Lyons was founded circa 1890 as a depot on the Central of Georgia Railway. The community was named after one Mr. Lyons, a railroad official. It was incorporated on December 9, 1897. In 1905, Lyons was designated seat of the newly formed Toombs County.
Geography
Lyons is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,169 people, 1,547 households, and 986 families residing in the city. The population density was 557.1 people per square mile. There were 1,787 housing units at an average density of 238.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 59.25% White, 32.38% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 7.22% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.06% of the population. There were 1,547 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couplesliving together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% 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 3.18. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,202, and the median income for a family was $26,044. Males had a median income of $22,254 versus $16,611 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,364. About 28.6% of families and 37.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 54.8% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.
The Toombs County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 177 full-time teachers and over 2,856 students.
