Dawson is a city in and the county seat of Terrell County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,414 at the 2020 census. Incorporated on December 22, 1857, the city is named for Senator William Crosby Dawson. Dawson is part of the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Dawson was founded in 1856 as seat of the newly formed Terrell County. It was incorporated as a town in 1857 and as a city in 1872. Terrell was an important site in the 1960s, when the county in which it is located was labeled "Terrible Terrell" by the SNCC. Jackie Robinson helped raise money to rebuild three black churches that were burned in the area. In 1976, five African-American youths were charged with the murder of a white customer in a roadside convenience store. The crime and pretrial proceedings garnered national attention. The five young men, one of whom was a juvenile, charged in the case were known as "The Dawson Five". The court dropped the charges against the group of five; Roosevelt Watson, Henderson Watson, J.D. Davenport, Johnnie B. Jackson, and George Poor, when it found evidence of police misconduct, including coerced confessions, intimidation and improper identification procedures. Geography Dawson is located in Southwest Georgia along U.S. Route 82 and Georgia State Route 520 (Columbus Highway), which leads southeast 8 mi (13 km) to Sasser and northwest 9 mi (14 km) to Parrott. U.S. 82 leads west 21 mi (34 km) to Cuthbert and 47 mi (76 km) to Eufaula, Alabama. Albany is 24 mi (39 km) southeast and Columbus is 63 mi (101 km) northwest. The city is located at (31.773969, -84.440870). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,414 people, 1,577 households, and 1,080 families residing in the city. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 5,058 people, 1,791 households, and 1,276 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,967 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 21.49% White, 77.26% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. There were 1,791 households, out of which 34.1% had children under