Bethlehem

Beth Bethlehem is a town in Barrow County, Georgia, in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 715. The town was named after a local church, the Bethlehem Methodist Church. The area was originally occupied by Cherokee and Creek tribes. European settlers first arrived in the area in 1786. The church later opened an adjacent camp ground that was used between 1851 and 1894. This camp ground was used as a troop mobilization center during the American Civil War. In 1986 a 13-year-old Bethlehem Elementary School student made national headlines when he stabbed his principal Murray Kennedy to death with a nail file. The incident stoked fears of racial conflict in the community, which were addressed by local black and white leaders. It also drew the attention of the Ku Klux Klan, who held a rally in front of the Winder, Georgia courthouse in protest of the murder. Despite the involvement of the KKK, fears ofracial tension in the Community itself quickly died out. The climate of Bethlehem, as with most of the southeastern United States, is humid subtropical (Cfa) according to the Köppen classification. July is generally the warmest month of the year with an average high of around 90 °F (32 °C). The coldest month is January which has an averageHigh of around 53 °F. The average rainfall in Bethlehem is 5.12 inches (130 mm), with May typically being the driest month with 3.17 inches (81 mm).

History

The land that Bethlehem and the surrounding Barrow County occupies was originally occupied by Cherokee and Creek tribes. European settlers first arrived in the area in 1786. Bethlehem Methodist Church was established in 1796 in what would later become Bethlehem. The church later opened an adjacent camp ground that was used between 1851 and 1894. This camp ground was used as a troop mobilization center during the American Civil War. The area was informally established as the community of Bethlehem in December 1883 as a stop along the Belmont Monroe line of the Gainesville, Jefferson and Southern Railroad. Bethlehem was incorporated as a town in 1902 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly "under the name and style of the town of Bethlehem" In 1986 a 13-year-old Bethlehem Elementary School student made national headlines when he stabbed his principal Murray Kennedy to death with a nail file. The case drew the attention of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who helped contribute to the student's defense fund. The incident stoked fears of racial conflict in the community, which were addressed by local black and white leaders. Despite the involvement of the Ku Klux Klan in the case, the community itself quickly died out. After being charged as an adult, the student was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The railway line was removed in 1946 and Bethlehem became part of the newly formed Barrow county in 1914, which was created using land previously belonging to Gwinnett, Jackson, and Walton counties. It was named after the ancient city of Bethlehem, identified in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke as the birthplace of Jesus.

Geography

Bethlehem is located in southern Barrow County 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Winder, the county seat. The land in and around Bethlehem forms a watershed that flows into the Apalachee River and Marburg Creek. Around 76.4% of the land in Bethlehem is used for agriculture or forestry, followed by 14.8% for residential use. The climate of Bethlehem is humid subtropical (Cfa) according to the Köppen classification, with four seasons including hot, humid summers and cool winters. July is generally the warmest month of the year with an average high of around 90 °F (32 °C). The coldest month is January which has an averageHigh of around 53 °C (12 °C) March on average has the highest average precipitation at 5.12 inches (130 mm), and May typically being the driest month with 3.17 inches (81 mm) of rain. The town has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²), with approximately 0.002 square miles of water..:46% of Bethlehem's land is devoted to agriculture, and 14.7% to residential use.:46 percent of the town is dedicated to agriculture and forestry, and 13.7 percent to residential Use.:46 per cent of Bethlehem’s land is used to grow crops, and 7.7 per cent for other uses such as fruit and vegetables. The city has a population of 2,000.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 715 people, 341 households, and 241 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 64.11% White, 9% African American, 0% Native American,0.67% Asian, 0.48% Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 13.63% from other races, and 12.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 49.97% of the population. The median income for a household in theTown was $53,281, and the medianincome for a family was $59,050. The per capita income for the Town was $21,969. About 2.49% of people in the Town were below the poverty line. The town is located on the U.S. Census Bureau's West Coast, and is part of the West Coast Division of the Pacific Coast Ranges. It is the only town in the state to be on the National Register of Historic Places. It was the site of the World War II-era Battle of the Bulbous, which was fought between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1945. The U.N. World Heritage Site is located near the town, and was built in the 1950s and 1960s. It has a population of 715, and as of the 2010 census, the town had a total of 341 people. The population density was 310.9 inhabitants per square mile (120.0/km²).

Economy

Bethlehem's post office is popular during the holiday season for sending cards and letters. Mail sent from there will feature Bethlehem's cancellation mark and cachet, so that holiday mail sent will state that it is sent "from Bethlehem" The Bethlehem post office sends hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail during each Christmas season. Harrison Poultry, which opened in Bethlehem in 1958, is the largest non-government employer in Barrow County with around 1,000 employees. According to the U.S. Census's American Community Survey 2020 5-year estimate, 57.3% of Bethlehem's population that are 16 years or older are in the labor force. Of these, around 56.26% of the total population are employed, and 1.38% are unemployed. The town has a sales tax of 7%, which comprises the 4% state sales tax and a 3% local tax. Bethlehem's flier canceler is more than 100 years old and is the only one still in use by the US Postal Service. It features the Three Wise Men and the Star of Bethlehem. The post office also has hand-stamps that customers can use to stamp "Christmas Greetings from Bethlehem" on their letters and cards before being sent. In 1967 the United States Postal Service debuted a special Christmas stamp. The stamp was a reproduction of Hans Memling's Madonna and Child with Angels. Despite only regularly employing the postmaster and one other part-time employee in a town that at the time had around 350 people, this stamp was requested by so many people that the town's postmaster hired 43 temporary workers to handle the increased workload.

Arts and culture

The town operates a library inside City Hall as part of the Piedmont Regional Library System. The nearby Kilgore Mill Covered Bridge and Mill Site was built in 1874 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Bethlehem hosts an annual nativity pageant during each Christmas season at the town square on Christmas Avenue, below the illuminated large star which represents the Star of Bethlehem. The original star was put in place in 1951 and measured 15 feet (4.6 m) across, and was replaced in 2009 with a star measuring 12 feet (3.7 m) due to excessive rust and nonfunctioning lights on the original. The town has no designated historic districts.:42 The town of Bethlehem is located in eastern Georgia, on the border of Barrow and Walton counties. It is located on the east bank of the Apalachee River, which serves as the boundary between Barrow & Walton counties, and the state's easternmost point. The city has a population of 2,000, with the majority of its residents living in or near the town center. It has an estimated population of 3,000. It was founded in 1842, and is located near the junction of two rivers, the Apalachee and the Piedmont Mississippi rivers. It also lies on the U.S. Interstate 66, which runs through the town and into the state. The state's largest city, Bethlehem, is located just south of the town.

Parks and recreation

The town has one designated park, the R. Harold Harrison Community Playground, which includes a playground, walking trail, and covered pavilion. The closest state park is Fort Yargo State Park, located approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of Bethlehem in Winder. The town of Bethlehem has a population of 2,000. The population of the town has grown from 1,000 to 2,500 in the last 50 years. The city has had a population growth rate of 0.7% since the start of the 20th century, the highest rate of any town in the United States. the town's population has grown by 0.8% in the past 50 years, the largest rate of growth in the U.S. since the early 1980s. the city's population grew by 1.9% from 2000 to 2010, the greatest growth rate in the state since the mid-1980s. The growth rate was 0.9%. The town has had an increase in the number of people living in the town since the late 1990s, the most since the 1990s. It has also had a decrease in the percentage of residents who live outside the town limits, the lowest rate since the 1970s and the early 2000s. In 2010 the town had 1,200 residents, down from 2,200 in 2000. The number of residents living outside the city limits has declined by 1,100 since the beginning of the 2000s, when the population was 1,800.

Government

Bethlehem is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district. It is also part of the Georgia State Senate's 47th district and the 116th district for the Georgia House of Representatives. Bethlehem was incorporated in 1902 as a civil township under a mayor and five councilmen, each with a term of one year. This government style was reaffirmed by an act passed during a 2004 session of theGeorgia General Assembly, which added a town clerk to the council. The town has a population of 2,000. It has a post office with a ZIP code of 7054. The city is located on Georgia's Atlantic railway and is on the Atlantic Ring Road. It was the site of the World War I Battle of Bethlehem. The U.S. Civil War was fought in Bethlehem from 1864 to 1875. The Battle was the first battle of the Civil War, which was fought between the Confederate states of Georgia and the American secession of the United States. The Battle of Bethlehem was won by the Confederate States of America in 1875, and the Battle of Beth Bethlehem was fought again in 1878. The battle was the only one of the World War I, which ended in 1879. The American sequestration was fought from 1881 to 1883, and ended with the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place from 1883 to 1884. Bethlehem is the birthplace of President Lincoln.

Education

Public education for students in Bethlehem is administrated by Barrow County Schools. Bethlehem is part of the Apalachee cluster and is served by Bethlehem Elementary School, Haymon-Morris Middle School, and Apalachese High School. Snodon Preparatory School was located in Bethlehem until its closure in 2019. Bethlehem Christian Academy is a private school that serves Pre-K through 12th grade. Students in Bethlehem have the option to attend a charter school in Athens known as Foothills Education Charter High School on lottery basis. High school students are also able to apply to attend two college preparatory schools in Barrows County, Sims Academy of Innovation & Technology or the Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy. The town of Bethlehem is home to the Bethlehem Lions Club, which has been in existence since the early 1900s. The Lions Club is a non-profit organization that provides scholarships to students in the Bethlehem area. It was founded by the Lions Club members in the early 20th century to help raise funds for local charities. It is located in the town's historic downtown area and is located on the banks of the Bethlehem River. The city is also home to a number of businesses, including the Bethlehem Lumber Company and the Bethlehem-Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, which was founded in the 1930s to help fund the local economy. The Bethlehem Lions club has been around for more than 100 years. It also has a chapter of the National Rifle Association, which is based in Bethlehem and serves members of the community.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bethlehem, Barrow County, Georgia = 83. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 79. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Bethlehem = 5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 73,598 individuals with a median age of 31.7 age the population grows by 78.21% in Bethlehem, Barrow County, Georgia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 310.9 residents per square mile of area (119.2/km²). There are average 2.84 people per household in the 449 households with an average household income of $53,896 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.00% of the available work force and has dropped -6.39% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 16.22%. The number of physicians in Bethlehem per 100,000 population = 46.5.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bethlehem = 49.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 0.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 91. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 214. 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 31.2 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 32, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Bethlehem, Barrow County, Georgia which are owned by the occupant = 76.12%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 10 years with median home cost = $104,840 and home appreciation of -5.08%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.96 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,151 per student. There are 15.3 students for each teacher in the school, 411 students for each Librarian and 700 students for each Counselor. 6.08% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 4.44% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).