Social Circle, Georgia

"Social Circle" redirects here. For the term in social science, see Social group.

Social Circle, Georgia
City
Flag
Seal
Motto: 
"Georgia's Greatest Little Town"
Location in Walton County and the state of Georgia
Location in Walton County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°39′N 83°43′W / 33.650°N 83.717°W / 33.650; -83.717
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountiesWalton, Newton
named:1826
Incorporated1832
Government
 • MayorDavid Keener
Area
[1]
 • Total
14.69 sq mi (38.04 km2)
 • Land14.58 sq mi (37.76 km2)
 • Water0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2)
Elevation
890 ft (270 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
4,974
 • Density341.2/sq mi (131.73/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
30025
Area code470/678/770
FIPS code13-71660[2]
GNIS feature ID0333086[3]
Websitesocialcirclega.gov

Social Circle is a city in southern Walton County, extending into Newton County, in the U.S. state of Georgia, 45 miles (72 km) east of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, Social Circle had a population of 4,974.[4]

History

It is unclear why the name "Social Circle" was applied to this place.[5] According to tradition, Social Circle was named from an incident in which a group of people living in the settlement offered water to a weary traveler, whose response was "This certainly is a social circle".[6] The city also officially notes that a citizen of another village community which was already known by the name of Social Circle joined the settlement in its early days.[7]

Social Circle was incorporated as a town in 1869, and as a city in 1904.[7] The city includes a 132 acre historic district.

In 2026 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acquired a one-million square foot warehouse in the city.[8][9] According to city officials, ICE plans to use the structure as an immigrant detention center holding "anywhere from 7,500 to 10,000 detainees".[10][11] The city shut off and padlocked the water meter to the proposed site until "ICE indicates how water and sewer will be served without exceeding our limited infrastructure capacity".[12]

Geographical data

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.3 square miles (29 km2), of which 11.2 square miles (29 km2) are land and 0.04-square-mile (0.10 km2) is water.

A CSX Transportation line maintenance facility operates in the city's railroad station. The city's railyard contained one of the relatively few remaining concrete coaling towers in the southeastern United States. The coaling tower was removed sometime after June 2022 as it is no longer visible on Google Maps as of February 2023.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870405—
188060649.6%
189073721.6%
19001,22966.8%
19101,59029.4%
19201,78112.0%
19301,766−0.8%
19401,735−1.8%
19501,685−2.9%
19601,7805.6%
19701,96110.2%
19802,59132.1%
19902,7556.3%
20003,37922.6%
20104,26226.1%
20204,97416.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

As of 2025, of the 4,974 people in Social Circle, at least 4,221 people lived in Walton County and at least 41 lived in Newton County.[14]

Racial and ethnic composition

Social Circle city, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[15] Pop 2010[16] Pop 2020[17] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 1,889 2,512 2,986 55.90% 58.94% 60.03%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,396 1,521 1,635 41.31% 35.69% 32.87%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 2 8 7 0.06% 0.19% 0.14%
Asian alone (NH) 6 24 31 0.18% 0.56% 0.62%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 4 10 29 0.12% 0.23% 0.58%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 32 53 168 0.95% 1.24% 3.38%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 50 134 118 1.48% 3.14% 2.37%
Total 3,379 4,262 4,974 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Social Circle had a population of 4,974. The median age was 36.7 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.7 males age 18 and over.[18][19]

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[20]

There were 1,769 households in Social Circle, of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.1% were married-couple households, 15.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]

There were 1,891 housing units, of which 6.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%.[18]

Education

The Social Circle City School District includes all of the city.[21][22] The district holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.[23] The district has 90 full-time teachers and over 1,448 students.[24]

  • Social Circle Primary School
  • Social Circle Elementary School
  • Social Circle Middle School
  • Social Circle High School

Transportation

Through highways
SR 11
Nearby highways
I-20
US 278
SR 12
SR 402 (Unsigned Designation for I-20)

Notable people

  • Kyle Chandler – actor
  • Alonzo F. Herndon – Georgia's first African-American millionaire
  • Jay C. (Jack) Higginbotham – jazz trombonist
  • Eddie Mapp – country blues harmonicist
  • Danny McDevitt – former baseball pitcher, retired here
  • Emma Sansom - Assisted Nathan Bedford Forrest cross the Black Creek River in Gadsden, Alabama
  • Wylly Folk St. John - journalist and novelist
  • A season 5 episode of the Discovery Channel series A Haunting, called The Exorcism of Cindy Sauer, takes place in Social Circle in 2010.
  • Paramount+ Movie: Jerry and Marge Go Large was filmed mainly in Social Circle.

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Social Circle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  4. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  5. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 208. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  6. ^ Moyer, Armond; Moyer, Winifred (1958). The origins of unusual place-names. Keystone Pub. Associates. p. 122.
  7. ^ a b [1]
  8. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/18/ice-detention-center-warehouse-georgia
  9. ^ Blankenship, Grant (February 13, 2026). "ICE bought a warehouse in Social Circle, Ga. The city wishes it hadn't". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  10. ^ Raby, Dan (February 20, 2026). "ICE documents show plans for proposed immigrant detention "mega-center" in Social Circle". CBS News. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  11. ^ https://www.socialcirclega.gov/Home/Components/News/News/241/16
  12. ^ Raby, Dan (March 16, 2026). "Social Circle officials cut off water to site of planned Georgia ICE detention "mega-center"". CBS News. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  13. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ^ General Highway Map Newton County Georgia (PDF) (Map). Georgia Department of Transportation. 2025. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  15. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Social Circle city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  16. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Social Circle city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Social Circle city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  19. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  20. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  21. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Walton County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 7, 2023. - Text list
  22. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Newton County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 7, 2023. - Text list
  23. ^ [2]
  24. ^ [3]
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