HARTWELL, GA

Hartwell is a city in Hart County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,469 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Hart County.

History

Hartwell was founded in 1854 as seat of the newly formed Hart County. It was incorporated as a town in 1856 and as a city in 1904. The town was named for Revolutionary War figure Nancy Morgan Hart.

Geography

Hartwell is located in central Hart County at (34.352738, -82.931161). It sits southwest of Lake Hartwell, which acquired its name from the city. Hartwell is in the Piedmont region of Georgia, or the Upland South, and lies southeast of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at Toccoa.

U.S. Route 29 passes through the center of Hartwell, leading east to the South Carolina border at Hartwell Dam on the Savannah River, and southwest to Royston. Anderson, South Carolina, is to the northeast via US 29, and Athens, Georgia, is to the southwest. Georgia State Route 51 also passes through Hartwell, leading north to Reed Creek and west to Bowersville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Hartwell has a total area of , of which , or 0.32%, are water.

Climate

Hartwell lies in the Hudmid Subtropical climate zone with the majority of the rest of the American Southeast with mild winters and warm muggy summers. Rainfall is relatively evenly distributed throughout the year averaging more than 50 inches annually. Snowfall can occur in winter, averaging between 1 and 2 inches annually, though many years see no snowfall. Hartwell lies on the leeside of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, which makes it prone to a few things; Cold Air Damming, Drought, and downsloping winds. Cold air damming, also known as the "wedge", is when winds from the northeast drive down cold air at the surface. Thus, Hartwell can experience Freezing Rain during the winter months as a result of cold air damming more frequently then other areas of the country. Hartwell is also prone to warmer temperatures, even behind cold fronts in the winter due to downsloping winds off of the Appalachian mountains. Thus the reason Hartwell can be 10 to as much as 20 degrees warmer then areas further west such as Atlanta during the winter months.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 4,470 people, 1,592 households, and 1,013 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,469 people. There were 2,266 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 61.33% White, 34.53% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.07% of the population.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,128 and the median income for a family was $45,909. The per capita income for the city was $18,937. About 15.4% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 20.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Hart County School District

The Hart County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and an academy school. The district has 230 full-time teachers and over 3,564 students.

Hart County Public Library

The Hart County Public Library was begun in 1938 with rooms over Homer Herndon's drug store, then moved to the County Courthouse in 1941 until 1968 when the courthouse burned down. It was then located in the County School Board building until funds were raised for a permanent building in 1975.

Notable people