Macon, Georgia

Macon
Macon–Bibb County
Official seal of Macon
Location within Bibb County
Location within Bibb County
Macon is located in Georgia
Macon
Macon
Location within Georgia
Macon is located in the United States
Macon
Macon
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 32°50′5″N 83°39′6″W / 32.83472°N 83.65167°W / 32.83472; -83.65167
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyBibb
Settled around Fort Benjamin Hawkins1809
Government
 • MayorLester Miller
Area
 • Consolidated city-county254.90 sq mi (660.19 km2)
 • Land249.38 sq mi (645.89 km2)
 • Water5.52 sq mi (14.30 km2)
Elevation
381 ft (116 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Consolidated city-county157,346
 • Rank
  • 164th in the United States
  • 4th in Georgia
 • Density630.95/sq mi (243.61/km2)
 • Metro233,802 (197th)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
31200–31299
Area code478
FIPS code13-49000[3]
GNIS feature ID0332301[4]
Websitemaconbibb.us

Macon (/ˈmkən/ MAY-kən), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia, United States. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is 85 miles (137 km) southeast of Atlanta and near the state's geographic center—hence its nickname "The Heart of Georgia".

Macon's population was 157,346 in the 2020 census.[5] It is the principal city of the Macon metropolitan statistical area, which had 234,802 people in 2020.[2] It also is the largest city in the Macon–Warner Robins Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which had approximately 420,693 residents in 2017 and abuts the Atlanta metropolitan area to the northwest.

Voters approved the consolidation of the City of Macon and Bibb County governments in a 2012 referendum. Macon became the state's fourth-largest city (after Augusta) when the merger became official on January 1, 2014.[6]

Macon is served by three interstate highways: I-16 (connecting to Savannah and coastal Georgia), I-75 (connecting to Atlanta to the north and Valdosta to the south), and I-475 (a city bypass highway). The area has two small general aviation airports, Middle Georgia Regional Airport and Herbert Smart Downtown Airport. Residents traveling to and from the area mainly use the large commercial airport in Atlanta, approximately 80 miles to the northwest.

The city has several institutions of higher education and numerous museums and tourism sites.

  1. ^ "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "QuickFacts: Macon-Bibb County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. May 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Macon-Bibb County consolidation wins with strong majorities". The Macon Telegraph. July 31, 2012. Archived from the original on July 19, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2012.