Bibb County
Bibb County
Bibb County, the 54th county formed in Georgia, was created in 1822. The county was named for Dr. William Wyatt Bibb, who lived in Elbert County and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He was appointed governor of the territory of Alabama in 1816 and became the first elected governor of that state.
The county has two incorporated municipalities, Macon, which is the county seat, and Payne City, which is entirely surrounded by the larger city.
Macon was incorporated in 1823, named after Sen. Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina, the home state of most of the early white settlers in the area. Macon’s City Hall served as the temporary state capitol from November 1864 to 1865.
Voters in Macon and Bibb County voted in July 2012 to consolidate the two governments. The merger became effective in January 2014.
Macon is home to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and Wesleyan College, founded in 1836 as the first college chartered to grant degrees to women.
MACON-BIBB COUNTY GOVERNMENT
Macon-Bibb County Government Center, 700 Poplar St., 478-751-7400.
The Macon-Bibb County government’s elected officials include a mayor and nine county commissioners.
Voter registration
Board of Elections, 2445 Pio Nono Ave., 478-621-6622
Driver’s licenses
Drivers License Bureau: 200 Cherry St., Terminal Station, Macon, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 478-751-6031
Auto tags
Bibb County Tax Commissioner, Bibb County Courthouse, 601 Mulberry St., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 478-621-6600; tag office at farmers market, 2055 Eisenhower Parkway, Building C, 478-621-6820
Emergency numbers
Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, 911 or 478-746-9441
Macon-Bibb County Fire Department, 911 or 478-751-9180
Ambulance Service, 911 or 478-741-4141
POPULATION
2012 estimate: 156,462
Change, 2000 to 2010: 1.1 percent
White: 43.5 percent
Black: 53 percent
Hispanic: 3.2 percent
EDUCATION
High school or better: 81.2 percent
Bachelor’s or better: 23.1 percent
Public high school graduates, 2011: 896
Graduation rate, 2011: 51.3 percent
Public school enrollment, October 2012: 24,508
Eligible for HOPE scholarship: 28.1 percent
Enrolled, white: 25.3 percent
Enrolled, black: 72.9 percent
ECONOMICS
Median household income, 2011: $35,125
People below poverty level: 23.5 percent
Unemployment rate, December 2013: 7.9
Civilian labor force, December 2013: 73,816
HEALTH
Births per 1,000 people, 2010: 15.2
Deaths per 1,000 people, 2010: 10.4
Births to unwed mothers, 2010: 64.1 percent
Teen pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 10 to 19: 36.4
People per physician, 2010: 249
Uninsured, less than age 65: 19 percent
TANF recipients, Fiscal 2011: 0.8 percent
PHYSICAL
Land: 255.4 square miles
Land in farms: 9 percent
Road mileage, unpaved, 2010: 4.7 percent
Sources: Telegraph analysis, Georgia Statistics System, U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Department of Education
This story was originally published May 4, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bibb County ."