Sparta, Georgia
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Sparta census division. It lies in ZIP code area 31087. The Survey maps it on the Sparta quadrangle. 1,357 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 659 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Sparta
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 5 records
Sparta Cemeterylisted 2001
Sparta Historic Districtlisted 1974- Glen Marylisted 1974
- Pearson-Boyer Plantationlisted 1993
- Rockbylisted 1978
Surveyed buildings and structures 12 records
- Granite Hill Plantation, Provision House, South side of State Route 16, 1.3 miles northeast of Sparta, Spartafederal building survey, 23 photographs
- Granite Hill Plantation, Quarry No. 1, South side of State Route 16, 1.3 miles northeast east of Sparta, Spartafederal building survey, 10 photographs
- Granite Hill Plantation, Quarry No. 2, South side of State Route 16, 1.3 miles northeast east of Sparta, Spartafederal building survey, 14 photographs
- Granite Hill Plantation, Quarry No. 3, South side of State Route 16, 1.3 miles northeast east of Sparta, Spartafederal building survey, 16 photographs
- Granite Hill Plantation, Quarry No. 4, South side of State Route 16, 1.3 miles northeast east of Sparta, Spartafederal building survey, 17 photographs
- Granite Hill Plantation, Silo, South side of State Route 16, 1.3 miles northeast of Sparta, Spartafederal building survey, 8 photographs
- Granite Hill Plantation, South side of State Route 16, 1.3 miles northeast of Sparta, Spartafederal building survey, 1 photograph
- Hancock County Courthouse, Town Square, Spartafederal building survey, 1 photograph
- Judge Little House, Main Street, Spartafederal building survey, 4 photographs
- Sayre-Shivers House, Broad & Robins Streets, Spartafederal building survey, 8 photographs
- Terrell-Stone House, Spartafederal building survey, 6 photographs
- Thomas Cheely House, County Road S-1098, Spartafederal building survey, 2 photographs
Population over time
2 figuresSparta fell from 1,400 to 1,357 between 2010 and 2020. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,400 | |
| 2020 | 1,357 | -43 (-3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 10 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.
- 1953 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Sparta quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1981 USGS Thomson quadrangle1:100000
- 1988 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
Photographs
8 of 24 photographs shown, 1939Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1939. Library of Congress
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1939. Library of Congress
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1939. Library of Congress
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1939. Library of Congress
Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1939. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Photographer not recorded. Library of Congress
Every photograph of Hancock County
Fires near this place
202 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 202 fires within 5 miles of Sparta between 1992 and 2019, burning about 883 acres in total. 14 started naturally. 15 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 | 112 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 22 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 15 |
| Natural | 14 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 11 |
| Smoking | 7 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2005 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | 1.6 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2011-HANCOCK-003 |
| 3 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | 13 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2019HANCOCK002 |
| 22 September 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | 1.9 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 18 September 1999 | Smoking | 7.8 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 September 2007 | 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
23 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sparta in 23 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 16 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | Sparta | $10,000 | A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that a brief EF1 tornado touched down approximately two miles northwest of Sparta and traveled only 1.5 miles before lifting. This was the first of three tornadoes to touch down in Hancock county between 1019 pm EDT and 1028 pm EDT, each near Sparta. This tornado was determined to have a maximum path width of 100 feet with maximum winds estimated at 80 mph. This first tornado tracked through a quite rural area. However, one mobile home suffered moderate damage to its roof, siding, and windows. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $10,000 | The Sparta Ishmaelite newspaper reported that thunderstorm winds ripped off a newly installed metal roof at the Sparta High School. This portion of the building housed the Board of Education's central office. The wind also damaged much of the wooden frame constructed above the old roof which was designed to support the new roof. Many trees and power lines were also downed in the Sparta area causing many of the city's residents to be without power for three hours. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $6,000 | The broadcast media reported trees blown down on Highway 15 between the Dollar General and On-the-Way Motors. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $6,000 | The Hancock County Emergency Manager reported a couple of large pecan trees blown down in Sparta. |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed several large trees along Georgia Highway 16. |
| February 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $5,000 | Several large tree limbs were downed. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $4,500 | no account filed |
| February 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $3,000 | The Hancock county 911 center reported that several trees and some power lines were blown down. |
| January 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $3,000 | The Hancock county 911 center reported that trees were blown down 5 miles east of Sparta and also on the west side of the county. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $2,000 | The Hancock County 911 Center reported that up to four trees were down, a couple on power lines. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $2,000 | Hancock county 911 reported several trees were down on power lines. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $2,000 | Several trees and limbs were knocked down by thunderstorm winds in Mayfield. |
| February 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $1,000 | A tree was downed in the 3000 block of linton road. |
| September 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $1,000 | The Hancock County 911 center reported a tree blown down on Gilbert Circle. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $1,000 | The Hancock county 911 center reported that several trees were down along Georgia Highway 77 northwest of Sparta. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | $500 | Thunderstorm winds knocked trees down on power lines in White Plains and Sparta. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Sparta | - | The Hancock County Emergency Management Director observed penny-sized hail in downtown Sparta at the court house. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Sparta | - | The Hancock county Emergency Management Director reported penny-sized hail. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Sparta | - | The Hancock county 911 center reported quarter size hail. |
| May 1996 | Hail | Sparta | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Hail | Sparta | - | no account filed |
| February 1993 | Hail | Sparta | - | no account filed |
| March 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sparta | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Hill | 2.5 miles | 10 | |
| Glenford (historical) | 3.3 miles | 10 | |
| Sunshine (historical) | 3.4 miles | 10 | |
| Culverton | 4.9 miles | 10 | |
| Mount Zion | 6.1 miles | 10 | |
| Devereux | 6.3 miles | 13 | |
| Zebulon | 6.5 miles | 13 | |
| Howell Grove | 6.8 miles | 10 |
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 Sparta | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2670509 | 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 323330. 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.






