ZIP Code 31774

Ocilla was founded in 1880, incorporated as a town in 1897, and finally re-incorporated as a city in 1902. It is not clear whether Ocilla is named for the Seminole Chief Osceola, for an Oswichee Native American tribe, or, as proposed by historian John Goff, it could be an adaptation of the place name Auscilla. In the 1980s and 1990s Marie Watson was known in OCilla as the "Christmas Lady" Marie Watson would intricately decorate the property around her home on Cherry Street with lights and Christmas decorations. Each year "Santa Claus" would visit the property, taking wishes for gifts from children. The New Veterans Memorial Track was a 3/8 mile layout racing track. It was inaugurated on April 23, 1950. On opening day 2,500 people watched the first program featuring five separate races. The track was eventually shut down and the track survives in severe disrepair. The railroad was a prominent factor in the development of Ocillas and Irwin County in the late 19th and early 20th century, with multiple railroads bearing the name of the town. There were at least four railroads that connected to Ocila and Irwinville. The Ocillas once owned one locomotive, one carriage, 46 freight carriages, and 46 carriage carriages. The city was incorporated on October 4, 1900 or earlier and operated 11 miles of track between Ocillian and Irwinvile. The town's name was changed seven times.

History

Ocilla was founded in 1880, incorporated as a town in 1897, and finally re-incorporated as a city in 1902. It is not clear whether Ocilla is named for the Seminole Chief Osceola, for an Oswichee Native American tribe, or, as proposed by historian John Goff, it could be an adaptation of the place name Auscilla. The New Veterans Memorial Track was a 3/8 mile layout racing track which was inaugurated on April 23, 1950. On opening day 2,500 people watched the first program featuring five separate races. The railroad was a prominent factor in the development of OCilla and Irwin County in the late 19th and early 20th century, with multiple railroads bearing the name of the town. There are no tracks currently connect any industry or service to the area, but the remnants of the "Iron Horses" that once whizzed through the area are still visible from the red caboose in Irwinville overlooking Cumbee Park. The Christmas Lady would intricately decorate the property around her home on Cherry Street with lights and Christmas decorations and each year "Santa Claus" would visit the property, taking wishes for gifts from children. In the 1980s and 1990s Marie Watson was known in Ocillas as the "Christmas Lady" and would decorate her home with lights. She became famous for her Christmas cheer, but eventually stopped due to the hassle of decorating and because of her older age.

Education

The Irwin County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve. It consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 123 full-time teachers and over 1,814 students. It is located in the eastern part of the state. The school district has a population of over 2,000. It has one elementary and one middle school. It also has one high school, which has more than 1,800 students. There are no high schools in the district, but there are several middle and high schools. There is no high school or high school in the school district. It was founded in 1872. The first school was built in 1875. The current elementary school was opened in 1881. The high school opened in 1896. It holds a total of three schools: one elementary, two middle schools, and one high School. The elementary school has 123 teachers, and the high school has over 1.814 pupils. There have been no fatalities in Irwin County since the district was established in 1876. It currently has a total population of 2,084. It had 123 full time teachers and more than 2,200 students in 1877. The middle school and high school have more than 100 students. The Elementary School has over 100 students, while the High School has about 100. The Middle School has around 200 students, and has over 200 students. A high school holds over 200 pupils. The High School holds over 300 students, including over 100 high school students.

Festival

The Annual Sweet Potato Festival has been held in Ocilla, Georgia, since 1961. The festival is held on the last Saturday in October. It is the only festival of its kind in the state of Georgia. The event is free and open to the public.

Geography

Ocilla is located at 31°3555N 83°150W (31.598611, -83.249932).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) of which 2.4 square miles is land and 0.39% is water. The city is located in the Mississippi River valley. Ocilla has a population of 1,788. The town has a history of being known as "The City of the Red River" and "The Red River Valley" The city's nickname is "The River City" and it was named for the river that runs through the city. The Red River River flows through the center of the city and into the Little River River. The river is a tributary of the Little Little River, which flows into the Mississippi. The Little River is a major waterway in the city, and the city's name is derived from the river's name, "Little River" or "Red River". The city was named after the river, which runs through a section of the town. It is also known as the "River of the River" because of its riverbed, which was once a source of water for the town's water supply. The River is known for being one of the few places in the United States where it is possible to see the Milky Way galaxy, which is visible from the town of Ocillas.

Demographics

As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 3,270 people, 1,099 households, and 762 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 38.87% White, 59.39% African American, 0.09% Native American,0.34% Asian, 0,86% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.22. The city's median income was $22,332, and the median income for a family was $27,411. About 27.4% of families and 33.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.2% of those under age 18 and 26.3% ofThose age 65 or over. The per capita income for the city in 2000 was $10,573. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For each 100 females over the age of 18 there were 73.1 males. There were 1,283 housing units at an average density of 496.0 per square mile (191.5/km²) The city has a population of 3,498 people, and as of the 2020 United States census, it is expected to have 3,500 people living in it. It is located at the intersection of Interstate-70 and I-70. It has an estimated population of 2,856.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Ocilla, Irwin County, Georgia = 97. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 74. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 98. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Ocilla = 5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 3,498 individuals with a median age of 31 age the population dropped by -3.09% in Ocilla, Irwin County, Georgia population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,374.46 residents per square mile of area (530.66/km²). There are average 2.59 people per household in the 1,000 households with an average household income of $27,142 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 14.80% of the available work force and has dropped -9.88% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 5.44%. The number of physicians in Ocilla per 100,000 population = 28.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Ocilla = 45.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 97. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 219. 92 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 39.3 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 29, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Ocilla, Irwin County, Georgia which are owned by the occupant = 51.35%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 35 years with median home cost = $47,120 and home appreciation of -12.26%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.46 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,954 per student. There are 14.9 students for each teacher in the school, 348 students for each Librarian and 580 students for each Counselor. 4.22% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 6.90% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 2.63% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).