Macon, Georgia

Macon is a city that lies literally in the heart of Georgia. It's 85 miles of Atlanta and 180 miles west of Savannah. So it's smack in the middle of the state. The Ocmulgee Rivers runs through the city. There are roughly $230,000 people living there with a median income for a household in the range of $40,000. Spanish explorers came to Macon in the 1500's. Until the area was settled by Europeans, Creek and Cherokee Indians lived there. The town was officially formed in 1823 and was named after Nathaniel Macon, an anti-Federalist North Carolinian who served as Speaker of the House and president pro-tem of the U.S. Senate. He also made an unsuccessful attempt for the vice-presidency in 1824. In addition, he was apparently very close friends with Thomas Jefferson. Macon was an important city during the civil by having a hospital and prisoner of war camp. Surprisingly, General Sherman skipped over Macon in his infamous march to the sea that utterly destroyed many cities in Georgia. In the 1950's Macon began to both produce and attract musicians, such as closely Leana Horne, Otis Redding, James Brown, "Little Richard" Penniman, and later, the Allman Brothers. It's not surprising that the Georgia Music Hall of Fame is in Macon. The city is home to numerous secondary educational institutions such as Mercer University, Wesleyan College, Macon State College, Georgia College and State University, and Central Georgia Technical College.