The town was established in 1858 and was named for Stephen Douglas, renknowned stump speaker and Congressman who was the presidential challenger to Abraham Lincoln in the Election of 1860.
Geography
Douglas is located at 31°30'27" North, 82°51'3" West (31.507413, -82.850799)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.5 km² (12.9 mi²). 33.4 km² (12.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.46% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 10,639 people, 3,977 households, and 2,656 families residing in the city. The population density is 318.9/km² (825.7/mi²). There are 4,692 housing units at an average density of 140.7/km² (364.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 48.41% White, 45.33% African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.80% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 6.92% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,977 households out of which 32.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% are married couples living together, 21.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% are non-families. 28.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.14.
In the city the population is spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 77.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $27,946, and the median income for a family is $36,349. Males have a median income of $26,551 versus $20,145 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,652. 24.4% of the population and 17.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 31.2% are under the age of 18 and 22.0% are 65 or older.