 Blackshear,
the county seat of Pierce County, was named in honor of General
David Blackshear (1764-1837). General Blackshear was responsible
for commanding the troops that constructed Blackshear Road, a
route between Hartford and the Flint River in the early 1800s.
The
Marion Anderson Library Black Heritage Collection in Blackshear
contains about 300 volumes and oil paintings addressing black
heritage. This is the largest publicly accessible collection of
this type in the region.
Annually,
the City of Blackshear hosts HarvestFest, a fall festival that
takes place on the second Saturday of October. Blackshear has
two historic structures that are listed on the National Register
of Historic Places, the Pierce County courthouse and the old
Blackshear jail. The jail is one of only two hanging jails that
remain in Georgia.
Blackshear
participates in the Better Hometown Program run by the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs. This community development
program is a public-private partnership intended to revitalize
small communities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000.
These cities have access to technical assistance and fiscal
resources designed to stimulate downtown revitalization.
Population (year 2000): 3,283. Estimated
population in July 2005: 3,421 (+4.2% change)
Males: 1,477 (45.0%), Females: 1,806 (55.0%)
Pierce County
Zip code:
31516
Median resident age: 39.6 years
Median household income: $27,285 (year 2000)
Median house value: $62,000 (year 2000)
Races in Blackshear:
- White Non-Hispanic (76.6%)
- Black (21.4%)
- Hispanic (1.0%)
- Two or more races (0.6%)
Ancestries: United States (26.5%), English
(8.9%), Irish (5.1%), German (1.7%), Scotch-Irish (1.3%),
Scottish (1.0%).
Elevation: 120 feet
Land area: 4.3 square miles
For population 25 years and over in Blackshear
- High school or higher: 69.5%
- Bachelor's degree or higher: 14.3%
- Graduate or professional degree: 5.4%
- Unemployed: 5.0%
- Mean travel time to work: 18.3 minutes
For population 15
years and over in Blackshear city
- Never married: 15.4%
- Now married: 56.8%
- Separated: 1.9%
- Widowed: 12.7%
- Divorced: 13.3%
1.6% Foreign born
Population change in the 1990s: -251 (-7.1%).
Hospitals/medical centers near Blackshear:
- SATILLA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER (about 9 miles;
WAYCROSS, GA)
- BACON COUNTY HOSPITAL (about 23 miles; ALMA, GA)
- BACON COUNTY HOSPITAL (about 23 miles; ALMA, GA)
Airports certified for carrier operations nearest to
Blackshear:
- BRUNSWICK GOLDEN ISLES (about 56 miles; BRUNSWICK,
GA; ID: BQK)
- JACKSONVILLE INTL (about 69 miles; JACKSONVILLE, FL;
ID: JAX)
- MOODY AFB (about 69 miles; VALDOSTA, GA; ID: VAD)
Other public-use airports nearest to Blackshear:
- WAYCROSS-WARE COUNTY (about 11 miles; WAYCROSS, GA;
ID: AYS)
- BACON COUNTY (about 24 miles; ALMA, GA; ID: AMG)
- BRANTLEY COUNTY (about 25 miles; NAHUNTA, GA; ID:
4J1)
Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to
Blackshear:
- VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY (about 79 miles; VALDOSTA,
GA; Full-time enrollment: 7,157)
- FLORIDA COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE (about 79
miles; JACKSONVILLE, FL; FT enrollment: 10,495)
- GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY (about 84 miles;
STATESBORO, GA; FT enrollment: 12,724)
- ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE UNIVERSITY (about 87 miles;
SAVANNAH, GA; FT enrollment: 3,945)
- UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA (about 89 miles;
JACKSONVILLE, FL; FT enrollment: 9,256)
- SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (about 94 miles;
SAVANNAH, GA; FT enrollment: 4,565)
- UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (about 112 miles; GAINESVILLE,
FL; FT enrollment: 41,543)
Public high school in Blackshear:
- PIERCE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 860;
Location: 4850 COUNTY FARM ROAD; Grades: 09 - 12)
Public primary/middle schools in Blackshear:
- BLACKSHEAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students:
1,168; Location: 5217 NORTH HIGHWAY 121; Grades: PK -
05)
- PIERCE COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 814;
Location: 5216 COUNTY FARM ROAD; Grades: 06 - 08)
Demographic -
Economy -
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