Hawkinsville, Georgia | |
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City | |
Nickname(s): The Good Life, Harness Capital of the World | |
Motto: Where Progress Sets Pace | |
Location in Pulaski County and the state of Georgia |
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Coordinates: 32°17′1″N 83°28′36″W / 32.28361°N 83.47667°WCoordinates: 32°17′1″N 83°28′36″W / 32.28361°N 83.47667°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Pulaski |
Government | |
• Type | Council-Manager |
• Council Chairman | Shelly Berryhill |
• City Manager | Jerry Murkerson |
Area | |
• Total | 4.5 sq mi (11.6 km2) |
• Land | 4.4 sq mi (11.4 km2) |
• Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
Elevation | 262 ft (80 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 4,589 |
• Density | 728.9/sq mi (282.8/km2) |
Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 31036 |
Area code(s) | 478 |
FIPS code | 13-37396 |
GNIS feature ID | 0331934 |
Hawkinsville is a city in and the county seat of Pulaski County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,589 at the 2010 census.
Hawkinsville is known as the "Harness Horse Capital" of Georgia. The Lawrence Bennett Harness Horse Racing facility is owned by the city and serves as an important training ground during winter months. The Harness Festival takes place every April at the end of training before horses head north for the harness racing season.
Hawkinsville was founded by European Americans in 1830. That same year, the seat of Pulaski County was transferred to Hawkinsville from Hartford. The community was named for Benjamin Hawkins, delegate to the Continental Congress, and the United States Indian Agent in the Southeast, appointed by President George Washington.
The city includes Hawkinsville High School and several historical sites, including Hawkinsville City Hall-Auditorium, Hawkinsville Public School, the Merritt-Ragan House, the Pulaski County Courthouse, and Taylor Hall. St. Thomas African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized after the American Civil War as one of hundreds of AME churches planted in the South by missionaries from the first black independent denomination in the United States, founded in the early 19th century in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Hawkinsville Commercial and Industrial Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hawkinsville is also home to the historic Hawkinsville Opera House.