Comer, Georgia

Comer, Georgia
Comer is a city in Madison County, Georgia, United States. It had a population of 1,512 as of the 2020 census, up from 1,126 in 2010. Comer is the largest city in Madison County based on population and total land area. The city is included in the Athens-Clarke County Metropolitan Statistical Area, part of the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area.
History
The present city of Comer was incorporated by an act of the Georgia Legislature on January 1, 1893. The community was named after A. J. Comer, a pioneer citizen.
Geography
Comer is located in southeastern Madison County at . It is concentrated around the intersection of Georgia State Routes 72, 98, and 22. Athens is to the southwest; Danielsville, the Madison county seat, is to the northwest; Elberton is to the east; and Lexington is to the south. Comer is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. Watson Mill Bridge State Park lies just to the southeast.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.80%, are water.
Neighborhoods
Downtown
Jubilee
Clairmont
Brickyard
Royal Oaks
Shannons Place
Village Station
Arnold Park
Spring Stone
Hill Street
Madison Street
Clover Ave
College Ave
Laurel Ave
Hawks View
Major highways
State Route 22
State
Route 72 Business
State
Route 72 Bypass
State
Route 72 Spur
State Route 98
Education
Children in the city of Comer attend the following schools for the Comer School Zone, Madison County School District.
Comer Elementary School (CES), home of the Comer Comets
Madison County Middle School (MCMS), home of the Mustangs
Madison County High School (MCHS), home of the Red Raiders
Broad River College and Career Academy
The Gholston Fund is an education-directed trust set up by J. Knox Gholston before his death to continue his legacy of funding local education projects in Comer.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,052 people, 391 households, and 251 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 424 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.95% White, 20.25% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.
There were 391 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,059, and the median income for a family was $40,750. Males had a median income of $33,333 versus $22,969 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,742. About 12.4% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Comer is divided into four city districts, each represented by a single elected city council member, elected at-large city mayor, as well as an elected county commissioner who serves one of five county districts.
Elected officials
Mayor: Jimmy Yarbrough
City Council members
District 1 Sherman Mattox
District 2 Ron Farren
District 3 Laura Minish
District 4 Michael Wilder
State Senate District 47 Frank Ginn
State House District 33 Rob Leverett
US Congress District 9 Andrew Clyde
Appointed officials
City Clerk / Court Clerk: Mary Anderson
Assist. City Clerk / Assist. Court Clerk: Donna Hawks
Utilities Superintendent: Scott Porter
Chief of Police: Cherilyn Bell
Fire Chief: Lee Bales
City Attorney: David Syfan
Municipal Court Judge: Robert Sneed
City Engineer: Tom Sloope
Public safety
Comer is served by the Comer Police Department, led by Police Chief Cherilyn Bell and with two employees. The city is also served by the Comer Volunteer Fire Department, led by Fire Chief Johnny Bridges. Madison County Emergency Medical Service provides EMS basic and advance life support services. The department is led by Director Bobby Smith, who is also the Madison County EMA director. The city is also served by the Madison County Rescue Service for basic crash rescue and advanced technical rescue services. The department is led by Rescue Chief Mark Perry.
Public housing
Comer has two separate sets of public housing units, managed and run by the Athens Housing Authority.
Athens Housing Authority - East (Spring Circle)
Athens Housing Authority - West (Ivy Street)
Each housing unit has approximately 15 apartment units.
Public utilities and maintenance
Comer Water and Sewer Department and the Streets and Sanitation Department serve the city. Both departments are led by Utilities Superintendent Scott Porter.
Electric service in Comer is provided by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, and one customer-owned electric cooperative, Jackson EMC. Water utility and sewer service is provided by the City of Comer Water and Sewer Department. Garbage collection is provided by AAA Sanitation. Natural gas is supplied by Atlanta Gas Light through various marketers within the deregulated market. Telephone and hardline internet service is provided by either Windstream or Charter Communications depending on where one lives in the city.
Healthcare
Comer Health and Rehabilitation Center is a 24/7 short or long term personal care facility that offers physical therapy, in-house wound care and restorative care. Comer Health and Rehabilitation is a subsidiary of Ethica Health and Retirement Services.
Jubilee Partners
A sister program to Habitat for Humanity, Jubilee Partners is a Christian service community located on Jubilee Road in Comer. It was founded in 1979 by a small group of people from Koinonia Farms in Americus, Georgia, who wanted to establish a community in northeast Georgia that would function similar to the Americus community.
See also
List of schools in Madison County
Smithonia, Georgia
References
External links
Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
Cities in Madison County, Georgia
Athens – Clarke County metropolitan area