Unadilla, Georgia

Unadilla is a city in Dooly County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,118 in 2020. Dooly State Prison is located in the northeast corner of the city.

Unadilla, Georgia
City
City Hall in Unadilla
Location in Dooly County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°15′35″N 83°44′12″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Dooly
Government
• Mayor	Myron Mixon
Area [1]
• Total	6.08 sq mi (15.75 km2)
• Land	6.04 sq mi (15.65 km2)
• Water	0.039 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation	430 ft (130 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,118
• Density	516.0/sq mi (199.21/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31091
Area code	478
FIPS code	13-78156[2]
GNIS feature ID	0333297[3]
Website	cityofunadillaga.com

History

Unadilla is a name derived from the Iroquois language meaning "council place".^[4] The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Unadilla as a town in 1891.^[5] On December 31, 2006, an F2 tornado hit the outskirts of the city. Due to the implementation of the Enhanced Fujita Scale the next day this was the last tornado to be rated using the Fujita scale in the United States.^[6]

Geography

Unadilla water tower

Unadilla is located in northern Dooly County at 32°15′35″N 83°44′12″W.^[7] U.S. Route 41 passes through the center of town as Pine Street, leading north 16 miles (26 km) to Perry and south 13 miles (21 km) to Vienna, the Dooly County seat. Interstate 75 passes through the west side of Unadilla, with access from Exits 121 and 122. I-75 leads north 43 miles (69 km) to Macon and south 61 miles (98 km) to Tifton. Georgia State Route 230 passes through Unadilla as Second Street and Borum Street, leading southwest 11 miles (18 km) to Byromville and east 18 miles (29 km) to Hawkinsville.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	524		—
1910	1,003		91.4%
1920	2,019		101.3%
1930	1,832		−9.3%
1940	1,137		−37.9%
1950	1,098		−3.4%
1960	1,304		18.8%
1970	1,457		11.7%
1980	1,566		7.5%
1990	1,620		3.4%
2000	2,772		71.1%
2010	3,796		36.9%
2020	3,118		−17.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1850-1870[9] 1870-1880[10] 1890-1910[11] 1920-1930[12] 1940[13] 1950[14] 1960[15] 1970[16] 1980[17] 1990[18] 2000[19] 2010[20]

Unadilla racial composition as of 2020^[21]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	836	26.81%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,028	65.04%
Native American	6	0.19%
Asian	8	0.26%
Other/Mixed	32	1.03%
Hispanic or Latino	208	6.67%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,118 people, 938 households, and 573 families residing in the city.

Notable events

Since 2017, Unadilla has been home to an annual New Year's Eve event entitled the Hog Drop, an evening celebration to ring in the new year.^[22] The event occurs in tandem with the Hog Drop Invitational BBQ competition, hosted and run by Unadilla mayor and BBQ pitmaster Myron Mixon. The event includes live music, fireworks, pig racing, and other family-friendly events.^[23] The event culminates in the lowering of a pig-shaped sign at the stroke of midnight, the action of which gives the event its name.

Notable people

• David Ragan, NASCAR Cup Series driver
• Ken Ragan, former NASCAR and ARCA driver.
• Myron Mixon, five-time World BBQ Champion and mayor.