Gray, Georgia


Gray is a city in Jones County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,276 at the 2010 census, up from 1,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jones County.
It is part of the Macon Metropolitan Area.

History

Gray was founded in the 1850s and named for local resident James M. Gray. In 1905, the seat of Jones County was transferred to Gray.

Geography

Gray is located in central Jones County at. U.S. Route 129 passes through the center of town, leading northeast to Eatonton and southwest to Macon. Monticello is to the northwest via State Route 11, Milledgeville is to the east via State Route 22, and Gordon is to the southeast via State Route 18.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Gray has a total area of, of which, or 0.34%, are water. Gray is drained to the west by tributaries of Walnut Creek, flowing to the Ocmulgee River, and to the east by tributaries of Commissioner Creek, flowing to the Oconee River.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,276 people, 1,171 households, and 827 families residing in the city. There were 1,288 housing units, of which 117, or 9.1%, were vacant. The racial makeup of the city was 69.4% white, 28.1% African American, 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% some other race, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 1,171 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were headed by married couples living together, 20.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62, and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city, 28.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.8% were from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
For the period 2012–2016, the estimated median annual income for a household was $59,722, and the median income for a family was $82,781. The per capita income for the city was $25,679. Male full-time workers had a median income of $43,162, versus $35,100 for females. 10.4% of the population and 8.6% of families were below the poverty line. 12.5% of the population under the age of 18 and 12.8% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.

Government and emergency services

Gray's city council sets policy for the operations of the city, approves the city's annual budget, passes ordinances, and hears and acts on requests for zoning, rezoning, and annexation. The mayor, Joe Barbee, is the chief executive officer of the city, appoints the judge, chairs the meetings and is the chief financial officer of the city. Gray is protected by many agencies, including the Gray Volunteer Fire Department, Gray Police Department, Jones County Sheriff's Office, Jones County Fire Rescue and Emergency Management

Education

Jones County School District

The Jones County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of four elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. The district has 295 full-time teachers and over 5,014 students.