Wednesday, July 23, 2003
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Wednesday, July 23, 2003 |
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Fayette across America, Part 1 This article is the first in the "Virtual Road Trip" series. There are 11 Fayette Counties in the United States and readers will be able to learn about each of the 11 counties through these articles. First, we must look at the man these counties are named for: Marquis de Lafayette. His full name is Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motiers Marquis de Lafayette. He was born in France in 1757 and after hearing of the struggle of the colonies across the Atlantic Ocean, he came over to lend a hand. On June 13, 1777, he landed near Charleston, S.C. and within a month he was commissioned a Major General. Lafayette became friends with George Washington and fought valiantly with the colonists in the American Revolution. He returned to France for a brief period and had his native land provide military and monetary assistance to the colonies. Upon his return to America, he continued to fight alongside his new friends and was instrumental in the entrapment of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Lafayette returned to France after the war and became instrumental in the development of a constitutional monarchy and the beginnings of the French Revolution. He returned to the United States in 1824 and parties were thrown everywhere he went. In many of the places he traveled, they named towns and counties for him. He died in 1834 and was buried with a handful of American soil. Fayette County, Georgia, came into existence in 1821 as part of the Land Lottery Draw when the Creek Indian Nation ceded some land. Some of the settlers in Fayette County were Revolutionary War veterans and it is surmised that they came up with the name of the county as a tribute to Lafayette. Fayetteville has been the county seat of Fayette County since 1823 and the courthouse on the square in Fayetteville was built in 1825. It is still in use today, which makes it the oldest courthouse in municipal use. Fayette County is made up of Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Brooks and Woolsey and is a part of the metro Atlanta area. The population according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2001 population estimate is 95,542. In 2000, it was estimated that 29.1 of the population was under 18 and 51.1 percent of the population was female. The mean travel time to work for the residents of Fayette County is 30.6 minutes. There were an estimated 32,276 housing units in 2000 (and residents of the county know that number has surely gone up since then) and the median value of the homes in Fayette County are 171,500. Fayette County is 197 square miles and has an estimated 463.1 persons per square mile. The education system in Fayette County is good, with a number of the local schools being named nationwide and statewide schools of excellence. People in Fayette County are very active, playing a wide variety of sports. We have the largest population of triathletes in the country, an incredible soccer program that has produced a number of top-caliber players. Recently, our local high schools have produced state champions in soccer, wrestling, softball and more. Fayette County is also home to some very famous residents, most notably Evander Holyfield, a heavyweight boxing champion; Doc Holliday, a person at the gunfight at the O.K. Corral; and Margaret Mitchell, who researched "Gone with the Wind" in Fayetteville. Other famous residents who call or have called Fayette County home are Emmanuel Lewis, Speech, Greg Lloyd, Marquis Grissom and Jermaine Dupri. There are two amphitheaters in town and both have featured some of the biggest recording artists in the history of rock and roll. A number of arts and theater groups also have contributed to Fayette County's cultural scene. In addition to the theater and musical performances, Fayette County enjoys several festivals throughout the year that bring the community together, including Tyrone Founders Day, the Shakerag Festival, July Jam and many more. There are also dozens of restaurants of close to every genre in the area and many more on the horizon. Close to 100,000 people call Fayette County home and many can see why that number continues to grow. Next week: Fayette County, Alabama and Fayette County, Texas.
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