La Grange, 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 29,588 at the 2010 United States Census. It is the principal city of and is included in the LaGrange, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, Georgia-Alabama (part) Combined Statistical Area.

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
The settlement of LaGrange began in the early 19th century soon after the territory was ceded by the Creek Indians and the subsequent establishment of Troup County, Georgia. The City was incorporated in December 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 and negotiated a surrender.

Although local assets were burned and looted 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-20th century. A 1935 textile strike at Callaway Mills resulted in martial law in LaGrange, and Georgia National Guardsmen killed at least one striker while evicting families from mill-owned homes. 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 construction beginning in 2006 of a Kia Motors assembly plant in Troup County along with its satellite industries is expected to reverse the falling manufacturing trends.

LaGrange maintained its 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, which opened a Distribution Center several years ago.

Troup County School District
The Troup County School System holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of fifteen elementary schools, three middle schools (Callaway Middle School, Gardner Newman Middle School, and Long Cane Middle School) and three high schools (Callaway High School, LaGrange High School,and Troup County Comprehensive High School. The County is divided into three school zones. The Troup County School System serves Hogansville, LaGrange, and West Point. It is home to over twenty new/recently renovated schools. Key accomplishments for TCSS: LaGrange High School being named by USA Today as the best high school in Georgia and one of the best in the nation (based on advance placement classes). West Side Magnet School was named #1 in a national five-year study of Fine Arts Schools by the Westat Foundation. Long Cane Elementary School was named a 2010 Georgia School of Excellence. Troup High's Character Education Program has received statewide recognition as a model program for others to follow. The district has 823 full-time teachers and over 11,779 students.

Private education

 * LaGrange Academy
 * Dawson Sreet Academy
 * Lafayette Christian
 * Sound Doctrine Christian Academy
 * Oak Grove Christian Academy

Higher education

 * LaGrange College- Main Campus
 * Point University
 * West Georgia Technical College

Demographics
At the 2009 census, there were 28,201 people, 10,022 households, and 6,504 families residing in the city. The population density was 897.8 per square mile (346.6/km²). There were 11,000 housing units at an average density of 379.9 per square mile (146.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.8% White,39.6% African American, 0.18% Native American, 4.9% 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, 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.

Age distribution was 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 household income was $29,719, and the median family income 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.

Other Transportation
LaGrange-Callaway Airport is located SW of the city of LaGrange.

Sister cities
LaGrange has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
 * Craigavon, Northern Ireland
 * Poti, Georgia
 * Aso, Kumamoto, Japan

Notable natives

 * Fuller Earle Callaway (1870–1928), textile magnate
 * Mike Cameron, Major League Baseball player
 * Tom Jarriel, ABC news correspondent, was born in LaGrange in 1934.
 * Elijah Kelley, actor
 * Wynona Lipman (1923–1999), first African-American woman elected to the New Jersey Senate.
 * Fred Newman, actor
 * Andy "Bubba Sparxxx" Mathis, rapper
 * Wesley Woodyard, National Football League player
 * James M. Sprayberry, Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor
 * Hammett L. Bowen, Jr., Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor
 * Louis Tompkins Wright, (1891–1952), physician, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, the first African-American physician to be appointed to the staff of a New York City municipal hospital; notable for many scientific breakthroughs, including the introduction of intradermal smallpox vaccination.
 * James E. "Jimmy" Farrar, singer/songwriter