EASTMAN

Eastman is located in the heart of Middle Georgia and is the seat of Dodge County. It is approximately 60 miles from Macon, 30 miles from Dublin and 135 miles from Atlanta; it does a remarkable job in keeping up to date with larger towns. There has been much building activity in the city since 1955, not only in public building, but in the creation of new subdivisions for the growing population.

HISTORY

Eastman was incorporated in 1872 and became the city seat for Dodge County which was incorporated in 1869. William Pitt Eastman of New Hamshire had given the land for the town and it is named in his honor. His home still stands today in Eastman Street. At one time, Eastman was a resort area sporting a large wooden hotel adjacent to the railroad downtown. It was one of the largest wooden structures ever erected and northern people flocked south to spend the winter. Mr. William E. Dodge believed that the resin from the long leaf pine possessed health-giving qualities and built the magnicent Upland Hotel which burned in 1906. 

AREA OF CITY

Eastman is 5.11 square miles with an altitude of 200 feet above sea level. 

TRANSPORTATION

Eastman is located on the Southern Railway mainline between Atlanta and Brunswick. U.S. Highways 23 and 341, and Georgia Highways 46, 87, and 117 pass through Eastman. The city is only 24 miles from the Interstate 16 and 47 miles from Interstate 75. 

POPULATION

Eastman has shown a continuous population growth since 1930 when it's population was 3,200. By 1967, there was an increase of 82 percent and the present population is approximately 5,440.

PUBLIC UTILITIES

Water is provided from 4 deep wells which range in depth from 300 feet to 450 feet and a pumping capacity of 1125 gallons per minute. Sanitary sewers serve 90 percent of the city water customers. New treatment facilities were built in 2010 with a design capacity of 1.8 million gallons per day. 

BUSINESS DISTRICT

Stores in Eastman offer the citizens of Dodge County convenience in shopping that compares with other cities much larger.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

The police department is staffed with 13 full-time officers at its capacity.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Eastman takes great pride in its fire department. It is staffed by 9 full-time fireman and 23 trained volunteers. The department has an advanced alarm system that alerts  all firemen by portable beeper system. All fireman have been certified in multi-media First Aid and CPR, and have been trained by specialists from the International Fire Service Training Institute in co-operation with Georgia Tech. The fire trucks are well-equipped to handle most local emergencies. Due to the advanced training and fire control ability, Eastman has a very good rating with the state uderwriters.

CHURCHES

There are approximately 55 churches representing 13 religious groups.