McDonough

History

The town was named for naval officer Commodore Thomas Macdonough and founded in 1823 around a traditional town square design. The buildings surrounding the square are intact, although there are some vacancies. The county courthouse and historic jail building are on the north side near the Welcome Center in a historically maintained Standard Oil service station, built in 1920. The station also houses the Main Street Program Office. One block east of the square, the town's original cotton warehouse has been replaced with the Henry County Judicial Center. In the same area the Henry County Courthouse Annex has an original oil on canvas "Cotton Gin" ( by 11 feet) by artist Jean Charlot. He painted this oil in 1942 for the town post office. His works can be found all over the world in everything from children's books to large murals. The town was a relay station on the New York City to New Orleans stagecoach line and was connected by other stage lines with Fayetteville and Decatur, and with Macon by way of Jackson.

Geography

McDonough is in central Henry County, southeast of downtown Atlanta. U.S. Route 23 passes through the center of the city, leading northwest to Stockbridge and south to Locust Grove. Interstate 75 passes through the southwestern arm of the city, with access from Exits 216, 218, and 221. I-75 leads northwest to Atlanta and southeast to Macon. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.50%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Dutchtown High
  High · Hampton · 1,861 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Ola High School
  High · McDonough · 1,764 students · 19.8:1 ratio
• Union Grove High
  High · McDonough · 1,648 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Eagle's Landing High School
  High · McDonough · 1,642 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• Locust Grove High
  High · Locust Grove · 1,637 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Stockbridge High School
  High · Stockbridge · 1,543 students · 19:1 ratio
• Luella High School
  High · Locust Grove · 1,373 students · 22.5:1 ratio
• Woodland High School
  High · Stockbridge · 1,334 students · 19.1:1 ratio