Bethany, Georgia
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Brinson census division. It lies in ZIP code area 39817. The Survey maps it on the Faceville quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1954 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Bainbridge quadrangle1:62500
- 1959 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
- 1974 USGS Faceville quadrangle1:24000
- 1978 USGS Bainbridge quadrangle1:100000
- 1988 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
279 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 279 fires within 5 miles of Bethany between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,275 acres in total. 12 started naturally. 19 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 209 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 23 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 19 |
| Natural | 12 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2020DECATUR022 |
| 30 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2017-DECATUR-009 |
| 30 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2017-DECATUR-008 |
| 30 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2017-DECATUR-007 |
| 30 September 1993 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2020DECATUR030 |
| 29 September 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
15 since 2012Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bethany in 15 storm reports between 2012 and 2023: 12 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 flash flood, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2019 | Tornado (EF1) | Bethany | $20,000 | An EF1 tornado with maximum winds of 90 mph initially touched down southwest of Bainbridge along GA-253, or Spring Creek Road. Damage in the area was mainly limited to large pines snapped. A tree fell on a home along the road. The tornado lifted before reaching the Flint River with straight-line wind damage observed south of Bainbridge. Damage cost was estimated. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | $10,000 | Numerous trees were blown down across southern Decatur county. Property damage was reported along with widespread power lines down from near Barber Road eastward to Greenshade Road. Damage was estimated. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | $3,000 | A tree was blown down and blocking Highway 253 southwest of Bainbridge. There was also some minor roof damage to a structure in the area. |
| January 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | $3,000 | Several trees were blown down across the county. Monetary damage was estimated. |
| February 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | $3,000 | Trees were blown down along Yates Spring Road. Monetary damage was estimated. |
| January 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | $2,000 | A survey team found a small area of damage to trees and outbuildings in western Decatur county consistent with straight line winds around 80 mph. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | - | A tree was blown down across Stubbs Road. |
| March 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | - | Trees and power lines were blown down along South Spring Creek Road. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | - | Trees were blown down from straight line winds. |
| April 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | - | Trees were blown down from straight line winds. |
| December 2018 | Flash Flood | Bethany | - | Several roads were reported to be flooded in Decatur county. |
| February 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | - | A tree was blown down on Spring Creek Road. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | - | A tree was blown down near Bubber Road. |
| November 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bethany | - | A tree was blown into the road a John Rich Road and Highway 310 in western Decatur county. |
| March 2012 | Heavy Rain | Bethany | - | A storm total of 5.13 inches was measured at the Spring Creek near Reynoldsville. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smiths Landing | 2.9 miles | 11 | |
| Recovery | 7.0 miles | 11 | |
| Hanover | 7.1 miles | 11 | |
| Cyrene | 7.5 miles | 11 | |
| Brinson | 8.3 miles | 11 | |
| Faceville | 8.5 miles | 11 | |
| Bainbridge | 8.5 miles | 12 | |
| West Bainbridge | 8.8 miles | 12 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 331142. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






