Snapshots of Georgia: Monroe County, 1994 June

Numbers on map are the Council ofEconomic Development Organizations (CEDO) Regions

SNAPSHOTS OF County Description

G E O R G

A Monroe County was formed in 1821 from Creek Indian land. Its namesake is James Monroe,

5th President of the United States.

Monroe County has 398 square miles of area. It is the 59th largest county in Georgia.

The county is located in CEDO Region 6 and the Middle Georgia Regional Development Center.

Monroe County is in the 3rd U.S. Congressional District, the 27th State Senate District, and the 110th State House District.

Community Monroe County
Culloden Forsyth I

Population

19701 1980[

10991 14610

272

281

3736 4624

1990 17113
242 4268

Growth

1910-1980 I 1980-1990

32.9%

17.1%

3.3% -13.9%

23.8%

-7.7%

Forsyth, the county seat, is named for John Forsyth, who, as minister to Spain, negotiated the purchase of Florida in 1819. Forsyth's population is 4,268; Culloden, population 242, is the only other municipality.

High Falls State Park, the Chattahoochee National Forest, and Lake Juliette are in the county.

The Georgia Public Safety Training Center is also located in Forsyth.

Demographics

200%

Monroe County's population grew 17% in the 1980s, compared to the

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150% as =i
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~ 100%
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0 50%
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statewide growth rate of almost 19%. Both cities lost population. About 74% of the population lived in unincorporated parts of the county in 1990, compared to 66% in 1980. At least a portion of the county's growth in th1 1980s is attributable to suburbanization from Macon.

State

-

County

Sixty-nine percent of the county's growth in the 1980s was the result of in-migration, compared to 52% statewide.

The county's population is 31 % black and 68% white.

1970

1980

1990

2000 2010

The county's growth rate in the 1980s, while healthy, was much slower

100%

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than in the 1970s, when the county's population grew almost 33%. A

E
.0us 75%
.l5!!. as () 50% co
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portion of the growth in the 1970s reflects the impact of the construction

of Georgia Power's Plant Sherer and creation of Lake Juliette as part of

the power plant project. Per capita income trails

County

$150,000+ $100-149,999

Cl)
::j 25%
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- State County

that of the state as a whole, $14,414 compared to the statewide level of $17,045.

1970

1980

1990

2000 2o1o The county's per capita

income is about 77% of that of the U.S.

[J State

$75-99,999
$50-74,999 5
C:
$40-49,999 ~ ::T 0
$30-39,999 0: 5"
$20-29,999 8

The county's median household income was

3 $10-19,999 <D

among the highest 25% of all counties in the state,

$27,770 compared to $29,021 statewide.

! $5-9,999

t c- -; ~;--_,.__!F~...~~~!<$5,000
20% 15% 10% 5% % of Households

Demographics-cont'd
The county had a sma1Ier proportion of its population living below the poverty level in 1989 than did the state as a whole, 13.8% versus 14.7%.

M ON AOE C OUNT Y

Almost 34% of Monroe County's adult population have not completed high school, compared to 29.1 % statewide. About 33% of the county's adult population have a college level education (including some college, college degree, graduate or professional degree), compared to the state average of 41.3%.

Plant Sherer's impact on the county can be seen in the county's jobs and earnings makeup. Plant construction began in 1974 and ended in 1989. In 1980, construction provided about 24% of county jobs and 43% of total earnings. By 1990, it had fallen to 7% of the jobs (from 1,782jobs to 525) and about 12% of total earnings. In 1990, the transportation, communications and public utilities sector accounted for 22.5% of total earnings in the county and almost 11 % of the jobs, up from 12.8% of earnings and 8.4% of jobs in 1980.

0 <HSGrad 0 HSGrad
~ Coll Not Grad

Manufacturing is now the largest employment sector in the county, providing nearly 20% of the

Coll Grad+

county'sjobs. The second largest employment sector is services, providing

over 19% of the jobs, followed by state and local

government, providing about 15% of the jobs in the county.

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Work in County

Commute
!jj Outside
County

Between 1980 and 1991, the county's unemployment rate was slightly higher than the state's, averaging about 11% higher than the statewide rate during the period.

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State

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1,----,----'--'-~-,-~,3% ~

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County

Forty-nine percent of the workforce commutes to
1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990
jobs out of the county. Over half of the commuters

work in Bibb County (i.e., Macon) and about 16% travel to Clayton, Fulton, and Henry counties in the Atlanta metro area.

$$$ Per Capita 01--,-----, 500

Governments
Monroe County has a traditional commission form of government, with a five member board.
Monroe County collects a Local Option Sales Tax but does not collect a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
In FY 1993, the county's long-term debt equaled $83.13 per capita. Revenue bonds accounted for $66.03 per capita of this long-term debt. It reported no short-term debt.
In FY 1993, Monroe County reported higher general revenues than typical for counties in its population group, $538.91 versus $349.20. Higher per capita property tax and service charge revenues accounted for this difference. Monroe County reported $251.73 in per capita property tax revenues. $148.19 for similarly sized counties. One factor in the county's higher per capita property tax revenue is the location of Plant Sherer on Lake Juliette. The county's per capita service charge revenue was $102.10 vs. $49.62 for its population group.

- 300

- 200

Monroe

100

~ All Counties

General General Revenues Operating
Expenditures

Concludes on back page~

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The county's 1993 per capita general operating expenditures were also higher than the average for

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its population group, $432.39 versus $282.30. The county spent $129.69 per capita on public safety

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activities, compared to $61.84 for its population group. The county's 1993 per capita expenditures for capital improvements were S103, compared to $62.75

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for all similarly sized counties.

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The county and all ofits municipalities have an approved and adopted solid waste management plan

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and are currently eligible for solid waste grants, loans, and permits. Monroe County and all ofits municipalities have approved and adopted comprehensive plans. The

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county is also in compliance with River Corridor Protection requirements.

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Between July 1, 1990andMay 15, 1994,MonroeCountyandForsythreceived$357,305infinancial

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assistance from DCA; almost $340,000 of that assistance was in the form ofCommunity Development

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Block Grant (CDBG) funds.

Source

Amount Number of Grants

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Community Development Block Grant

339,805

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Local Development Fund

17,500

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:.s:v::=.:1.:1:!;:'!,.v;;;:::c:::in:::lement museum for MonroeCountyandForsythreceivedCDBGfunds toexpandthecountyhealthdepartmentbuilding.

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plan the

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GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF

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COMMUNITY AFFAIRS

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uitable Building eachtree Street
Georgia 30303 ) 656-3851

unity Employer

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