Q: What happened to the Jim Bakker’s amusement park?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: Heritage USA, a Christian theme park and residential area built by televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Praise The Lord Club in Fort Mill, S.C., closed in 1989.
Early attempts to use the property for other ventures, including a hotel, failed. MorningStar Fellowship Church, a Mississippi-based non-profit, purchased the Heritage USA Grand Hotel and Conference Center and 52 acres in 2004. The hotel has been renamed the Heritage Christian Conference Center and features conference rooms, accommodations and banquet rooms.
MorningStar agreed with York County in 2008 that it would turn the property’s 21-story tower into an assisted living facility or nursing home, but it’s currently at the center of a lawsuit between MorningStar and the county. York County wants it to be demolished.
Q: In reference to class diversity in America, what are the percentages for races in Fulton County, DeKalb County and Georgia?
—Frank Burnette, Decatur
A: Fulton County's population (920,577) breakdown, according to the 2010 U.S. Census:
- White: 44.5 percent
- Black: 44.1 percent
- Latin/Hispanic: 7.9 percent
- Asian: 5.6 percent
DeKalb County’s population (691,897) breakdown:
- Black: 54.3 percent
- White: 33.3 percent
- Latin/Hispanic: 9.8 percent
- Asian: 5.1 percent
Georgia’s population (9,687,850) breakdown:
- White: 59.7 percent
- Black: 30.5 percent
- Latin/Hispanic: 8.8 percent
- Asian: 3.2 percent
The percentages add to more than 100 percent because individuals can report they are of more than one race for the census.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author