Ideal is a city in Macon County, Georgia, United States. The population was 407 at the 2020 census,[2] down from 499 in 2010.

Ideal, Georgia
Location in Macon County and the state of Georgia
Location in Macon County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°22′23″N 84°11′20″W / 32.37306°N 84.18889°W / 32.37306; -84.18889
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyMacon
Area
 • Total1.15 sq mi (2.99 km2)
 • Land1.14 sq mi (2.96 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
482 ft (147 m)
Population
 • Total407
 • Density355.77/sq mi (137.34/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
31041
Area code478
FIPS code13-40812[3]
GNIS feature ID0356328[4]

History

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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.[5]

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Ideal as a town in 1906.[6]

Geography

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Ideal is located in western Macon County at 32°22′23″N 84°11′20″W / 32.37306°N 84.18889°W / 32.37306; -84.18889 (32.372918, -84.188822).[7] Georgia State Route 90 passes through the center of town, leading southeast 10 miles (16 km) to Oglethorpe, the county seat, and northwest 8 miles (13 km) to Rupert.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.16 square miles (3.0 km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2), or 0.95%, are water.[1] It resides at the confluence of Whitewater and Cedar creeks, two spring-fed tributaries of the Flint River.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1910186
192030463.4%
1930285−6.2%
1940238−16.5%
195031833.6%
196043235.8%
197054325.7%
198061914.0%
1990554−10.5%
2000518−6.5%
2010499−3.7%
2020407−18.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1850-1870[9] 1880[10]
1890-1910[11] 1920-1930[12]
1930-1940[13] 1940-1950[14]
1960-1980[15]1990[16]
Ideal racial composition as of 2020[17]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 113 27.76%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 270 66.34%
Asian 1 0.25%
Other/Mixed 21 5.16%
Hispanic or Latino 2 0.49%

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

References

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  1. ^ a b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "P1. Race – Ideal city, Georgia: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 115. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  6. ^ Georgia (1907). Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. Clark & Hines, State Printers. p. 730.
  7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  9. ^ "1870 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1870.
  10. ^ "1880 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  11. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  12. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930. p. 253.
  13. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  14. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  15. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  16. ^ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1990.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.