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Moving to Camilla, Georgia

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Camilla, the county seat of Mitchell County, was incorporated December 14, 1858. Mitchell County was created from a portion of Baker County that lay east of the Flint River. The city was named for Camilla Mitchell, the daughter of General David Mitchell.

The Mitchell County courthouse in Camilla was constructed in 1937 and is listed within the National Register of Historic Places. This courthouse was the site of the 1868 “Camilla Massacre”. Local whites fired upon several hundred blacks marching into town for a Republican political rally.

Camilla elected its first mayor in 1868, Mr. T.J. Butler. Years later on a return visit to Camilla, Mr. Butler recalled his administration saying, “The fine points of the law were ignored and a code of common sense substituted.” A historical recount of his administration included the following story: “The present Broad Street in 1868 was a wooden lane, a few of the virgin pines had been cut away for lumber, leaving the stumps which had to be uprooted to open up the main street of town. Mayor Butler inaugurated among the boys a “stumping contest”, into which he injected more interest by contributing dimes to the boys who led in uprooting the greatest number of stumps. He gave the dimes from his own pockets as there was no money yet in the town treasury.”

Annually in May, the city hosts the Gnat Days Summer Celebration. The festival features arts and crafts, cruises on the Flint River, a gnat market and a gnat run.

Population: 5,669. Estimated population in July 2024: 5,616 (-0.9% change)
Males: 2,539 (44.8%), Females: 3,130 (55.2%)

Mitchell County

Zip code: 31730

Demographics

Median resident age: 30.6 years
Median household income: $22,485
Median house value: $57,500

Population by Race

Races in Camilla:

  • Black (65.2%)
  • White Non-Hispanic (31.5%)
  • Hispanic (2.2%)
  • Other race (1.3%)
  • Two or more races (0.6%)

Ancestries: United States (10.5%), Subsaharan African (4.2%), English (3.2%), Irish (3.0%), German (1.5%), Scottish (1.1%).

Elevation: 180 feet

Land area: 6.1 square miles

Map of Camilla, GA

Population by Education

For population 25 years and over in Camilla

  • High school or higher: 61.5%
  • Bachelor’s degree or higher: 12.4%
  • Graduate or professional degree: 4.7%
  • Unemployed: 9.3%
  • Mean travel time to work: 27.3 minutes

For population 15 years and over in Camilla city

  • Never married: 40.3%
  • Now married: 32.6%
  • Separated: 5.9%
  • Widowed: 11.9%
  • Divorced: 9.4%

0.6% Foreign born

Population change in the 1990s: +558 (+10.9%).

Hospitals

Hospital/medical center in Camilla:

  • MITCHELL COUNTY HOSPITAL (90 EAST STEPHENS STREET)

Other hospitals/medical centers near Camilla:

  • PHOEBE PUTNEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (about 22 miles; ALBANY, GA)
  • HCA PALMYRA MEDICAL CENTERS (about 25 miles; ALBANY, GA)
  • GRADY GENERAL HOSPITAL (about 25 miles; CAIRO, GA)

Airports

Airports certified for carrier operations nearest to Camilla:

  • SOUTHWEST GEORGIA REGIONAL (about 21 miles; ALBANY, GA; Abbreviation: ABY)
  • TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL (about 60 miles; TALLAHASSEE, FL; Abbreviation: TLH)
  • VALDOSTA RGNL (about 73 miles; VALDOSTA, GA; Abbreviation: VLD)

Other public-use airports nearest to Camilla:

  • CAMILLA-MITCHELL COUNTY (about 3 miles; CAMILLA, GA; Abbreviation: CXU)
  • CAIRO-GRADY COUNTY (about 25 miles; CAIRO, GA; Abbreviation: 70J)
  • MOULTRIE MUNI (about 31 miles; MOULTRIE, GA; Abbreviation: MGR)

Colleges and Universities

Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Camilla:

  • ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY (about 24 miles; ALBANY, GA; Full-time enrollment: 2,996)
  • TALLAHASSEE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (about 55 miles; TALLAHASSEE, FL; Full-time enrollment: 7,016)
  • FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY (about 55 miles; TALLAHASSEE, FL; Full-time enrollment: 29,949)
  • FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY (about 56 miles; TALLAHASSEE, FL; Full-time enrollment: 10,991)
  • VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY (about 69 miles; VALDOSTA, GA; Full-time enrollment: 7,157)
  • GEORGE C WALLACE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE-DOTHAN (about 83 miles; DOTHAN, AL; Full-time enrollment: 2,703)
  • FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY (about 94 miles; FT VALLEY, GA; Full-time enrollment: 2,233)

Schools

Public high school in Camilla:

  • MITCHELL-BAKER HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 756; Location: 1000 NEWTON ROAD; Grades: 09 – 12)

Private high school in Camilla:

  • WESTWOOD SCHOOL (Students: 352; Location: PO BOX 528; Grades: PK – 12)

Public primary/middle schools in Camilla:

  • MITCHELL COUNTY PRIMARY SCHOOL (Students: 596; Location: 50 GRIFFIN ROAD; Grades: PK – 02)
  • MITCHELL COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 539; Location: 55 GRIFFIN ROAD; Grades: 06 – 08)
  • MITCHELL COUNTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 457; Location: 550 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. RO; Grades: 03 – 05)
  • CATCH THE VISON ALTERNATIVE (Location: 1000 NEWTON ROAD; Grades: 00 – 00)
  • CATCH-THE-VISON ALTERNATIVE (Location: 1000 NEWTON ROAD; Grades: 00 – 00)
  • PEC ANNEX (Location: 82 LEWIS DRIVE; Grades: 00 – 00)

Libraries

Library in Camilla:

  • DESOTO TRAIL REGIONAL LIBRARY SYSTEM (Operating income: $658,794; Location: 145 EAST BROAD STREET; 134,057 books; 1,456 audio materials; 1,982 video materials; 169 serial subscriptions)

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