Carl, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Carl · Barrow County, Georgia
Population 178 (est. 2026: ~200)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 2.81% annual growth projection

Carl, Georgia

Barrow County, Georgia · Population 209

Carl sits quietly in the northeast corner of Barrow County, a small incorporated town of roughly 209 to 296 residents depending on which Census count you consult — the kind of place where the population fits comfortably in a single high school gymnasium. Located in the Georgia Piedmont between Winder and Auburn, Carl occupies a stretch of the county that has remained distinctly small-town even as Barrow County itself has grown to more than 83,500 people. That growth pressure shows up in Carl's housing prices. Everything else about the town suggests a settled, older community that has resisted the suburban sprawl rolling east from Atlanta.

People & Demographics

The 2022 ACS puts Carl's population at 296 people across 121 households. The median age is 47.8 — notably older than Georgia's statewide median, which hovers closer to 37. That figure tells a story: Carl is not where young families are landing, at least not in large numbers. Only 46 residents are under 18.

Racially, the town is 244 white residents, 51 Asian, and 4 Hispanic or Latino. No Black residents were counted in this survey period. Average household size is 2.45, and 90 of the 121 households are family households.

Economy & Employment

Median household income in Carl is $55,982, and per capita income sits at $26,871. For context, Georgia's statewide median household income runs roughly $10,000 higher, which places Carl below the state average — though Barrow County as a whole is not a high-income county either.

Of the 115 residents in the labor force, only 5 are unemployed, a low figure for a town this size. Six residents fall below the poverty line. The workforce here is small but largely employed. Most jobs are not in Carl — they're somewhere else in the county or in the broader Atlanta metro orbit.

Housing

Carl's housing market carries prices that do not match its income levels. The median home value is $326,300, while median rent runs $1,161 per month. Of 143 total housing units, 121 are occupied, leaving 22 vacant. Ownership splits almost evenly: 68 owner-occupied units versus 53 renter-occupied.

The home value figure is striking for a town of this size and income — it reflects Barrow County's position within commuting distance of Athens and the northeastern Atlanta suburbs, where demand has steadily pushed prices up across the county. Someone earning the town's median household income and carrying a mortgage at $326,300 faces a meaningful affordability gap.

Schools

Carl students attend Barrow County Schools, a district that serves the entire county from multiple campuses. High school options include Apalachee High School (grades 9–12, 1,894 students), Winder-Barrow High School (grades 9–12, 1,787 students), and Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy (grades 8–12, 1,064 students).

Middle school campuses include Russell Middle School (grades 6–8, 931 students), Haymon-Morris Middle School (grades 6–8, 809 students), Westside Middle School (grades 6–8, 736 students), and Bear Creek Middle School (grades 6–8, 673 students).

Elementary options across the county: Kennedy Elementary (928 students), Yargo Elementary (896), Bethlehem Elementary (850), Holsenbeck Elementary (823), Statham Elementary (804), Auburn Elementary (766), Mulberry Elementary (710), and Bramlett Elementary (679).

Getting Around

Carl is car country, full stop. Of 110 workers, 92 drove alone to work. Another 15 carpooled. Three walked. Zero used public transit. Zero worked from home. The aggregate commute time for the entire town's workforce totals 2,710 minutes, which works out to an average one-way commute of roughly 24.6 minutes — consistent with commuting to Winder, Athens, or points further west toward metro Atlanta.

Healthcare

The nearest hospital serving Barrow County is NGMC Barrow, LLC (Northeast Georgia Medical Center's Barrow campus). For a full directory of healthcare providers registered in Carl, the CMS NPI Registry can be searched directly: NPI Provider Search — Carl, GA.

Library

The nearest public library is the Auburn Public Library, approximately 1.9 miles from Carl. Contact: 770-513-2925.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are accessible from Carl within a reasonable drive. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is the closest NPS unit, offering river access, trails, and paddling along the Chattahoochee. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta (visitor center approximately 39.9 miles) and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (visitor center approximately 48.5 miles) round out the NPS options in the region. The Island Ford Visitor Center is approximately 34 miles away.

Natural Hazards

Barrow County has accumulated a substantial FEMA declaration history — 14 declarations going back to 1977. The county has been hit by severe winter storms repeatedly: 1993, 2000, 2014, 2015, and again in January 2026. Hurricane-related declarations include Opal (1995), Irma (2017 — two separate declarations), and Helene (2024). The county also received COVID-19 emergency and disaster declarations in March 2020, served as a Hurricane Katrina evacuation destination in 2005, and dealt with severe storms and flooding in 1998 and a drought declaration in 1977.

Winter weather is the recurring theme. Ice storms and snowfall events have disrupted this part of Georgia with enough regularity that the declaration record spans seven decades.

Government & Municipal Code

Carl's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/carl-town-georgia. The town does not have a local building code on file with Municode.

Weather

Current NWS forecasts for Carl are available at the National Weather Service forecast page. Active weather alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Auburn 1.6 E, located approximately 1.8 miles away.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)