Douglas, Georgia


Douglas is a city in Coffee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,722. Douglas is the county seat of Coffee County and the core city of the Douglas micropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 50,731 as of the 2010 census.

History

Douglas was founded in 1855 as the seat of the newly formed Coffee County. It was named for Senator Stephen A. Douglas from Illinois, a renowned stump speaker who was the challenger to Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860.
Douglas was chartered as a town in 1895 and as a city in 1897. In 1895, the railroad came to Douglas and the community began to boom. In 1909, the Georgia and Florida Railway located its offices in Douglas.
The Eleventh District Agricultural & Mechanical School was established in Douglas in 1906. In 1927, South Georgia College was founded as Georgia's first state-supported junior college.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Douglas was one of the major tobacco markets in the state. Much of this history is depicted in the Heritage Station Museum, located in the former Georgia and Florida Railway train station on Ward Street in downtown Douglas.
Douglas has two areas listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the downtown and Gaskin Avenue historic districts. They were added to the list in 1989.
In the aftermath of the 2020 United States presidential election, Douglas gained national attention when the elections office for Coffee County was visited by lawyers for President Trump on the day after the January 6 incident at the US Capitol, after Coffee County elections officials were unable to certify results in a mandatory recount following a close win in the state by Joe Biden over President Trump.
In late September 2024, Douglas was in the direct path of Hurricane Helene, which resulted in widespread damage and power outages. A wind gust of was recorded in Douglas during the storm, with 80-85% of homes in Coffee County suffering damage.

Geography

Douglas is located near the center of Coffee County at . It is driving distance northeast of Valdosta, Georgia, driving distance northwest of Jacksonville, Florida, and driving distance southeast of Atlanta.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Douglas has a total area of, of which is land and, or 4.08%, is water. Major water bodies include Twenty Mile Creek, the Seventeen Mile River, and Hilliard's Pond, which was once the ski show park "Holiday Beach".

Climate

Demographics

RaceNum.Perc.
White3,93933.6%
Black or African American6,11352.15%
Native American220.19%
Asian1100.94%
Pacific Islander70.06%
Other/Mixed3573.05%
Hispanic or Latino1,17410.02%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,722 people, 4,339 households, and 2,610 families residing in the city.

Douglas micropolitan statistical area

Douglas is the principal city of the Douglas micropolitan statistical area, a micropolitan area that covers Atkinson and Coffee counties and had a combined population of 50,731 at the 2010 census.

Infrastructure

Highways

Major employers

Farming plays a large role in the area's economy. Major agricultural products from the town and surrounding county include peanuts, corn, tobacco, and cotton. Chicken is also a major part of the economy.

Tourism

Douglas is home to Heritage Station Museum, which displays artifacts of the city's history. The World War II Flight Training Museum, Broxton is home to the Broxton Rocks, and the Ashley-Slater House are also popular tourist attractions in the area. All three were recently named among "Georgia's Hidden Treasures" in a segment on WSB-TV.
Douglas has ten public parks. There are four golf courses in and around the city.
Nearby, the General Coffee State Park draws more than 100,000 visitors a year and is the most popular tourist attraction in the area.

Healthcare

  • Coffee Regional Medical Center
  • Coffee Regional Walk-In Clinic

    Media

  • WOKA Dixie Country 106.7 FM
  • WOKA Radio 1310 AM
  • WOUG Radio Cielo 107.3 FM
  • WULS Radio 103.7 FM
  • WDMG Radio 97.9 FM, 860 AM
  • WPNG Radio Shine 101.9 FM
  • WSIZ Radio MyFM 102.3 @ 99.9 FM
  • The Douglas News
  • The Douglas Enterprise
  • WSWG, CBS TV

    Education

Coffee County School District

The Douglas-Coffee County area is served by the Coffee County Board of Education. The Coffee County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of eight elementary schools, a middle school, three high schools, and an alternative education center. The district has 438 full-time teachers and over 8,000 students.