Talbotton is a city in Talbot County, Georgia, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census.[4] The city is the county seat of Talbot County.[5]
History
Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County.[6] Both the county and the town were named for Governor Matthew Talbot.[7]
Talbotton may be best known in history as the place where the immigrant Straus family got their start in retail sales in the 19th century. In 1896, the family acquired R. H. Macy & Co. in New York.[8]
The city is located in the central portion of the county along U.S. Route 80, which runs north to south through the main part of town, and turns east leaving town. U.S. Route 80 leads east 34 mi (55 km) to Roberta and southwest 37 mi (60 km) to Columbus. Georgia State Routes 90 and 208 also run through the city as well, with GA 90 leading southeast 8 mi (13 km) to Junction City and GA 208 leading west 13 mi (21 km) to Waverly Hall.
Climate
Talbotton has a humid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa), with hot, humid summers and mild winters. The record high of 110 °F (43 °C) and record low of −6 °F (−21 °C) were recorded on July 19, 1913 and February 13, 1899, respectively.
On March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado struck the town at low-end EF3 strength, causing major damage to structures and trees in the town.[10][11]
Climate data for Talbotton, 1981-2010 normals, extremes 1893-present
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 742 people, 372 households, and 222 families residing in the city.
Education
The Talbot County School District headquarters is located in the city as well as the only school building in the entire county.[27] The district and school has 48 full-time teachers and over 792 students.[28]
Zion Episcopal Church was founded in the 1830s. Inside the church, above the plain wooden pews, are galleries meant for slave parishioners. The church is still in use today and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1974.