Bethlehem, Georgia


Bethlehem is a town in Barrow County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 601.
Despite its small population, the town is very well known for its name, which comes from the community's original church, 'Bethlehem Methodist', namesake of the biblical town of Bethlehem. The local post office annually postmarks thousands of Christmas cards and other pieces of mail prior to Christmas. The street names in town are all names from the story of the birth of Christ.

History

Bethlehem was incorporated in 1902 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. The town took its name from the local Bethlehem Methodist Church.

Geography

Bethlehem is located in southern Barrow County at , south of Winder, the county seat.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 716 people, 254 households, and 199 families residing in the town. The population density was 331.8 people per square mile. There were 265 housing units at an average density of 122.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 85.61% White, 14.75% African American, 0.14% Native American, 2.93% Asian, 6.01% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.54% of the population.
There were 254 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.7% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,500, and the median income for a family was $50,625. Males had a median income of $35,714 versus $25,163 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,214. About 3.4% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.