Buena Vista was founded in 1830. In 1850, the seat of Marion County was transferred to Buena Vista from Tazewell. Buena Vista was incorporated as a town in 1850 and as a city in 1920.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which, of it is land and of it is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,664 people, 645 households, and 377 families residing in the city. The population density was 512.9 people per square mile. There were 756 housing units at an average density of 233.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 63.40% African American, 25.84% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 8.59% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.91% of the population. There were 645 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.4% were married couplesliving together, 26.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.4% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.23. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,672, and the median income for a family was $21,738. Males had a median income of $19,306 versus $17,017 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,406. About 28.6% of families and 34.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.3% of those under age 18 and 32.1% of those age 65 or over.
The Marion County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one primary school and a middle/high school. The district has 108 full-time teachers and over 1,686 students.
L. K. Moss Primary School
Marion County Middle High School—www.marion.k12.ga.us
The Marion County School District is in the process of opening a new middle/high school. The structure will sit on 200 acres of land in the middle of the county and is scheduled to open for the 2012–13 school year.
