Preston, Georgia
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Preston census division. It lies in ZIP code area 31824. The Survey maps it on the Preston quadrangle. 453 people lived here at the 2000 count. It stands 459 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Preston
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
Webster County Courthouselisted 1980
Webster County Jailslisted 2000
Population over time
2 figuresPreston grew from 186 to 453 between 1870 and 2000. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 186 | |
| 2000 | 453 |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 7 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.
- 1955 USGS Phenix City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Phenix City quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Phenix City quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Preston quadrangle1:24000
- 1981 USGS Americus quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
174 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 174 fires within 5 miles of Preston between 1992 and 2020, burning about 350 acres in total. 7 started naturally. 10 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 | 96 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 31 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 10 |
| Smoking | 8 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 7 |
| Natural | 7 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 9 September 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | 13 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 8 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 September 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2021WEBSTER002 |
| 5 September 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 September 1993 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 21 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 2.6 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2011-WEBSTER-003 |
| 19 September 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2014-WEBSTER-001 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
35 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Preston in 35 storm reports between 1995 and 2026: 21 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 2 flood, 1 lightning. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $50,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported numerous trees and a few power lines blown down across the entire county from the Seminole area across Preston, Weston, Dumas, Centerpoint and Leveretts. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $45,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported a roof blown off of a small office building near the intersection of Washington Street and Industrial Boulevard and several trees and power lines blown down in Preston. One tree fell on a house. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $15,000 | Emergency manager reported that multiple trees were reported down across Webster county including a number of roads that were impassable, all north of HWY 280. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $15,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported numerous trees blown down in and around Preston. |
| May 2020 | Hail | Preston | $15,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported hail the size of golf balls in Preston. |
| April 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Preston | $15,000 | A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF-0 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 75 MPH and a maximum path width of 150 yards occurred in northern Webster County. The tornado touched down just west of Seminole Road snapping several trees onto the roadway. The tornado moved east snapping trees as it crossed County Roads 8 and 123 before ending prior to crossing Highway 41. No injuries were reported. [04/03/17: Tornado #9, County #1/1, EF-0, Webster, 2017:041]. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $10,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported numerous trees blown down along Highway 41 just north of Preston. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $8,000 | Report of 8 trees down hwy 280 west of Preston. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $5,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported several trees and power lines blown down near the courthouse in Preston. |
| November 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $5,000 | The Webster county sheriff reported numerous trees were knocked down across county roads in extreme northern Webster county. Other trees were downed southwest of Preston by a second, later storm. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $4,000 | The Webster County 911 center reported trees blown down in Preston near the intersection of Highways 280 and 41. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $3,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported a few trees blown down along Montgomery Street in Preston. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $3,000 | The Webster County Emergency manager reported trees and large branches blown down from Ponders Mill Road to Wilson Pond Road. |
| December 2009 | Flood | Preston | $3,000 | The Webster County Emergency Management Director reported minor flooding of some roads and property across the county, mostly adjacent to overflowing creeks and streams. Monetary damage was confined to minor debris removal in these areas. |
| March 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $3,000 | The Webster County 911 Center reported that a number of trees were down along and near U.S. 280 in the northwest part of the county. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $3,000 | The Webster county 911 center reported that several trees and some power lines were blown down. |
| December 2005 | Hail | Preston | $2,500 | The Preston Police Department reported golf ball-sized hail. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $2,000 | The Webster County 911 Center reported that over half-a-dozen trees were down across the county. |
| March 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $2,000 | The Webster county 911 center reported that several trees were down. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $2,000 | Several trees were knocked down by thunderstorm winds to the east of Preston. |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $1,000 | Fire department reports a tree down on a home near the intersection of washington street and industrial boulevard. |
| March 2025 | Hail | Preston | $1,000 | A photo of hail up to quarter size was received from hwy 41 n near the marion county line. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $1,000 | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported a tree blown down on Churchill Road. |
| August 2007 | Lightning | Preston | $1,000 | The Webster County Emergency Management Director reported that lightning struck a couple of trees and electrical transformers and set them on fire at private residences. No structural damage was reported. |
| April 2006 | Flood | Preston | $500 | The Webster County 911 Center reported that one dirt road was flooded and under water and had to be closed. |
| November 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $500 | The Webster county 911 center reported that two trees were blown down. |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $300 | no account filed |
| January 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Preston | $100 | Thunderstorm winds knocked tree limbs down on power lines. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Preston | - | The Webster County Emergency Manager reported that penny sized hail fell north of Preston. |
| March 2011 | Hail | Preston | - | The public observed quarter-sized hail across northern Webster county near Preston. |
| February 2008 | Hail | Preston | - | The Webster County Emergency Management Director observed penny-sized hail on Deerfield Road. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Preston | - | The Webster County Emergency Management Director reported that penny-sized hail was observed in the Seminole community. Two to three trees were also blown down at private residences. |
| January 2006 | Hail | Preston | - | The Webster County Sheriff reported penny-sized hail near the Stewart county line, about five miles west of Preston. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Preston | - | The public reported penny-sized hail. |
| April 2003 | Hail | Preston | - | The Webster county 911 center reported golf ball-sized hail. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumas | 3.0 miles | 8 | |
| Gooseberry (historical) | 4.8 miles | 7 | |
| Archery | 5.4 miles | 8 | |
| Centerpoint | 5.6 miles | 7 | |
| Kimbrough | 7.2 miles | 8 | |
| Weston | 7.4 miles | 7 | |
| Leveretts | 8.7 miles | 7 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Preston | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q951376 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 332757. 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.




