Metter, Georgia
City in Georgia, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metter is a city in and the county seat of Candler County, Georgia, United States.[4] The population was 4,130 at the 2010 census.[5] In 2020, its population was 4,004. The city is halfway between Macon and Savannah on Interstate 16.
Metter, Georgia | |
|---|---|
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 Logo | |
 Location in Candler County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 32°23′47″N 82°3′45″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Candler |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ed Boyd |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.68 sq mi (19.90 km2) |
| • Land | 7.50 sq mi (19.42 km2) |
| • Water | 0.19 sq mi (0.48 km2) |
| Elevation | 220 ft (67 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,004 |
| • Density | 534.0/sq mi (206.18/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 30439 |
| Area code | 912 |
| FIPS code | 13-51072[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0318060[3] |
| Website | www |
History
Metter was founded in 1889. In 1914, Metter was designated seat of the newly formed Candler County. Metter was incorporated as a town in 1903 and as a city in 1920.[6]
Geography
Metter is located near the center of Candler County at 32°23′47″N 82°03′45″W,[7] in eastern Georgia. Interstate 16 touches the southern edge of the city, leading east 63 miles (101 km) to Savannah, and west 102 miles (164 km) to Macon. A short, tree-lined parkway leads from I-16 to the downtown area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Metter has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km2), of which 7.7 square miles (19.9 km2) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km2), or 2.53%, is water.[5]
Longtime residents use the slogan "Everything's Better in Metter".
Metter may be best known as the home of "The Sower", Michael Guido, who delivered short evangelical PSAs on late-night television nationwide for decades. Dr. Guido's messages were filmed at Guido Gardens, which houses a public botanical garden and a school of ministry. Guido died at the age of 94 on February 22, 2009. His messages were aired on TV stations in the Georgia and South Carolina region.
A prominent event in Metter is Another Bloomin' Festival, an arts and crafts festival held the day before Easter. The festival draws thousands of out-of-town residents, who come to enjoy homemade desserts, barbecue, and crafts. In addition, it serves as a homecoming celebration for former residents who have returned to celebrate the holiday with their families.
Climate
| Climate data for Metter, Georgia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2003–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) |
85 (29) |
89 (32) |
94 (34) |
101 (38) |
104 (40) |
102 (39) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
99 (37) |
87 (31) |
84 (29) |
104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 76.1 (24.5) |
79.7 (26.5) |
84.7 (29.3) |
89.7 (32.1) |
94.7 (34.8) |
98.9 (37.2) |
99.0 (37.2) |
98.5 (36.9) |
95.1 (35.1) |
90.3 (32.4) |
82.3 (27.9) |
79.0 (26.1) |
100.3 (37.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 60.1 (15.6) |
64.6 (18.1) |
71.1 (21.7) |
78.0 (25.6) |
85.6 (29.8) |
90.5 (32.5) |
92.3 (33.5) |
91.2 (32.9) |
86.4 (30.2) |
78.4 (25.8) |
69.2 (20.7) |
62.7 (17.1) |
77.5 (25.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.6 (9.8) |
53.4 (11.9) |
59.5 (15.3) |
66.0 (18.9) |
74.3 (23.5) |
80.1 (26.7) |
82.5 (28.1) |
81.8 (27.7) |
77.1 (25.1) |
67.5 (19.7) |
57.9 (14.4) |
52.0 (11.1) |
66.8 (19.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 39.1 (3.9) |
42.1 (5.6) |
47.9 (8.8) |
54.0 (12.2) |
62.9 (17.2) |
69.7 (20.9) |
72.6 (22.6) |
72.5 (22.5) |
67.8 (19.9) |
56.6 (13.7) |
46.5 (8.1) |
41.3 (5.2) |
56.1 (13.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 22.5 (−5.3) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
39.1 (3.9) |
48.4 (9.1) |
63.1 (17.3) |
66.1 (18.9) |
65.5 (18.6) |
55.7 (13.2) |
40.5 (4.7) |
28.7 (−1.8) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
20.7 (−6.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 15 (−9) |
18 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
28 (−2) |
45 (7) |
58 (14) |
60 (16) |
61 (16) |
47 (8) |
33 (1) |
21 (−6) |
16 (−9) |
15 (−9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.06 (103) |
3.77 (96) |
4.28 (109) |
2.84 (72) |
3.44 (87) |
4.92 (125) |
5.61 (142) |
4.76 (121) |
3.53 (90) |
2.74 (70) |
3.03 (77) |
4.26 (108) |
47.24 (1,200) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.2 (0.5) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.2 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 9.4 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 7.9 | 6.9 | 5.6 | 8.3 | 104.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA (snow/snow days 1981–2010)[8][9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020)[10] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Metter had a population of 4,004. The median age was 39.9 years. 26.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.8 males age 18 and over.[12][13]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 1,522 households in Metter, of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.4% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, and there were 1,018 families residing in the city.[12]
There were 1,710 housing units, of which 11.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.2%.[12]
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,865 | 46.58% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,553 | 38.79% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 47 | 1.17% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 113 | 2.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 418 | 10.44% |
Education
Candler County School District
The Candler County School District holds pre-kindergarten to grade twelve, and consists of an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.[16] The district has 117 full-time teachers and over 1,930 students.[17]
Elementary schools
- Metter Elementary School
Middle school
- Metter Middle School
High school
Notable people
- LaVon Mercer (born 1959), American-Israeli basketball player