Creek Indians first settled the Macon area. Thomas Jefferson established Fort Hawkins there in 1806. The city was chartered in 1823 and named for Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina congressman. During the 1840's and 1850's, Macon became an important railroad center. Confederates repulsed a Union attack on Macon in 1864, during the American Civil War.
Macon has six national historic districts.
Major renewal took place in the downtown area in the early 1980's. Macon has a mayor-council form of government. It is the county seat of Bibb County. How to cite this article.