Newton County Courthouse (Built 1884), Covington, Georgia
Location in Newton County and the state of Georgia
|• Total||13.9 sq mi (35.9 km2)|
|• Land||13.8 sq mi (35.6 km2)|
|• Water||0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)|
|Elevation||741 ft (226 m)|
|• Density||970/sq mi (370/km2)|
|Time zone||Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)|
|• Summer (DST)||EDT (UTC-4)|
|GNIS feature ID||0355354|
Covington Historic District
|Location||Roughly Covington City S of US 278, Covington, Georgia|
|Architect||Bruce and Morgan; Golucke, J.W., and Company, et al.|
|Architectural style||Greek Revival, Second Empire, Italianate|
|NRHP Reference #||98000969|
|Added to NRHP||August 06, 1998|
Covington is a city in Newton County, Georgia. The population of Covington, Georgia in 2012 is 13,347. The growth of population from 2000 is +15.6%. The city is the county seat of Newton County. It is thirty-five miles southeast of Atlanta.
Covington was founded and incorporated in 1822 as the seat of the newly formed Newton County. Covington was named for United States Army Brigadier General and United States Congressman Leonard Covington, a hero of the War of 1812. The city grew with the advent of the railroad in 1845.
The city of Covington encompasses two historic districts known as the Covington Historic District and the North Covington Historic District. These two districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The maps and materials describing these two districts are available for review through City Hall. The Covington Historic District contains Floyd Street and the downtown square. The North Covington Historic District contains, North Emory Street and Odum Street as its hub. Both the Covington Historic District and the North Covington District, has an ordinance that must be followed when changes are made to properties within the districts, and special permits may be required. The Covington Mill Village was not accepted, by the general public, to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, although the mill village is a vital part of Covington's history, but it does not have a specific ordinance to control changes, and may require permits. The Starrsville Historic District, site of the historic settlement of Starrsville, is nearby in the exurban area around Covington. The Newton County Courthouse, Brick Store, and Salem Camp Ground are separately NRHP-listed.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.9 square miles (36 km2), of which 13.8 square miles (36 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.72%) is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,547 people, 4,261 households, and 2,906 families residing in the city. The population density was 839.2 people per square mile (324.0/km²). There were 4,542 housing units at an average density of 330.1 per square mile (127.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 51.55% White, 45.54% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.87% of the population.
There were 4,261 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 23.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,997, and the median income for a family was $36,408. Males had a median income of $29,622 versus $23,339 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,554. About 14.8% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.
Newton County School District
The Newton County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of fourteen elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools, an elementary theme school, and a charter school. The district has 853 full-time teachers and over 20,681 students.
- Grace Christian Academy
- Montessori School of Covington
- Providence Christian School
- Peachtree Academy
- Covington Academy
- Woodlees Christian Academy
- Dekalb Technical College- Covington Campus
- Georgia Perimeter College- Newton County Campus
- Emory University- Oxford Campus
- Gaither's Plantation hosts a Fall Festival every year.
- The Satsuki Garden Club conducts tours of historic houses in Covington every other Christmas.
- The Vampire Diaries, Mystic Falls Tours.
In film and television
Covington has been featured in many TV shows and movies since the 1970s. The city's nickname is Hollywood South.
- American Reunion, a Universal movie series filmed partly in Newton High School. Released: April 6, 2012 
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green, a Disney film starring Jennifer Garner and Ron Livingston. Filming wrapped in January 2011 
- The Magic Eye, a NBC made-for-TV movie about high school football in small-town America. Scheduled to air in June 2011.
- The Walking Dead, one of the opening scenes of the pilot episode was filmed on a rural road in unincorporated Newton County just outside of Covington city limits.
- The Accountant, a 2001 short film 
- The Vampire Diaries, a teen drama on the CW network, began filming on July 21, 2009
- Halloween II, (2009) a reboot of the 1980s film series directed by Rob Zombie.
- In the Heat of the Night, a television series from 1988 to 1995, Sparta Mississippi.
- The Family That Preys, a 2009 film by Tyler Perry.
- The Dukes of Hazzard, a TV series that was filmed in Covington and surrounding areas for half of the first season in 1978.
- False Face, a 1977 film.
- Kalifornia. a 1993 film starring Brad Pitt and David Duchovny filmed at the old Crest Motel.
- The Cannonball Run, filmed in 1981 starring Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise.
- Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
- Madea's Family Reunion (2006) Gaithers Plantation.
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
- Run Ronnie Run (2000) 
- Remember the Titans (1999) 
- Three Wishes (2005) Amy Grant
- Miss Evers' Boys (1997 TV Movie)
- Past the Bleachers (1994)
- The Oldest Living Confederate Widow (1993)
- A Passion for Justice: The Hazel Brannon Smith Story (1993)
- The Secret Passion of Robert Clayton (1992)
- I'll Fly Away (1991–1992) 
- Stay the Night (1991)
- Grass Roots (1991) 
- Carolina Skeletons (1991)
- White Lie (1991)
- Sudie & Simpson (1990)
- Resting Place (1986)
- Sweet Home Alabama (2002) 
- Get Low (2009) 
- Little Darlings (1980) 
- The Fighting Temptations (2003) 
- Resting Place (1986) Hallmark Hall of Fame 
- A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) 
- Fled (1996) 
- Flash (1997 TV movie) 
- Savannah (1996 TV Series) 
- A Man called Peter (1955) 
- Boycott (2001) TV Movie, 
- Dangerous Calling (2008)
- Coward of the County (1981 TV movie) 
- False River (2005) 
- The Price of a Broken Heart (1999 TV Movie) 
- Wayward Son (1999) 
- The Prize Fighter (1979) 
- Door to Door (1985) 
- A Fathers Homecoming(1988) 
- TV Road Trip (2002) Documentary, 
- Turbulance! (2004) 
- The Spy/Fancy Dress (2004) 
- Fly By (2009) 
- Boxed In (2005
- Autorequiem (2002) 
- My Cousin Vinny (1992) 
- Footloose (2011)
- Tak3n (2015)
- George T. Anderson, Confederate General during the Civil War
- Leon Ashley, singer
- Jay Bailey, Manufacturing Expert
- Boondox (David Hutto), Rapper on Psychopathic Records
- Dale Carter, professional American football player
- Ellia English, Actress best known for role as Aunt Helen on The Jamie Foxx Show
- Andy Offutt Irwin, award-winning storyteller and recording artist
- Ryan Klesko, Major League Baseball player
- Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (II), politician, Secretary of the Interior for Grover Cleveland, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
- Demetrius McCray, American football cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jake Reed, former professional American football player
- Steadman Vincent Sanford, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia
- "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
- Covington, Georgia Population History | 1990 - 2012
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). "Historical Gazetteer of the United States". Routledge. p. 225. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 94.
- Georgia Board of Education[dead link], Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- School Stats, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Dekalb Technical College, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Georgia Perimeter College- Newton Campus, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Oxford College of Emory University, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Mystic Falls Tours
- IMDb: Most Popular Titles With Filming Locations Matching "Covington,Georgia"
- American Reunion Movie | Official Site for American Reunion on Blu-ray | Own It NOW on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download | Watch The DVD Trailer, Photos & Pictures, Story, Plo...
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) - IMDb
- Covington News
- The Accountant (2001) - IMDb
- The Vampire Diaries (TV Series 2009– ) - IMDb
- Halloween II (2009) - IMDb
- In the Heat of the Night (TV Series 1988–1995) - IMDb
- The Family That Preys (2008) - IMDb
- The Dukes of Hazzard (TV Series 1979–1985) - IMDb
- False Face (1977) - IMDb
- Kalifornia (1993) - IMDb
- The Cannonball Run (1981) - IMDb
- Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004) - IMDb
- Madea's Family Reunion (2006) - IMDb
- Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) - IMDb
- Run Ronnie Run (2002) - IMDb
- Sweet Home Alabama (2002) - IMDb
- Three Wishes (TV Series 2005– ) - IMDb
- Miss Evers' Boys (TV 1997) - IMDb
- Past the Bleachers (TV Movie 1995) - IMDb
- I'll Fly Away (TV Series 1991–1993) - IMDb
- Grass Roots (TV 1992) - IMDb
- Get Low (2009) - IMDb
- Little Darlings (1980) - IMDb
- The Fighting Temptations (2003) - IMDb
- Resting Place (TV 1986) - IMDb
- A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) - IMDb
- Fled (1996) - IMDb
- Flash (TV 1997) - IMDb
- Savannah (TV Series 1996–1997) - IMDb
- A Man Called Peter (1955) - IMDb
- Boycott (TV 2001) - IMDb
- Dangerous Calling (2008) - IMDb
- Coward of the County (TV 1981) - IMDb
- False River (2005) - IMDb
- The Price of a Broken Heart (TV 1999) - IMDb
- Wayward Son (1999) - IMDb
- The Prize Fighter (1979) - IMDb
- Door to Door (1985) - IMDb
- A Father's Homecoming (TV 1988) - IMDb
- TV Road Trip (TV 2002) - IMDb
- Turbulence! (Video 2004) - IMDb
- The Spy/Fancy Dress (Video 2004) - IMDb
- Fly By (2009) - IMDb
- Boxed In (2005) - IMDb
- Autorequiem (2002) - IMDb
- My Cousin Vinny (1992) - IMDb
- Footloose (2011) - IMDb
- Covington Newton County Life and Living
- The City of Covington official site
- Downtown Covington
- The Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce
- The Center for Community Preservation and Planning
- The Newton Citizen
- The Arts Association in Newton County
- The Covington Municipal Airport Authority