Rochelle, Georgia

Rochelle, Georgia
City
Location in Wilcox County and the state of Georgia Location in Wilcox County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Wilcox
Area
• Total	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
• Land	1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	367 ft (112 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,415
• Density	744.7/sq mi (288.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	31079
Area code(s)	229
FIPS code	13-66024
GNIS feature ID	0321704

Rochelle is a city in Wilcox County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,415 at the 2000 census.

History

Rochelle was named for La Rochelle, France by the daughter of a local railroad magnate in 1887.

Geography

Rochelle is located at (31.948993, -83.453875).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	793		—
1910	860		8.4%
1920	1,046		21.6%
1930	1,053		0.7%
1940	1,175		11.6%
1950	1,097		−6.6%
1960	1,235		12.6%
1970	1,380		11.7%
1980	1,626		17.8%
1990	1,510		−7.1%
2000	1,415		−6.3%
2010	1,174		−17.0%
Est. 2014	1,122		−4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,415 people, 552 households, and 379 families residing in the city. The population density was 754.3 people per square mile (290.6/km²). There were 642 housing units at an average density of 342.3 per square mile (131.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 46.08% White, 52.79% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.35% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.84% of the population.

There were 552 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,923, and the median income for a family was $27,250. Males had a median income of $26,607 versus $19,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,929. About 28.5% of families and 36.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.2% of those under age 18 and 26.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Wilcox County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 90 full-time teachers and over 1,439 students.

The schools, located in Rochelle, are:

• Wilcox County Elementary School
• Wilcox County Middle School
• Wilcox County High School

Higher education

• Wiregrass Georgia Technical College - Wilcox Learning Center

Notable residents

• John Bahnsen - United States Army Brigadier General and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War
• Alfonzo Dennard - football player, cornerback for the New England Patriots

Joe Louis Clark - principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey. The tough inner city school, where he practiced strict disciplinary acts to turn the school around from a troubled path