Berry College, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Berry College · Floyd County, Georgia
Population 1,712 (est. 2026: ~1,500)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -3.8% annual growth projection

Berry College, Georgia

Floyd County, Georgia · Population 1,565

Berry College CDP is not a typical Georgia town. It is a Census-Designated Place built around one of the largest college campuses in the world — Berry College, whose land holdings stretch across roughly 27,000 acres of northwest Georgia ridge and valley terrain near Rome. The CDP sits in Floyd County, about four miles northwest of downtown Rome, and its entire character flows from that institution. Nearly everyone who lives here is a student, faculty member, or campus employee. The built environment, the demographics, and even the commute patterns make no sense without understanding that context first.

People & Demographics

The population of 1,727 (ACS 2022) skews almost incomprehensibly young. The median age is 19.7 years — essentially the average college sophomore. Floyd County's median age runs closer to the state norm; Berry College CDP is a statistical outlier by design.

Racial composition reflects the college's enrollment: 1,146 residents identify as white, 329 as Black, 196 as Asian, and 112 as Hispanic or Latino. Average household size is 1.77 people, consistent with dormitory-style or shared campus housing. Only 43 children under 18 live in the CDP — a figure that confirms this is not a family residential community in any conventional sense.

There are just 22 total households recorded in the ACS, all of them occupied and all renter-occupied. That number likely reflects the small slice of campus housing that falls under the Census's household definition, while the vast majority of students are counted differently as group quarters population.

Economy & Employment

Per capita income is $5,790 — a figure that is low not because the community is impoverished, but because most residents are college students with limited reported earnings. The ACS recorded zero residents below the federal poverty line, which again reflects the group quarters population structure more than conventional economic conditions.

Of 1,022 residents counted in the labor force, 67 were unemployed at the time of the survey. The remaining employed residents work across campus operations, academics, and administration, or commute into Rome for part-time and full-time positions.

Housing

All 22 housing units in the CDP are renter-occupied; none are owner-occupied. Vacancy is zero. Median home value and median rent figures are not available from the ACS for this CDP, consistent with its campus housing structure where rent is typically bundled into college fees rather than reported as standalone market transactions.

Anyone considering living near Berry College in a conventional residential setting will look to Rome proper or unincorporated Floyd County, where a broader housing market exists.

Schools

Students from the CDP area are served by Floyd County Schools. The county system includes a broad range of schools:

Berry College itself is the dominant educational institution in the CDP. Shorter University, also in Rome, can be reached at (706) 291-2121.

Getting Around

Commute data for the CDP reveals something unusual for a Georgia address: 391 of 933 total workers walked to their destination — the single largest commute mode. That figure makes complete sense for a self-contained residential campus where classrooms, labs, and workplaces are a short walk from dormitories.

An additional 164 workers worked from home, and 275 drove alone. Only 12 carpooled and 6 used public transit. Aggregate travel time across all workers was 7,305 minutes, suggesting an average one-way commute of well under 10 minutes for most residents — again consistent with a walkable campus environment.

For anyone traveling off-campus, Rome is the practical hub, with US-27 and US-411 providing regional road connections. The nearest metro region is Atlanta, roughly 70 miles southeast.

Healthcare

Two hospitals serve the Rome–Floyd County area:

For a directory of individual healthcare providers registered in Berry College, Georgia, the CMS NPI Registry provides a current searchable list.

Library

The Rome-Floyd County Library is located approximately 2.6 miles from the CDP. Phone: (706) 236-4630. Berry College also maintains its own academic library on campus for students and faculty.

Parks & Recreation

Several National Park Service sites are within reasonable driving distance of Berry College:

The Berry College campus itself contains extensive undeveloped forestland, working farms, and nature trails that function as a de facto nature preserve open to the public in many areas.

Natural Hazards

Floyd County has received 15 FEMA disaster declarations since 1993, a record that reflects northwest Georgia's exposure to a range of natural and extraordinary events:

The pattern indicates residents should prepare for winter ice events, tornado risk in spring, and the residual effects of Gulf Coast hurricanes that track inland.

Government & Municipal Code

Berry College CDP's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/berry-college-cdp-georgia. The CDP does not have a local building code on file.

Weather

Current forecasts for Berry College are available from the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast for 34.2785°N, 85.2070°W. Active weather alerts can be monitored at weather.gov alerts. The nearest weather observation station is Rome 4.2 WNW, approximately 2.7 miles from the CDP.

References

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