65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,246, and the median income for a family was $31,154. Males had a median income of $29,277 versus $19,470 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,486. About 21.3% of families and 24.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.3% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over. Government Elberton operates under a council-manager form of government. In this style of government, the city manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city, the five-person elected council serves as a board of directors, and the mayor performs more ceremonial duties and presides over council meetings, although Elberton mayors have traditionally taken a more active role in running the city. The City of Elberton operates Elberton Utilities, a comprehensive utility system which includes electric, gas, water, sewer, cable television, and internet services; Elberton Public Works, which provides solid waste and street cleaning services and operates the city's cemeteries; Main Street Elberton, which promotes development in the downtown area; and the Elbert Theatre, which reopened in 2001 after extensive renovations and now hosts numerous productions throughout the year. The city is the primary benefactor of the Development Authority of Elberton, Elbert County, and Bowman. For over twenty years, Elberton has been the sister city of Mure, Kagawa, Japan. Students have the opportunity each year to participate in an exchange program sponsored by the two cities. Elberton was named a Georgia City of Excellence by the Georgia Municipal Association in 2002. It received commendation as a Trendsetter by Georgia Trend Magazine in 2005. The city was selected to host the Georgia Literary Festival in 2005 due to the area's contributions to literature. Economy Granite Elberton claims the title "Granite Capital of the World", although there are no statistics that qualify such a claim. The city's post-Civil War history has largely revolved around the industry, following the opening of the first commercial quarry and manufacturing plant by Dr. Nathaniel Long in 1889. As the industry grew in the early 1900s, so did Elberton's importance on the passenger and freight railroad lines, bringing many travelers and businessmen to the city and