Sunny Side, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Sunny Side · Spalding County, Georgia
Population 224 (est. 2026: ~32,200)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 343.75% annual growth projection

Sunny Side, Georgia

Spalding County, Georgia · Population 203

Sunny Side sits in Spalding County in west-central Georgia, roughly halfway between Griffin and the Henry County line. It is one of the smallest incorporated places in the county — 203 residents according to the most recent population count — and functions as a quiet residential pocket in a rural-suburban fringe zone. The nearest commercial center of any scale is Griffin, about three miles to the northwest, which is where Sunny Side residents do their shopping, see doctors, and send their kids to school. Atlanta lies roughly 45 miles to the north, within commuting range for those willing to make the drive.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimates put Sunny Side's population at 174, spread across 70 households. The median age of 29.5 is notably young — well below Georgia's statewide median, which hovers around 37 — reflecting a community with a significant share of children. Residents under 18 number 65, which in a town this small means roughly one in three people is a child. The average household size is 2.49 persons, and 51 of the 70 households are family households.

Racially, the community is 121 White and 48 Black. No Asian or Hispanic/Latino residents were counted in the ACS estimates.

Spalding County as a whole holds 67,306 residents, making Sunny Side a fraction of a percent of the county's total population.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Sunny Side is $30,833 — a figure that falls well below both the Spalding County median and Georgia's statewide median household income, which sits above $61,000. Per capita income is $23,151. Twenty-six residents fall below the poverty line, which in a population of 174 represents a meaningful share of the community.

Of 65 residents counted in the labor force, only 1 was unemployed at the time of the survey — a low unemployment count, though the small sample size limits how much weight that figure can carry. The occupational and industry breakdown is not available in the data provided.

Housing

Sunny Side has 81 total housing units. Seventy are occupied, leaving 11 vacant — a vacancy rate of about 13.6 percent, which is elevated relative to typical suburban Georgia communities. The split between ownership and renting is close: 37 units are owner-occupied, 33 are renter-occupied.

Median rent runs $1,156 per month. No median home value was available in the data.

At $1,156 median rent against a $30,833 median household income, housing costs consume a high proportion of income for renters — well above the standard affordability threshold of 30 percent of gross income.

Schools

Sunny Side feeds into Spalding County Schools. The district operates multiple campuses serving students from pre-K through grade 12.

Elementary Schools - Futral Road Elementary School — 590 students (PreK–5) - Cowan Road Elementary School — 566 students (PreK–5) - Orrs Elementary School — 534 students (PreK–5) - Moreland Road Elementary — 433 students (PreK–5) - Atkinson Elementary School — 431 students (PreK–5) - Crescent Road Elementary School — 418 students (PreK–5) - Moore Elementary School — 386 students (PreK–5) - Jackson Road Elementary School — 363 students (PreK–5) - Jordan Hill Road Elementary School — 356 students (PreK–5)

Middle Schools - Rehoboth Road Middle School — 615 students (6–8) - Cowan Road Middle School — 543 students (6–8) - Kennedy Road Middle School — 477 students (6–8) - Carver Road Middle School — 471 students (6–8)

High Schools - Griffin High School — 1,498 students (9–12) - Spalding High School — 1,252 students (9–12)

For higher education, Southern Crescent Technical College serves the region and can be reached at (770) 229-3327.

Getting Around

Sunny Side is car-dependent. Of 64 workers counted, 51 drove alone to work. Seven worked from home. No residents reported carpooling, using public transit, or walking to work. There is no local transit service.

The aggregate travel time for all workers totals 1,875 minutes, which works out to a mean commute of roughly 29 minutes each way — consistent with a population that commutes to Griffin or beyond, including to the Atlanta metro for higher-wage employment.

Healthcare

WellStar Spalding Medical Center in Griffin is the primary hospital serving Sunny Side residents. Griffin is the county seat and the practical healthcare hub for all of Spalding County.

For a full directory of individual healthcare providers registered with CMS in Sunny Side, the NPI Registry can be searched directly at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov.

Library

The Griffin-Spalding County Library is the nearest public library, located 3.6 miles from Sunny Side. It can be reached at (770) 412-4770.

Parks & Recreation

Several National Park Service units are within reasonable driving distance of Sunny Side:

These sites give Sunny Side residents access to significant Civil War history, Indigenous history, and outdoor recreation within an hour or so of home.

Natural Hazards

Spalding County carries a long record of FEMA disaster declarations, covering nearly every category of severe weather that affects the Deep South:

The pattern is clear: Spalding County faces recurring threats from tornadoes and straight-line winds, tropical storm remnants tracking inland from the Gulf and Atlantic, and periodic severe winter ice events that Georgia's infrastructure handles poorly. Fifteen federal disaster declarations since 1995 is a substantial record for a county of this size.

Government & Municipal Code

Sunny Side is an incorporated city with its own municipal code, published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/sunny-side-city-georgia.

The city does not have a local building code on file with Municode.

Weather

Current National Weather Service forecasts and active alerts for Sunny Side are available at: - Forecast - Active Alerts

The nearest weather observation station is EXPERIMENT, located 2.6 miles from town.

References

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