Harris County Profile

Size - 465 square miles — 36th largest county in the State.

Location

Lies in West Central Georgia. Bordered by Troup to the north and Meriwether County to the northeast, by Talbot County east, by Muscogee County to the south and by the Chattahoochee River on the west.

Harris County is approximately a 90-minute drive to the Hartsfield-Jackson-Atlanta International Airport and approximately a 20-minute drive to Columbus, Georgia.

Harris County is in the 8th and 11th U.S. Congressional District, the 29th State Senatorial District, and the 129th and 130th State House Districts.

Population (2002 Estimate)

Countywide 25,092 Hamilton (county seat) 446 Pine Mountain 1,141 Waverly Hall 709 Shiloh 423 West Point 708 - (that portion which lies in Harris County) Per Square Mile 53.96

Caucasian 78.4% African American 19.5% Hispanic 1.1% Asian .5% Other .5% Male 49.4% Female 50.6%

Climate

Average annual temperature of 64 Fahrenheit.
Average annual rainfall is 50 inches.
Highest Point - Pine Mountain and Oak Mountain have elevations of 1000 and 1500 feet respectively.
County Seat - Hamilton, Georgia
National Tourist Attractions - Callaway® Gardens, Resort, Preserve, Community and Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park

 

Per Capita Income (2002) County $31,554 State $28,821 U.S. $30,906

Median Household Income (1999) County $47,762 State $42,433 Civilian Workforce 11,967 Unemployment rate 3.1% (2001 average)

Taxes

Property Tax 7.90 (county)
- per $1000 of fair market value
Millage Rate 24.71 (county)
Local Sales Tax 3%
State Tax 4%
Freeport Tax Exemption 100%
Job Tax Credit $1250 (25 or more new jobs)
Investment Tax Credit 1%

Utilities Georgia Power Diverse Power	Natural Gas Atmos Energy	Water County - Water Plant capacity: 3 million gal/day Present consumption: 2 million gal/day average Storage capacity: 3.5 million Source: Surface water
Municipalities: Hamilton - Ground water / Elevated storage Pine Mountain — Gravity flow spring water / Elevated storage Shiloh - Ground water / Elevated storage Waverly Hall — Ground water / Elevated storage		Sewerage County — Septic Hamilton — Activated sludge treatment Pine Mountain — Wetlands treatment system

Transportation

Motor Freight Carriers: 1 interstate, 21 inter/intrastate
Rail: In negotiation. Call 706-628-4381 for information.
Water: Nearest navigable river is the Chattahoochee
(9 foot channel depth) with a public barge dock at Columbus (20 miles).
Seaport: Savannah (252 miles East) and Panama City, FL
(169 mi. South).
Air: Commercial airport in Columbus (20 miles) and Atlanta (90 miles). Callaway-Harris County Airport with 5,000-foot runway, aircraft tiedown, airfram and power plant repair, lighted runway (5 miles).

Telecommunications West Point — Fiber optics in small portion Hamilton and Pine Mountain — BellSouth’s high-speed digital subscriber line (DSL) service available to technically qualified consumer and small business customers.

Newspapers Harris County Journal (County organ) Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Job Tax Credit

Harris County is classified as a Tier 4 county under the Georgia Business Expansion Support Act. Under this program the job tax credit is $750. The county participates in a Joint Development Authority adding another $500 to the credit. Companies creating 25 or more new jobs in Harris County may receive a total of $1,250 in job tax credits.

For more information on this and other Business Income Tax Credits as well as Sales Tax Exemptions, call the Georgia Department of Community Affairs at 404-679-0593 or
404-679-1585 or refer to the Georgia Business Expansion Support Act Executive Summary.

Zoning

Countywide and all incorporated cities (except Shiloh)

Education

Six public schools (four elementary, 1 middle, 1 high school)
One private school (all grades)
Higher Education: (within a 25 mile radius of Hamilton, Georgia, Harris County)
Beacon University, Columbus, GA.
Columbus State University, Columbus, GA.
LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA.
Columbus Technical College, Columbus, GA.
Troy State University, Ft. Benning, GA and Phenix City, AL
West Georgia Technical College, LaGrange, GA.

Georgia Quick Start Program

Quick Start is Georgia’s premier source of economic development training programs. It is administered through the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education.

Recreation and Tourism

Butts Mill Farm
Callaway® Gardens, Resort, Preserve
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
Blanton Creek Park and Wildlife Management Area
Pine Mountain Trail
FDR’s Little White House

In nearby Columbus, (Muscogee County) Coca-Cola Space Science Center Columbus Museum National Civil War Naval Museum National Infantry Museum Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center Springer Opera House RiverCenter for The Performing Arts

In nearby LaGrange (Troup County) Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum West Point Lake Hills and Dales Estate Hoofers Gospel & Bluegrass Barn Bellevue Mansion Hogansville Driving Tour of Historic Homes Pine Mountain Wild Animal Park

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