Jackson, Georgia

Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Butts County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,045 in 2010, up from 3,934 at the 2000 census. The community was named after governor James Jackson.

History
Founded in 1826, Jackson began as a 303 acre plot purchased for the purpose of starting the town. The plot was divided into squares and each square into lots. The first buyer of a lot in the new town was John D. Swift of Newton County, Georgia. During the Civil War, much of Jackson was razed by the army of General William T. Sherman during his March to the Sea. After the war, Jackson, like much of the South, struggled economically for decades. Jackson remained little more than a small village until the arrival of the railroads in the latter half of the 19th century. On May 5, 1882, the first train arrived in Jackson, heralding a new era in the transportation of people and goods.

During the 20th century, Jackson grew and industrial textile mills became the largest employer of local citizens. The arrival of Interstate 75 just a few miles to the southwest of the city gave citizens quick access to Atlanta and Macon. The numerous schools throughout the county consolidated into one central school system located in Jackson, and the schools desegregated in 1968. In the 1970s, Jackson slowly became a bedroom community. City taxes were also abolished in the 1970s.

Geography
Jackson is located in the center of Butts County at 33.2936°N, -83.96237°W. It is 46 mi southeast of downtown Atlanta. The center of population of Georgia is located 9 mi northeast of Jackson near the Butts County/Newton County line.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.2 km2, of which 16.1 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 0.50%, is water.

Government
Jackson is governed by an elected city council of five members, each representing a district of the city. The council is presided over by the mayor, who is elected at-large. All officials serve four year terms. The current mayor of Jackson is Carlos Duffey, who was elected in 2022. The city government is established by means of the City Charter.

Media
Jackson is the home of WJGA-FM 92.1.

Jackson is a frequent backdrop for a number of television shows. Beginning in 2016, Jackson appeared in Stranger Things, representing the show's setting in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the early 1980s. Exterior filming locations included the downtown (with some buildings freshly painted for filming), a furniture store (standing in for a cinema exterior), and the Butts County Probate court.

The popularity of the show has attracted many fans to the town. Other shows which have been filmed in the area include The CW's The Originals.

State prison
The Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison of the Georgia Department of Corrections is a maximum security prison in unincorporated Butts County about 8 mi southwest of Jackson. It is home to Georgia's death row and execution facility. The prison is also home to maximum security general population (non-death row).

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,557 people, 1,799 households, and 1,141 families residing in the city.

Education
The Butts County School District, grades pre-school to twelve, consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 184 full-time teachers and over 3,370 students.
 * Hampton L. Daughtry Elementary School
 * Jackson Elementary School
 * Stark Elementary School
 * Henderson Middle School
 * Jackson High School

Notable people

 * Neiron Ball, former NFL outside linebacker for the Oakland Raiders
 * Mac Collins, former U.S. Congressman
 * Douglass Watson, actor, best known for his portrayal of Mac Cory on the soap opera Another World