Jackson, Georgia

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Jackson is a city in Butts County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Butts County. The center of population of Georgia is located in Jackson. The community was named after President Andrew Jackson like the capital of Mississippi. Founded in 1826, Jackson began as a 303 acre plot purchased for the purpose of starting the town. The plot was divided into squares and each square into lots. The first buyer of a lot in the new town was John D. Swift of Newton County, Georgia. During the American Civil War, much of Jackson was razed by the army of General William T. Sherman in his infamous March to the Sea. After the war, Jackson, like much of the South, struggled economically for decades. Jackson remained little more than a small village until the arrival of the railroads in the latter half of the 19th century. On May 5th, 1882 the first train arrived in Jackson, heralding a new era in transportation of people and goods. During the 20th Century, Jackson grew and industrial textile mills became the largest employer of local citizens. The arrival of [Interstate 75] just a few miles to the southwest of the city gave citizens quick access to Atlanta and Macon. The numerous schools throughout the county consolidated into one central school system located in Jackson and the schools desegregated in 1968. In the 1970's, Jackson slowly became a bedroom community, ideal for commuters to Atlanta. City taxes were also abolished in the 1970's, another attractive attribute.