Oglethorpe is a city in Macon County, Georgia, United States. The population was 995 at the 2020 census, down from 1,328 in 2010. The city is the county seat of Macon County. It was named for Georgia's founder, James Oglethorpe. History Oglethorpe was founded in 1838. It was located in the Black Belt of Georgia, where slaves outnumbered whites and did the work to support cultivation of cotton as a commodity crop. Oglethorpe was incorporated as a town in 1849 and as a city in 1852. In 1857, the seat of Macon County was transferred to Oglethorpe from Lanier. Oglethorpe was once one of the largest cities in southwestern Georgia. Epidemics of malaria and smallpox caused high fatalities in the early 1860s; the remaining residents in Oglethorpe fled south to Americus to escape more disease. Geography Oglethorpe is located in south-central Macon County at (32.293328, -84.062616). It sits on high ground west of the Flint River, which forms the boundary between Oglethorpe and the larger city of Montezuma. Georgia State Route 49 passes through the center of town as Chatham Street. It leads east into Montezuma and northeast to Marshallville, while to the southwest it leads to Americus. State Route 90 enters from the north on North Randolph Street and Sumter Street and leaves to the east on Chatham Street. It connects Oglethorpe with Rupert to the northwest and with Vienna to the southeast. State Route 128 leaves Oglethorpe to the north with SR 90 but leads to Reynolds. State Route 26 (Riverview Drive) passes through the south side of Oglethorpe, leading east through Montezuma to Hawkinsville and west to Ellaville. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Oglethorpe has a total area of , of which , or 2.34%, are water. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 995 people, 561 households, and 351 families residing in the city. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 1,200 people, 481 households, and 320 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 566 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 27.67% White, 70.25% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.75% from other races, and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population. There were 481 households, out of which 30.4% had children