Fayette across America, Part 1

Fayette across

America, Part 1

This article

is the first in the "Virtual Road Trip" series. There are 11

Fayette Counties in the United States and readers will be able to learn

about each of the 11 counties through these articles.

First, we must

look at the man these counties are named for: Marquis de Lafayette. His

full name is Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motiers Marquis de

Lafayette. He was born in France in 1757 and after hearing of the struggle

of the colonies across the Atlantic Ocean, he came over to lend a hand.

On June 13, 1777, he landed near Charleston, S.C. and within a month he

was commissioned a Major General.

Lafayette became

friends with George Washington and fought valiantly with the colonists

in the American Revolution. He returned to France for a brief period and

had his native land provide military and monetary assistance to the colonies.

Upon his return to America, he continued to fight alongside his new friends

and was instrumental in the entrapment of Cornwallis at Yorktown.

Lafayette returned

to France after the war and became instrumental in the development of

a constitutional monarchy and the beginnings of the French Revolution.

He returned to the United States in 1824 and parties were thrown everywhere

he went. In many of the places he traveled, they named towns and counties

for him. He died in 1834 and was buried with a handful of American soil.

Fayette County,

Georgia, came into existence in 1821 as part of the Land Lottery Draw

when the Creek Indian Nation ceded some land. Some of the settlers in

Fayette County were Revolutionary War veterans and it is surmised that

they came up with the name of the county as a tribute to Lafayette. Fayetteville

has been the county seat of Fayette County since 1823 and the courthouse

on the square in Fayetteville was built in 1825. It is still in use today,

which makes it the oldest courthouse in municipal use.

Fayette County

is made up of Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Brooks and Woolsey

and is a part of the metro Atlanta area. The population according to the

U.S. Census Bureau's 2001 population estimate is 95,542. In 2000, it was

estimated that 29.1 of the population was under 18 and 51.1 percent of

the population was female. The mean travel time to work for the residents

of Fayette County is 30.6 minutes. There were an estimated 32,276 housing

units in 2000 (and residents of the county know that number has surely

gone up since then) and the median value of the homes in Fayette County

are 171,500. Fayette County is 197 square miles and has an estimated 463.1

persons per square mile.

The education

system in Fayette County is good, with a number of the local schools being

named nationwide and statewide schools of excellence. People in Fayette

County are very active, playing a wide variety of sports. We have the

largest population of triathletes in the country, an incredible soccer

program that has produced a number of top-caliber players. Recently, our

local high schools have produced state champions in soccer, wrestling,

softball and more.

Fayette County

is also home to some very famous residents, most notably Evander Holyfield,

a heavyweight boxing champion; Doc Holliday, a person at the gunfight

at the O.K. Corral; and Margaret Mitchell, who researched "Gone with

the Wind" in Fayetteville. Other famous residents who call or have

called Fayette County home are Emmanuel Lewis, Speech, Greg Lloyd, Marquis

Grissom and Jermaine Dupri.

There are two

amphitheaters in town and both have featured some of the biggest recording

artists in the history of rock and roll. A number of arts and theater

groups also have contributed to Fayette County's cultural scene. In addition

to the theater and musical performances, Fayette County enjoys several

festivals throughout the year that bring the community together, including

Tyrone Founders Day, the Shakerag Festival, July Jam and many more. There

are also dozens of restaurants of close to every genre in the area and

many more on the horizon. Close to 100,000 people call Fayette County

home and many can see why that number continues to grow.

Next week:

Fayette County, Alabama and Fayette County, Texas.

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