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Set near the geographic center of the state, Macon is the county seat for Bibb County, which boasts a 2003 population estimated at 154,000, with the city itself marking 95,000 residents. But Macon's story is much more than a pile of demographic data.
Mankind has populated this region for the last 13,000 years, as the nearby Ocmulgee Indian Mounds attest. Founded in 1823, Macon saw the chartering of the world's first female college in 1836; today it's known as Wesleyan College. The city's architecture, culture, and contemporary vitality make it one of the country's most enjoyable places in which to live.
Music has been an integral part of life in Macon since poet Sidney Lanier, also a respected classical flautist and composer, was born there in 1845. Maconites who have made mighty music include "Little Richard" Penniman, now the city's official spokesperson, classical violinist Robert McDuffie, Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers, whose band formed here in the 1970s. One of its early members, Chuck Leavell, now keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, lives near Macon, and sometimes performs solo in the area.
Founded in 1996, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon's central business district affirms those musical roots. Now adjacent to it, creating a complex of museums and cultural institutions, are the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the still-in- progress Tubman African American Museum, and soon the Georgia Children's Museum.
In addition to its architecture, Macon is symbolized by its Japanese Yoshino cherry trees, some 275,000 of which have been planted around the city over the past five decades. It all started when local realtor William A. Fickling, Sr., found one growing in his back yard, then matched it up with one he saw in Washington D.C. on a trip there in 1952. He began propagating the rare species, giving the cuttings to fellow Maconites to plant.
The project led directly to the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, beginning in 1982, and continuing today for a 10-day run each March. Cooperative weather nourishes clouds of white blooms that serve as a backdrop for tours of historic homes, dances, sports events, and concerts. In 2005 the Donaghadee Male Voice Choir from Ireland performed in the Grand Opera House. Many of the festival's events are priced to appeal to families--the Donaghadee ticket, for instance, cost $5--and others are free.
But Macon is not just about history and music. Besides vaunted Wesleyan College, Macon is home to Mercer University, housing both medical and law schools. Macon State College, a four-year state-supported institution, claims that, according to its records, 91% of its baccalaureate graduates remain in the area after graduation.
Nearby Robins Air Force Base in neighboring Houston County is the area's largest employer, supplying jobs to some 25,000. Geico, a large insurance company headquartered in Macon, employs 4,000. Long established in Macon, YKK, a Japanese zipper factory, employs more than 700. Macon Medical Center employs another 5,000. The employment base is diverse and deep.
Primary and secondary education in Macon is enriched by magnet schools. Five of the total 31 elementary schools are magnet schools, devoted to specialized academic fields. From Pre-K through high school, the student-teacher ratio is about 16-1. Central High School offers the International Baccalaureate Program and is a Fine Arts magnet school. So it's possible for a child growing up in Macon to start in pre-K and finish a law or medical degree in the same town.
While Macon takes pleasure in its history and its traditions, it also takes pleasure in its 21st century vitality and modern outlook. With more than a quarter of its population under the age of 18, and only 13% over age 65, Macon has youth on its side along with its history.
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