# Talbotton, Georgia

Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Talbot County.

## History

Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the county and the town were named for Governor Matthew Talbot.
Talbotton may be best known in history as the place where the immigrant Straus family got their start in retail sales in the 19th century. In 1896, the family acquired R. H. Macy & Co. in New York.

## Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km$^2$), of which 3.1 square miles (8.0 km$^2$) is land and 0.32% is water.
Highways include U.S. Route 80, and Georgia State Routes 90 and 208.

## Climate

Talbotton has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with hot, humid summers and mild winters. The record high of 110 °F (43 °C) and record low of −6 °F (−21 °C) were recorded on July 19, 1913 and February 13, 1899, respectively.
On March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado struck the town at low-end EF3 strength, causing major damage to structures and trees in the town.
Climate data for Talbotton, 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1893-present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) | 83 (28) | 93 (34) | 96 (36) | 100 (38) | 105 (41) | 110 (43) | 107 (42) | 108 (42) | 100 (38) | 89 (32) | 83 (28) | 110 (43) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 55.3 (12.9) | 59.8 (15.4) | 67.2 (19.6) | 73.9 (23.3) | 80.7 (27.1) | 86.6 (30.3) | 89.2 (31.8) | 88.0 (31.1) | 83.2 (28.4) | 74.3 (23.5) | 66.3 (19.1) | 56.7 (13.7) | 73.4 (23.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 32.1 (0.1) | 35.2 (1.8) | 41.2 (5.1) | 48.4 (9.1) | 56.9 (13.8) | 65.5 (18.6) | 69.0 (20.6) | 68.4 (20.2) | 62.2 (16.8) | 49.9 (9.9) | 40.9 (4.9) | 33.8 (1.0) | 50.3 (10.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −5 (−21) | −6 (−21) | 12 (−11) | 25 (−4) | 33 (1) | 42 (6) | 50 (10) | 50 (10) | 34 (1) | 23 (−5) | 8 (−13) | 1 (−17) | −6 (−21) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.38 (111) | 4.89 (124) | 5.38 (137) | 3.65 (93) | 3.19 (81) | 4.28 (109) | 5.00 (127) | 3.83 (97) | 3.51 (89) | 3.03 (77) | 3.95 (100) | 4.61 (117) | 49.7 (1,262) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 7.5 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 7.4 | 84.7 |
| Source: NOAA ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

Talbotton racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 122 | 16.44% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 600 | 80.86% |
| Native American | 1 | 0.13% |
| Asian | 2 | 0.27% |
| Other/Mixed | 7 | 0.94% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 10 | 1.35% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 742 people, 372 households, and 222 families residing in the city.

## Education

The Talbot County School District headquarters is located in the city as well as the only school building in the entire county. The district and school has 48 full-time teachers and over 792 students.
* Central Elementary/High School

## Notable people

* John W. Bower, signatory to the Texas Declaration of Independence, member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, and Chief justice of Refugio County, Texas; born in Talbotton.
* Charles Henry Jones, journalist, editor, and political figure, born in Talbotton.
* Clarence Jordan, farmer and New Testament Greek scholar; born in Talbotton.
* George W. Towns, U.S. Representative, and the 39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851; former resident of Talbotton.
* Lady, American rapper; born in Talbotton.
* Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, founder of Voorhees College; born in Talbotton.
* Isidor Strauss, U.S. Representative from the NY-15 district (1894-1895) and co-founder of Macy's Department Store, who died during the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic, lived in Talbotton as a youth.