city was $14,617. 32.1% of the population and 28.8% of families were below the poverty line. 45.7% of those under the age of 18 and 28.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. History In 1822, the Georgia state legislature established "Swainsborough" as the seat of Emanuel County. The town was named in recognition of Stephen Swain, the state senator who introduced the bill for the county's creation in 1812. The town's name was changed to "Paris" at its incorporation on February 18, 1854, but three years later reverted to its current name, Swainsboro. Transportation Early in its corporate life, much like other rural Georgia towns, Swainsboro depended on railroads for transportation. However, in the 1930s, many of the town's streets and sidewalks were paved, and Swainsboro found itself at the intersection of two major national highways, U.S. 1 and U.S. 80, thus earning its city motto: "Crossroads of the Great South". U.S. 1 was the principal highway from Maine to Key West, and U.S. 80, at that time, ran from Tybee Island, Georgia, to San Diego. Education Emanuel County School District The Emanuel County School District, run by the Emanuel County Board of Education, holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and two academies. The district has 293 full-time teachers and over 4,664 students. Adrian School of Performing Arts (Closed) David Emanuel Academy (DEA) Swainsboro Elementary School Swainsboro Primary School Twin City Elementary School Swainsboro Middle School Emanuel County Institute Swainsboro High School Higher education East Georgia State College - Swainsboro Campus Southeastern Technical College - Swainsboro Campus Notable people Ray Guy, NFL Hall of Famer, retired punter, three-time Super Bowl champion Dwight Howard, NBA Player (born in Swainsboro, raised in Atlanta) Rufus Hannah, aka "Rufus the Stunt Bum", born and raised in Swainsboro, famous for his role in the controversial Bumfights series Doug Johnson, record producer, songwriter, record label executive, born in Swainsboro Pat Mitchell, media personality and businesswoman Tony Mitchell, professional basketball player for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, former Milwaukee Bucks player George L. Smith II, member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1944–1973) and Speaker of the same body (1959–1962, 1967–1973) Ben Troupe, born in Swainsboro, played high school football in Augusta, former University of Florida football standout Larry Jon Wilson, singer-songwriter, born in Swainsboro References External links Swainsboro official website