Climax, Georgia

Town in Georgia, United States

30°52′38″N 84°25′55″W / 30.87722°N 84.43194°W / 30.87722; -84.43194CountryUnited StatesStateGeorgiaCountyDecaturGovernment

• MayorDr. Joseph Melvin KellyArea

^[1]

• Total0.80 sq mi (2.08 km²) • Land0.80 sq mi (2.08 km²) • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)Elevation

285 ft (87 m)Population

(2020)

• Total276 • Density343.71/sq mi (132.69/km²)Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)ZIP codes

31734, 39834

Area code229FIPS code13-16908^[2]GNIS feature ID0355192^[3]

Climax is a small town in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. The town was named "Climax" because it is located at the highest point of the railroad between Savannah, Georgia, and the Chattahoochee River.^[4]^[5] The population was 276 at the 2020 census, down from 280 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bainbridge, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Climax was platted in 1833, and named for its lofty elevation.^[6] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1905 as the "Town of Climax", with the municipal corporate limits extending in a one-half mile radius from the town's central water well.^[7]

Geography

Climax is located in eastern Decatur County at 30°52′38″N 84°25′55″W / 30.87722°N 84.43194°W / 30.87722; -84.43194 (30.877194, -84.431975).^[8] It sits on the crest of Curry Hill, a 300-foot-high (91 m) escarpment that forms the southwestern side of the Flint River valley.

U.S. Route 84 passes through Climax, leading west 10 miles (16 km) to Bainbridge, the Decatur County seat, and east 15 miles (24 km) to Cairo.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Climax has a total area of 0.81 square miles (2.1 km²), all land.^[9]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	328	—
1920	345	5.2%
1930	451	30.7%
1940	372	−17.5%
1950	373	0.3%
1960	329	−11.8%
1970	275	−16.4%
1980	407	48.0%
1990	226	−44.5%
2000	297	31.4%
2010	280	−5.7%
2020	276	−1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[10]

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 297 people, 116 households, and 78 families residing in the town. By 2020, there were 276 people in the town.

Swine Time Festival

Climax's annual festival is held on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. The event is attended by 35,000 people annually, a large number in light of Climax's sub-300 population. Contests and events include best-dressed pig, corn shucking, hog calling, eating chitterlings, pig racing, syrup making, baby crawling, and the great greased pig chase. The festival is kicked off with a parade down Main Street that leads up to the event grounds. There is also a beauty contest for different age groups where the winner is crowned Miss and Little Miss Swine Time.

References

^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ Climax, GA Historical Marker at the Historical Marker Database
^ "New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Decatur County". Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 46. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
^ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. State printer. 1905. p. 730.
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Climax city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 20, 2015.^{[dead link]}
^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.