Ideal, Georgia

Ideal is a city in Macon County, Georgia, United States. The population was 407 at the 2020 census, down from 499 in 2010.

History
The town was originally named "Joetown", but when two railroad executives stopped in the town, one proclaimed it an "ideal" place for a railroad station, and the other declared he'd just named it.

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Ideal as a town in 1906.

Geography
Ideal is located in western Macon County at 32.37306°N, -84.18889°W (32.372918, -84.188822). Georgia State Route 90 passes through the center of town, leading southeast 10 mi to Oglethorpe, the county seat, and northwest 8 mi to Rupert.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.16 sqmi, of which 0.01 sqmi, or 0.95%, are water. It resides at the confluence of Whitewater and Cedar creeks, two spring-fed tributaries of the Flint River.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 407 people, 124 households, and 64 families residing in the city.