# Metter, Georgia

Metter is a city and the county seat of Candler County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,130 at the 2010 census. In 2020, its population was 4,004.

## History

Metter was founded in 1889. In 1914, Metter was designated seat of the newly formed Candler County. Metter was incorporated as a town in 1903 and as a city in 1920.

## Geography

Metter is located near the center of Candler County at 32°23′47″N 82°03′45″W﻿ / ﻿32.396253°N 82.062414°W﻿ / 32.396253; -82.062414, in eastern Georgia. Interstate 16 touches the southern edge of the city, leading east 63 miles (101 km) to Savannah, and west 102 miles (164 km) to Macon. A short, tree-lined parkway leads from I-16 to the downtown area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Metter has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km$^2$), of which 7.7 square miles (19.9 km$^2$) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km$^2$), or 2.53%, is water.
Longtime residents use the slogan "Everything's Better in Metter".
Metter may be best known as the home of "The Sower", Michael Guido, who delivered short evangelical PSAs on late-night television nationwide for decades. Dr. Guido's messages were filmed at Guido Gardens, which houses a public botanical garden and a school of ministry. Guido died at the age of 94 on February 22, 2009. His messages were aired on TV stations in the Georgia and South Carolina region.
A prominent event in Metter is Another Bloomin' Festival, an arts and crafts festival held the day before Easter. The festival draws thousands of out-of-town residents, who come to enjoy homemade desserts, barbecue, and crafts. In addition, it serves as a homecoming celebration for former residents who have returned to celebrate the holiday with their families.

### Climate

Climate data for Metter, Georgia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2003–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) | 85 (29) | 89 (32) | 94 (34) | 101 (38) | 104 (40) | 102 (39) | 104 (40) | 100 (38) | 99 (37) | 87 (31) | 84 (29) | 104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 76.1 (24.5) | 79.7 (26.5) | 84.7 (29.3) | 89.7 (32.1) | 94.7 (34.8) | 98.9 (37.2) | 99.0 (37.2) | 98.5 (36.9) | 95.1 (35.1) | 90.3 (32.4) | 82.3 (27.9) | 79.0 (26.1) | 100.3 (37.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 60.1 (15.6) | 64.6 (18.1) | 71.1 (21.7) | 78.0 (25.6) | 85.6 (29.8) | 90.5 (32.5) | 92.3 (33.5) | 91.2 (32.9) | 86.4 (30.2) | 78.4 (25.8) | 69.2 (20.7) | 62.7 (17.1) | 77.5 (25.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.6 (9.8) | 53.4 (11.9) | 59.5 (15.3) | 66.0 (18.9) | 74.3 (23.5) | 80.1 (26.7) | 82.5 (28.1) | 81.8 (27.7) | 77.1 (25.1) | 67.5 (19.7) | 57.9 (14.4) | 52.0 (11.1) | 66.8 (19.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 39.1 (3.9) | 42.1 (5.6) | 47.9 (8.8) | 54.0 (12.2) | 62.9 (17.2) | 69.7 (20.9) | 72.6 (22.6) | 72.5 (22.5) | 67.8 (19.9) | 56.6 (13.7) | 46.5 (8.1) | 41.3 (5.2) | 56.1 (13.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 22.5 (−5.3) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 30.2 (−1.0) | 39.1 (3.9) | 48.4 (9.1) | 63.1 (17.3) | 66.1 (18.9) | 65.5 (18.6) | 55.7 (13.2) | 40.5 (4.7) | 28.7 (−1.8) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 20.7 (−6.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 15 (−9) | 18 (−8) | 23 (−5) | 28 (−2) | 45 (7) | 58 (14) | 60 (16) | 61 (16) | 47 (8) | 33 (1) | 21 (−6) | 16 (−9) | 15 (−9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.06 (103) | 3.77 (96) | 4.28 (109) | 2.84 (72) | 3.44 (87) | 4.92 (125) | 5.61 (142) | 4.76 (121) | 3.53 (90) | 2.74 (70) | 3.03 (77) | 4.26 (108) | 47.24 (1,200) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.2 (0.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.2 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 9.4 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 7.9 | 6.9 | 5.6 | 8.3 | 104.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA (snow/snow days 1981–2010) ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020) ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

Metter racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,865 | 46.58% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,553 | 38.79% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 47 | 1.17% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 113 | 2.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 418 | 10.44% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,004 people, 1,455 households, and 1,018 families residing in the city.

## Education
### Candler County School District

The Candler County School District holds pre-kindergarten to grade twelve, and consists of an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. The district has 117 full-time teachers and over 1,930 students.

#### Elementary schools

* Metter Elementary School

#### Middle school

* Metter Middle School

#### High school

* Metter High School

## Notable people

* LaVon Mercer (born 1959), American-Israeli basketball player