Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the county and the town were named for Governor Matthew Talbot. Talbotton may be best known in history as the place where the immigrant Straus family got their start in retail sales in the 19th century. In 1896, the family acquired R. H. Macy & Co. in New York.
Geography
Talbotton is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and 0.32% is water. The city is located in the central portion of the county along U.S. Route 80, which runs north to south through the main part of town, and turns east leaving town. U.S. Route 80 leads east 34 mi to Roberta and southwest 37 mi to Columbus. Georgia State Routes 90 and 208 also run through the city as well, with GA 90 leading southeast 8 mi to Junction City and GA 208 leading west 13 mi to Waverly Hall.
Climate
Talbotton has a humid subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters. The record high of and record low of were recorded on July 19, 1913 and February 13, 1899, respectively. On March 3rd, 2019, an EF4 tornado struck the town at low-end EF3 strength, causing major damage to structures and trees in the town.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 970 people, 384 households, and 246 families residing in the city. The population density was 326.8 people per square mile. There were 459 housing units at an average density of 134.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 15.10% White, 84.10% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.90% of the population. There were 384 households out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.1% were married couplesliving together, 29.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.27. In the city, the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,940, and the median income for a family was $24,792. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $17,778 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,662. About 30.5% of families and 32.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.2% of those under age 18 and 27.8% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Talbot County School District headquarters is located in the city as well as the only school building in the entire county. The district and school has 48 full-time teachers and over 792 students.
