranges, purples; all shades of
mountain beauty.
Severe Weather
Gainesville sits on the very fringe of
Tornado Alley, a region of the United States
where severe weather is common.
Supercell
thunderstorms can sweep through any time between March and
November, but are concentrated most in the spring.
Tornado Watches are a frequent issue in the
spring and summer, with a warning appearing at least
biannually, sometimes with more than one per
year.
Gainesville was also the site of the
fifth deadliest tornado
in U.S. history in 1936, where Gainesville was decimated and
203 people were killed.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 25,578
people, 8,537 households, and 5,438 families residing in the city.
The
population density was 944.4
people per square mile (364.7/km²). There were 9,076 housing units
at an average density of 335.1/sq mi (129.4/km²). The racial
makeup of the city was 45.21%
White, 15.73%
African American, 0.30%
Native American, 2.69%
Asian, 0.13%
Pacific Islander, 14.27% from
other races, and 1.67%
from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 33.17% of the
population.
There were 8,537 households out of which 31.2% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were
married couples living together, 15.2% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families.
29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age
of 18, 15.1% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to
64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
30 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,605, and the
median income for a family was $43,734. Males had a median income
of $24,729 versus $25,075 for females. The
per capita income for the city was
$19,128. About 16.1% of families and 21.8% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 28.9%
of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Amtrak's Crescent connects Gainesville with
the cities of New
York
, Philadelphia
, Baltimore
, Washington
, Greensboro
, Charlotte
, Atlanta
, Birmingham
and New Orleans
. The Amtrak
station
is situated at 116 Industrial
Boulevard.
Gainesville also has a bus transit system, the Red Rabbit, that has
130 stops along three routes through Gainesville.
Health and Education
Gainesville, Georgia is home to the
Northeast Georgia Medical
Center which houses the
Ronnie Greene Heart Center.
The
Gainesville City School System, home of Gainesville
High School's
Red Elephants, is the public school system of
Gainesville.
Gainesville City Schools:
Riverside
Military Academy
and Lakeview
Academy, a college preparatory private school, are located in
Gainesville. The city's institutions of higher education are
Gainesville State College
and
Brenau University.
The Public Defender's Office at Gainesville has been recognized as
one of the best in the state of Georgia. Established in 2005, the
office provides representation for persons accused of felony
offenses in Hall County. Attorneys from the office have been
recognized for their community involvement, as well as for their
acumen in the courtroom.. In 2008, a first-year attorney
successfully challenged the Sex Offender Registration Law in the
Georgia Supreme Court.
Notable residents
- Tommy Aaron,
professional golfer, 1973
Masters
champion
- Rod Cameron (1910-1983), actor
- Cris Carpenter, former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Mike Wilson ,
former NFL offensive lineman
- Tasha
Humphrey, Washington Mystics
basketball player, former UGA
standout, & standout of Gainesville High
School
- Sung Kang, Korean American actor
- General James Longstreet,
Confederate general
and Gainesville postmaster
- Micah Owings, Major League Baseball
pitcher
- Randy Pobst, Professional racing driver
- Robert Prechter, financial
forecaster (1980s "Guru of the Decade")
- A.J. Styles, professional wrestler
- Rachel Hatchett, Astronaut
(first woman to pilot shuttle on re-entry)
- Xavier Roberts, Founder of
Cabbage Patch Kids & Babyland General Hospital
- Ingrid Arthur, Professional
SingerWeather Girls
Sister cities
See also
References
- [1]: an example of Extreme Gainesville Weather.
Accessed Wednesday, February 04, 2009 at 4:09 PM, this page
specified a Hard freeze Warning,
Lake Wind Advisory, and even a
Fire
Weather Warning, issued from the National Weather Service! Other
days can see this rise to 60 Fahrenheit before plummeting once
more.
- NOAA Storm Prediction Center
-
http://www.gainesville.org/citydepartments.communityservicecenter.ridetheredrabbit.asp
- Georgia Public Defender Standards Council - Meet
the Northeastern Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office
- gainesvilletimes.com
- http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/archive/11009/
External links