Lithonia is a suburban town in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, and it is incorporated as a city. Lithonia's population was 2,187 at the 2000 census.

Lithonia is located at 33°42′46″N 84°6′21″W / 33.71278°N 84.10583°W (33.712658, -84.105897)^[3]. According to the United States Census Bureau, this town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (12.0 km²), all land. Despite its size, even though Lithonia is considered a small town, it has a large suburban community.

"Lithonia" means "city/town of stone". Lithonia is in the heart of the Georgian granite-quarrying and viewing region, hence the name of the town, from the Greek λθος lithos, for stone. The huge nearby granite dome, Stone Mountain, is composed largely of a rock called Lithonia gneiss, a form of granite. The city of Lithonia is in the metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia area.

The Lithonia Lighting Company, a manufacturer of household light fixtures, was founded in Lithonia in 1946, but it was moved to nearby Conyers in 1957.^[4]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there are 2,187 people, 799 households, and 560 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,068.9/km² (2,770.2/mi²). There are 892 housing units at an average density of 1,129.9 per square mile (436.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city is, 79.61% Black,16.64% White, 0.09% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. 2.88% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 799 households out of which 40.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.3% are married couples living together, 41.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% are non-families. 25.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.70 and the average family size is 3.25.

In the city, the population is spread out with 34.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 30 years. For every 100 females there are 76.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 63.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $23,397, and the median income for a family is $24,792. Males have a median income of $27,500 versus $23,788 for females. The per capita income for the city is $10,605. 25.9% of the population and 22.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 31.8% of those under the age of 18 and 25.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Shopping

Lithonia is home to the major regional shopping center in the southeast Metro, The Mall at Stonecrest (also known as Stonecrest Mall).

Controversy

In 2006, WSB-TV discovered that the Lithonia Police Department had been illegally driving uninsured police cruisers for a period of six months. There has been much debate over the former mayor Darold Honore and his practices of managing government funds. Honore had the password and locks changed to the city council building without releasing the new password or keys to any council members.

In early 2008, a new mayoral election was held. This election was not without controversy, when Joyce McKibben emerging as the winner by just one vote. The other candidate Rhonda Peek challenged these results and contested that McKibben's main residence wasn't inside the city limits. Peek tried to have her case tried in the Dekalb County Courts, but they would not hear the case. Peek next took her case to neighboring Rockdale County, where the court ruled against Peek, ruling that the results of the election were valid.

Mayor McKibben came under fire for her recent decision to discharge the village's chief of police. She also stated that both he and council members had their "hands dirty in Honore's money". Less than a year after her election, McKibben was removed from office in a recall election on September 30, after a recall petition had been approved in August 2008. The vote was 78% for and 22% against McKibbeb (166 to 47), with a voter turnout of just 20%. [1] Despite this significant defeat, Mayor McKibben, who still held office until the ballots had been certified by the Georgia Secretary of State later that week, said that she would contest the results.

Tonya Peterson, the mayor pro tempore, took office until another special election could be held on November 18. This was ruled to be necessary because early voting for the general election on November 4 had already begun in late September. Peterson was elected as the new mayor with 193 of 269 votes cast, a voter turnout of less than 30%. Rhonda Peek received 61 votes, and McKibben received 45. Another special election will be held to replace Peterson on the city council.

Education

Public schools

DeKalb County Public Schools operates public schools. Lithonia High School is located in the community of Lithonia.

Public libraries

DeKalb County Public Library operates the Lithonia-Davidson Library.^[5] The library, established in 1907, was the first public library in DeKalb County. It was an independent library from 1907 until 1951, when it was joined to the DeKalb County Public Library.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
4. ^ http://www.lithonia.com/company/history.asp
5. ^ "Library Locations & Hours." DeKalb County Public Library. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.