Macon | |
|---|---|
| Macon–Bibb County | |
Aerial photograph of Macon | |
 Seal | |
 Location within Bibb County | |
  Macon Location within Georgia  Macon Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 32°50′5″N 83°39′6″W / 32.83472°N 83.65167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Bibb |
| Settled around Fort Benjamin Hawkins | 1809 |
| Named for | Nathaniel Macon |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Lester Miller |
| Area | |
| 254.90 sq mi (660.19 km2) | |
| • Land | 249.38 sq mi (645.89 km2) |
| • Water | 5.52 sq mi (14.30 km2) |
| Elevation | 381 ft (116 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| 157,346 | |
| • Rank | |
| • Density | 630.95/sq mi (243.61/km2) |
| • Metro | 233,802 (197th) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 31200–31299 |
| Area code | 478 |
| FIPS code | 13-49000[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332301[4] |
| Website | maconbibb.us |
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Macon (/ˈmeɪkən/ 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.
- ^ "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "QuickFacts: Macon-Bibb County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. May 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
- ^ "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.