Attapulgus, Georgia

Attapulgus, Georgia
Location in Decatur County and the state of Georgia
Location in Decatur County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 30°44′54″N 84°29′2″W / 30.74833°N 84.48389°W / 30.74833; -84.48389
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyDecatur
Area
 • Total
0.80 sq mi (2.06 km2)
 • Land0.80 sq mi (2.06 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
318 ft (97 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
454
 • Density570.35/sq mi (220.14/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
31715, 39815
Area code229
FIPS code13-04084[2]
GNIS feature ID0354409[3]
Websitegeorgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/decatur/attapulgus

Attapulgus is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 454, up from 449 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bainbridge, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The town's name is a Muscogee word meaning "Dogwood"; due to the abundance of attapulgite, which makes up the clay soil throughout much of the Southeast, the mineral was named after the town.

Attapulgus was the birthplace of civil rights leader Hosea Williams (1926-2000), who is said to have been run out of town by a lynch mob at the age of 13. He is remembered around the world for his close association with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and for leading, with John Lewis, the famous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 that led to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Williams served on the Atlanta City Council, the DeKalb County Commission, and in the Georgia Senate. He also started a program to feed the hungry that has continued long after his death.

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.