Vienna () is a city in and the county seat of Dooly County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,928 in 2020. Vienna is situated on the Flint River. It was established as Berrien in 1826. In 1833, its name was changed to Drayton. In 1841, it was renamed Vienna after the city of Vienna, Austria.
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History
Vienna was founded in 1826 as the seat of Dooly County as Berrien. Its name was later changed to Drayton and in 1836 it became the county seat. Renamed in 1841, Vienna was incorporated as a town in 1854 and as a city in 1901.
Geography
Vienna is located in southern Dooly County. U.S. Route 41 passes through the center of town as Third Street, leading north 13 miles (21 km) to Unadilla and south 9 miles (14 km) to Cordele. Interstate 75 passes 2 miles (3 km) east of the center of town (and forms the eastern border of the city), with access from Exits 109 and 112. I-75 leads north 55 miles (89 km) to Macon and south 49 miles (79 km) to Tifton.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Vienna has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km2), of which 0.03 square miles (0.07 km2), or 0.46%, is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Vienna has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Vienna had a population of 2,928. The median age was 38.5 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 82.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 75.9 males age 18 and over.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,213 households in Vienna, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 27.4% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 47.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,405 housing units, of which 13.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.4%.
Arts and culture
The Big Pig Jig takes place in Vienna. It is the Southeast's largest and Georgia's oldest official barbecue cooking contest. The Big Pig Jig was named to the Discovery Travel Channel's top ten list of "World's Best Barbecue Contests" for four consecutive years (2002–2005).
The Georgia State Cotton Museum is located in Vienna.
Education
The Dooly County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 92 full-time teachers and over 1,545 students. The schools are:
Fullington Academy
Dooly County Elementary School
Dooly County Middle School
Dooly County High School
Notable people
Vienna is the birthplace of Georgia governor George Busbee and the late Hollywood film director Vincent Sherman. Another notable person from Vienna is Roger Kingdom, winner of two Olympic gold medals. Florida legislator Perry Earl Murray was born in Vienna.
Former left fielder for the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers Kal Daniels was born in Vienna. NFL player Travis Centel Glover Jr. was born in and grew up in Vienna.