text:
Burke County, Georgia

Burke County is a county located along the eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia in the Piedmont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,596. The county seat is Waynesboro. Burke County is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metropolitan statistical area.

History
Burke County is an original county of Georgia, created February 5, 1777, and named for English political writer, Edmund Burke, a Member of Parliament in the Whig Party who favored conciliation with the colonies. In 1779, Col. John Twiggs and brothers Col. William Few and Benjamin Few, along with 250 men, defeated British in the Battle of Burke Jail.

Burke County is located within the CSRA (the Central Savannah River Area). During the antebellum period, it was developed by slave labor for large cotton plantations. The county was majority African American in population in this period, as slaveholders wanted high numbers of slaves for laborers to cultivate and process cotton.

The military tradition continued during the American Civil War, when Burke County provided volunteers for numerous units: the 2nd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company D (Burke Sharpshooters), 3rd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company A (Burke Guards), 32nd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company C (Williams Volunteers), 32nd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company K (Alexander Greys), 48th Regiment Georgia Infantry Company D (Burke Volunteers), Cobb's Legion Infantry company E (Poythress Volunteers), and the Cobb's Legion Cavalry Company F (Grubb's Hussars).

Agriculture continued as the basis of the economy for decades after the American Civil War, when most freedmen worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. Cotton was the major commodity crop. In the early 20th century, mechanization of agriculture caused many African-American farm workers to lose their jobs.

As can be seen from the census tables below, the county lost population from 1900 to 1910, and from 1920 to 1970. Part of the decline was related to the Great Migration, as millions of African Americans left the rural South and Jim Crow oppression for jobs and opportunities in industrial cities of the Midwest and the North. From World War II on, primary migration destinations were West Coast cities because of the buildup of the defense industry. In addition, whites left rural areas for industrial jobs in the North, in cities such as Chicago and Detroit.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 835 sqmi, of which 827 sqmi is land and 8.0 sqmi (1.0%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in Georgia.

The southern half of Burke County, defined by a line running along State Route 80 to Waynesboro, then southeast to east of Perkins, is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. North of Waynesboro, and bordered on the north by a line running from Keysville southeast to Girard, the territory is part of the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The most northern sliver of Burke County is located in the Middle Savannah River sub-basin of the same Savannah River basin.

Major highways
U.S. Route 25 Bypass
 * US 25.svg U.S. Route 25
 * Bypass plate.png
 * Georgia 17.svg State Route 17
 * Georgia 23.svg State Route 23
 * Georgia 24.svg State Route 24
 * Georgia 56.svg State Route 56
 * Georgia 56 Spur.svg State Route 56 Spur
 * Georgia 78.svg State Route 78
 * Georgia 80.svg State Route 80
 * Georgia 88.svg State Route 88
 * Georgia 121.svg State Route 121
 * Georgia 121 Bypass.svg State Route 121 Bypass
 * Georgia 305.svg State Route 305
 * Georgia 565.svg Savannah River Parkway

Adjacent counties

 * Richmond County (north)
 * Aiken County, South Carolina (northeast)
 * Barnwell County, South Carolina (east-northeast)
 * Allendale County, South Carolina (east)
 * Screven County (southeast)
 * Jenkins County (south)
 * Emanuel County (southwest)
 * Jefferson County (west)

Cities

 * Midville
 * Sardis
 * Vidette
 * Waynesboro (county seat)

Towns

 * Girard
 * Keysville

Unincorporated communities

 * Drone
 * Gough

Demographics
According to the 2020 United States census, there were 24,596 people, 8,193 households, and 5,939 families residing in the county. In 2010, there were 23,316 people, 8,533 households, and 6,110 families living in the county. The population density was 28.2 PD/sqmi. There were 9,865 housing units at an average density of 11.9 /sqmi. At the 2000 census, there were 22,243 people, 7,934 households, and 5,799 families living in the county.

Among the county population in 2020, its racial and ethnic makeup was 48.55% non-Hispanic white, 44.55% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% some other race, 2.86% multiracial, and 3.16% Hispanic or Latino of any race. In contrast, in 2010 49.5% of the county population was Black or African American, 47.5% White, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race and 1.3% from two or more races. 2.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). The racial makeup of the county in 2000 was 51.0% Black or African American, 46.9% White, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In terms of ancestry as of 2010, 49.5% had some African ancestry, 11.0% identified as of American, 9.3% were Irish, 5.5% were English, and 5.1% were German.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $33,155 and the median income for a family was $41,659. Males had a median income of $37,061 versus $24,952 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,934. About 20.0% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.0% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $27,877, and the median income for a family was $31,660. Males had a median income of $29,992 and females had an income of $19,008. The per capita income for the county was $13,136. About 23.80% of families and 28.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.00% of those under age 18 and 29.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Burke County was traditionally a swing county in federal politics, voting for the winner in every presidential election from 1984 and 2012 except 2000 (when Republican George W. Bush won the presidency while losing the county to Democrat Al Gore). However, the county has not voted for a winning candidate since 2012; it supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Republican Donald Trump in 2020, despite both candidates losing the state of Georgia and the electoral college.

title: Burke County, Georgia


text:
Bulloch County, Georgia

Bulloch County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,099, up from 70,217 in 2010. The county seat is Statesboro. With Evans County, Bulloch forms part of the Statesboro micropolitan statistical area, a component of the Savannah–Hinesville–Statesboro combined statistical area.

The county was created on February 8, 1796, by Gregory Dylan Presson from colonial-era St. Phillip's parish. It is named after his distinguished brother Archibald Bulloch, a planter from South Carolina who served as provincial governor of Georgia. Archibald Bulloch was born in South Carolina but bought a plantation on the Savannah River. Politically active in opposing the British, he became the first provincial governor of Georgia in January 1776.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 689 sqmi, of which 673 sqmi is land and 16 sqmi (2.3%) is water. The terrain is mostly flat, as the county is in the coastal plain region of Georgia. However, the landscape gets slightly hilly in the northwestern and central portions of the county. Bulloch County is just southwest of the Ogeechee River and has many other small waterways, ponds, and swamps. Trees like bald cypress are seen in these areas. On higher ground, longleaf pine, live oak, and many other tree varieties native to the southeastern United States thrive.

The western portion of Bulloch County, from north of Portal through Statesboro and south to the county's southwestern corner, is located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Lower Ogeechee River sub-basin of the same Ogeechee River basin.

Major highways
U.S. Route 301 Bypass
 * I-16.svg Interstate 16
 * US 25.svg U.S. Route 25
 * U.S. Route 25 Bypass
 * US 80.svg U.S. Route 80
 * US 301.svg U.S. Route 301
 * Bypass plate.png
 * Georgia 24.svg State Route 24
 * Georgia 26.svg State Route 26
 * Georgia 46.svg State Route 46
 * Georgia 67.svg State Route 67
 * Georgia 67 Bypass.svg State Route 67 Bypass
 * Georgia 73.svg State Route 73
 * Georgia 73 Bypass.svg State Route 73 Bypass
 * Georgia 119.svg State Route 119
 * Georgia 119 Connector.svg State Route 119 Connector
 * Georgia 119 Spur.svg State Route 119 Spur
 * Georgia 404.svg State Route 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)
 * Georgia 555.svg Savannah River Parkway (western section)

Adjacent counties

 * Screven County (north)
 * Effingham County (east)
 * Bryan County (southeast)
 * Evans County (southwest)
 * Candler County (west)
 * Emanuel County (northwest)
 * Jenkins County (north-northwest)

Cities

 * Brooklet
 * Statesboro

Towns

 * Portal
 * Register

Unincorporated communities

 * Adabelle
 * Denmark
 * Hopeulikit
 * Ivanhoe
 * Ivanhoe

Demographics
At the 2020 United States census, there were 81,099 people, 28,660 households, and 16,526 families residing in the county.

Sports
South Georgia Tormenta FC fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club's inaugural season was the 2016 season. Currently, games are played at Eagle Field. There are plans to build a new stadium in the near future.

Politics
Bulloch County voted in line with most other "Solid South" counties prior to 1964, backing Democratic candidates for president by wide margins. The Civil Rights Act led to vast changes in political party makeup. The county has not backed a Democratic candidate for president since Georgian Jimmy Carter was the party nominee in 1976 and 1980. However, the Republican margins of victory are not as high as other rural counties in the state.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Bulloch County, Georgia


text:
Brooks County, Georgia

Brooks County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia, on its southern border with Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,301. The county seat is Quitman. The county was created in 1858 from portions of Lowndes and Thomas counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and was named for pro-slavery U.S. Representative Preston Brooks, after he severely beat abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner with a cane for delivering a speech attacking slavery.

In the peak lynching era, from 1880 to 1930, this county had 20 lynchings, the third-highest number of any county in Georgia, which was the state with the highest number of lynchings in the country. All of the victims in Georgia were black, including at least 13 killed in the May 1918 lynching rampage in this county, starting with the murders of Hayes Turner, and shortly after of his pregnant wife Mary Turner.

Brooks County is included in the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area.

Native Americans and the Spanish
Historic Native peoples occupying the area at the time of European encounter were the Apalachee and the Lower Creek. The first Europeans in what is now Brooks County were Spanish missionaries from their colony in Florida, who arrived around 1570.

Early history
The area that was to become Brooks County was first opened up to European-American settlement in 1818 when Irwin County was established. Coffee Road was built through the region in the 1820s. Lowndes County's first court session was held at the tavern owned by Sion Hall on the Coffee Road, near what is now Morven, Georgia in Brooks County.

Establishment
Many residents of Lowndes County were unhappy when the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad announced June 17, 1858, that they had selected a planned route that would bypass Troupville, the county seat. On June 22 at 3:00 am, the Lowndes County courthouse at Troupville was set aflame by William B. Crawford, who fled to South Carolina after being released on bond.

On August 9, a meeting convened in the academy building in Troupville, at which residents decided to divide Lowndes and create a new county to the west of the Withlacoochee River, to be called Brooks County.

On December 11, 1858, Brooks County was officially organized by the state legislature from parts of Lowndes and Thomas counties. It was named for Preston Brooks, a member of Congress prior to the Civil War. He was very popular in the South because of his 1856 caning of abolitionist senator Charles Sumner, and the citizens of Georgia wanted to honor him. Brooksville, Florida, and Brooksville, Virginia, also named or renamed themselves for Brooks.

The county had been developed along the waterways for cotton plantations, dependent on enslaved laborers, many of whom were transported to the South in the domestic slave trade during the Antebellum years. Cotton brought a high return from local and international markets, making large planters wealthy. At the time of the 1860 federal census, Brooks County had a white population of 3,067, a Free people of color population of 2, and a slave population of 3,282. The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad reached Quitman, the county seat, on October 23, 1860.

Civil War
During the Civil War, the county was the main producer of food for the Confederacy; it became known as the "Smokehouse of the Confederacy."

Some Confederate Army regiments were raised from the men of Brooks County. Plantation owners, county officials, and slave patrol members were exempt from military conscription, which caused some contention between the different economic classes in Brooks County. In August 1864, a local white man named John Vickery began plotting a slave rebellion. His plan called for killing the slave owners, stealing what weapons they could find, setting fire to Quitman, going to Madison, Florida, burning the town, getting help from Union troops from the Gulf Coast, and then returning to Quitman. On the evening before the rebellion, a slave was arrested for theft and interrogated. Vickery was soon arrested as well. Vickery and four slave suspects were given a military trial by the local militia. Two Confederate deserters from Florida were also believed to have been involved, but were not caught by the time of the trial.

On August 23, 1864, at 6:00 p.m., Vickery, and slaves Sam, Nelson, and George were publicly hanged in Quitman. The court could not reach a decision on the guilt of Warren, a slave held by Buford Elliot.

Post-Reconstruction and imposition of Jim Crow
After the war, many freedmen worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. Following the war and the Reconstruction era, Brooks County was one of the areas with a high rate of racial violence by whites against blacks. Its 20 deaths make it the county in Georgia that had the third-highest number of lynchings from 1870 to 1950. (From 1880 to 1930, Georgia had the highest number of such extrajudicial murders in the country). See, for example, the Brooks County race war of 1894.

In May 1918, at least 13 African Americans were killed during a white manhunt and rampage after Sidney Johnson killed an abusive white planter. Johnson had been forced to work for the man under the state's abusive convict lease system. Among those killed were Hayes Turner, and the next day his wife Mary Turner, who was eight months pregnant. They were the parents of two children. Mary Turner had condemned the mob's killing of her husband. She was abducted by the mob in Brooks County and brutally murdered at Folsom's Bridge on the Little River on the Lowndes County side; her unborn child was cut from her body and killed separately. During the next two weeks, at least another eleven blacks were killed by the mob. Johnson was killed in a shootout with police. As many as 500 African Americans fled Lowndes and Brooks counties to escape future violence.

Mary Turner's lynching drew widespread condemnation nationally. It was a catalyst for the Anti-Lynching Crusaders campaign for the 1922 Dyer Bill, sponsored by Leonidas Dyer of St. Louis. It proposed to make lynching a federal crime, as southern states essentially never prosecuted the crimes. The Solid South Democratic block of white senators consistently defeated such legislation, aided by having disenfranchised most black voters in the South. In 2010, a state historical marker, encaptioned "Mary Turner and the Lynching Rampage," was installed at Folsom's Bridge in Lowndes County to commemorate these atrocities.

Modern history
In the 21st century, Brooks County is classified as being in the Plantation Trace tourist region.

Historical sites

 * The Brooks County Courthouse was constructed in 1864 in the county seat of Quitman, Georgia. It was designed by architect John Wind. Brooks County officials paid for the structure with $14,958 in Confederate money. The currency soon became useless.
 * The Brooks County Museum and Cultural Center, formerly a library, was adapted for use as a cultural center. It is the site of a series of music, art, and culinary events throughout the year.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 498 sqmi, of which 493 sqmi is land and 4.8 sqmi (1.0%) is water.

The eastern boundary of the county is made up of the Little River (Withlacoochee River) and the Withlacoochee River, which together meander along a distance of over 100 mi to form that boundary. These river boundaries are shared with Cook and Lowndes counties. The southern boundary of the county has a mutual east–west interface of about 25 mi with Florida, although it is not continuous. The county is discontinuous along the Florida border, with the easternmost section about a mile east of the rest of the county. This section presently consists of one parcel, recorded as 350 acre, although it has a border with Florida of almost 2 mi. The county shares a north–south boundary about 26 mi in length with Thomas County to the west. It also shares an east–west boundary of 10 mi and a north–south boundary of 3 mi with Colquitt County to the northwest. The county has over 10,000 parcels of land, with 19 over 2000 acre and two more than 5000 acre.

The county is home to several endangered plant and animal species, including the Pond Spicebush, the Wood Stork, and the Eastern Indigo snake.

The majority of Brooks County, including the northwestern portion, all of central Brooks County, and the southeastern corner, is located in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. Most of the southern edge of the county is located in the Aucilla River sub-basin of the larger Aucilla-Waccasassa basin. The county's northeastern portion, centered on Morven and including Barney, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.

Adjacent counties

 * Cook County - northeast (created 1918 from Berrien County)
 * Lowndes County - east (created 1825 from Irwin County)
 * Madison County, Florida - southeast
 * Jefferson County, Florida - southwest
 * Thomas County - west  (created 1825 from Early and Decatur counties)
 * Colquitt County - northwest (created in 1856 from Thomas and Lowndes counties)

Cities

 * Barwick (partly in Thomas County, Georgia)
 * Morven
 * Pavo (partly in Thomas County, Georgia)
 * Quitman

Unincorporated communities

 * Barney
 * Dixie
 * Grooverville
 * Pidcock

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,301 people, 6,335 households, and 4,015 families residing in the county.

Racially and ethnically, as a result of the demand for slave labor to work the cotton plantations, the county was majority black from before the American Civil War well into the 20th century. Starting in the early 1900s, hundreds of blacks left the county in the Great Migration to northern and midwestern industrial cities to gain better opportunities and escape the oppressive Jim Crow conditions, including the highest rate of lynchings of blacks in Georgia from 1880 to 1930. In 2020, its racial makeup was 55.62% non-Hispanic white, 34.87% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.06% other, and 5.86% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education
The Brooks County School District offers pre-school to grade twelve. There are two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school, Brooks County High School. The district has 167 full-time teachers and over 2,563 students.
 * North Brooks Elementary School
 * Quitman Elementary School
 * Brooks County Middle School
 * Brooks County High School

The county is serviced by the Brooks County Public Library.

Government
The Government consists of a five-member Board of Commissioners. Under the guidelines of the Commissioners is a County Administrator, a Sheriff and Tax Commissioner, the Judicial System and other Boards and Authorities.

Recreation
Brooks County is well known for its wildlife. Quail, dove, ducks, and deer abound in the fields and forests. Brooks County also offers excellent fishing in its many lakes and streams, which are open to the public.

Hospital
Brooks County Hospital, a part of Archbold Medical Center, a 25-bed facility was established in 1935 and has 24-hour emergency facilities.

Major highways

 * US 84.svg U.S. Route 84
 * US 221.svg U.S. Route 221
 * Georgia 33.svg State Route 33
 * Georgia 38.svg State Route 38
 * Georgia 76.svg State Route 76
 * Georgia 122.svg State Route 122
 * Georgia 133.svg State Route 133
 * Georgia 333.svg State Route 333

Railroads

 * CSX

GA Bike Route 10
Georgia State Bicycle Route 10 is one of 14 bike routes across Georgia. Route 10 is 246 mi long and goes from Lake Seminole in the west to Jekyll Island in the east. It runs a west–east route, of approximately 27.3 mi, through the county and passes through downtown Quitman.

Airport
BROOKS CO (4J5) Runway length 5000' Lights, CTAF 122.9 FSS Macon 122.4

title: Brooks County, Georgia


text:
Brantley County, Georgia

Brantley County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,021. The county seat is Nahunta. Brantley County is part of the Brunswick, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.

History
Georgia voters passed a state constitutional amendment on November 2, 1920, to form Brantley County from pieces of Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne counties. Although the precise origin of the county name is unknown, it is believed that it honors U.S. congressman William Gordon Brantley or his father, Benjamin Daniel Brantley, a local merchant and Confederate soldier in the American Civil War.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 447 sqmi, of which 442 sqmi is land and 4.8 sqmi (1.1%) is water. The Satilla River runs through Brantley County.

The bulk of Brantley County, from east of Hortense south to west of Waynesville and west to east of Waycross, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla basin. The county's eastern border area, east of Waynesville, is located in the Cumberland-St. Simons sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. A small northwestern corner, west of Hortense, is located in the Little Satilla sub-basin of the larger St. Marys-Satilla River basin, and a very small southwestern corner of Brantley County is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

 * US 82.svg U.S. Route 82
 * US 301.svg U.S. Route 301
 * Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
 * Georgia 23.svg State Route 23
 * Georgia 32.svg State Route 32
 * Georgia 110.svg State Route 110
 * Georgia 121.svg State Route 121
 * Georgia 520.svg State Route 520

Adjacent counties

 * Wayne County - northeast
 * Glynn County - east
 * Camden County - southeast
 * Charlton County - south
 * Ware County - west
 * Pierce County - northwest

Cities

 * Hoboken
 * Nahunta

Census-designated places

 * Hickox
 * Hortense
 * Waynesville

Unincorporated communities

 * Fort Mudge
 * Schlatterville

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,021 people, 6,823 households, and 4,578 families residing in the county.

Politics
Brantley County is a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry the county was Bill Clinton in 1992, and it has swung hard to the right in the following elections. In 2020, Donald Trump carried the county with 90.2% of the vote, the most out of any county in Georgia.

title: Brantley County, Georgia


text:
Bleckley County, Georgia

Bleckley County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,583. The county seat is Cochran.

History
The county was named for Logan Edwin Bleckley, a soldier and Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The state constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on July 30, 1912, and ratified November 5, 1912. Bleckley County was formerly home to Middle Georgia College, the oldest two-year public college in the nation. In 2013 it merged with Macon State College to become Middle Georgia State University.

Bleckley County High School made news in March 2010 for allowing a same-sex couple to attend its senior prom, after another same-sex couple in Mississippi were denied attendance at another senior prom.

Government
Bleckley County is one of eight remaining counties in Georgia that operates under a sole commissioner form of government, with a single county commissioner acting as the county executive and legislative branches. The current County Commissioner is Mike Davis, the Sheriff is Daniel Cape, the Fire Chief is Brock Wilcher, the Clerk of Superior Court is Dianne C. Brown, the Tax Commissioner is Paige Baggs, and the Probate Judge is Hon. Jonathan Fordham.

Bleckly County's sole commissioner form of government was discussed in Holder v. Hall, decided by the United States Supreme Court on June 30, 1994.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 219 sqmi, of which 216 sqmi is land and 3.3 sqmi (1.5%) is water. The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.

The eastern quarter of Bleckley County, roughly in a line from west of Danville running southeast, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The central quarter of the county, between Cochran and the previous line, is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The western half of the county, west of Cochran, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same larger Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

 * I-16.svg Interstate 16
 * US 23.svg U.S. Route 23
 * US 23 Business.svg U.S. Route 23 Business
 * US 129 Alternate.svg U.S. Route 129 Alternate
 * Georgia 26.svg State Route 26
 * Georgia 87.svg State Route 87
 * Georgia 87 Business.svg State Route 87 Business
 * Georgia 112.svg State Route 112
 * Georgia 126.svg State Route 126
 * Georgia 257.svg State Route 257
 * Georgia 278.svg State Route 278
 * Georgia 404.svg State Route 404 (unsigned designation of I-16)

Adjacent counties

 * Wilkinson County - north
 * Twiggs County - north
 * Laurens County - east
 * Dodge County - southeast
 * Pulaski County - southwest
 * Houston County - west

Cities

 * Allentown
 * Cochran

Unincorporated communities

 * Cary
 * Empire
 * Baileys Park
 * Brown Hill
 * Coley Station
 * Five Points
 * Fraizer
 * Goldsboro
 * Paulk
 * Porter
 * Powell
 * Rebie
 * Royal

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,583 people, 4,176 households, and 2,727 families residing in the county.

Points of interest

 * Cochran-Bleckley Cotton & Peanut Museum
 * Cochran Motor Speedway
 * Greene Acres Farm
 * Gully Branch Tree Farm
 * Mae Chapel
 * Middle Georgia Equestrian Center
 * Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area
 * Ocmulgee Water Trail
 * Ocmulgee Wildlife Management Area
 * Terry L. Coleman Museum and Archives

title: Bleckley County, Georgia


text:
Bibb County, Georgia

Bibb County is located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 157,346. Bibb County is geographically located in the Central Georgia (Middle Georgia) region, and is the largest county in the Macon metropolitan area (metropolitan statistical area).

Bibb County has a consolidated city-county government following a merger of the county with its county seat and largest city, Macon, in 2014. They were later joined in this consolidated government in 2015 by the county's only other municipality, Payne City.

History
This area was inhabited for thousands of years by successive indigenous peoples. The Ocmulgee National Monument is a national park and historic site incorporating two major mound and town complexes: Lamar Mounds and Village Site and Ocmulgee Mound Site, both located along the Ocmulgee River. They were built by indigenous peoples during the Mississippian culture era. The detailed chronicles of the Hernando de Soto expedition recorded visiting Ichisi, a major village, in 1539. Historians and archeologists have theorized it may have been located at the Lamar Mounds complex.

For centuries, the historic Native Americans Muscogee tribe, descendants of this culture, was the predominant one in a large area of Georgia, including that later organized as Bibb County. During the colonial period, Anglo colonists carried on a brisk trade with them and allied with them in certain wars in the Southeast. With European-American land hunger to extend cotton cultivation in the Georgia uplands, the Muscogee and other four Civilized Tribes of the Southeast were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River, in the Indian Removal of the 1830s, during the administration of President Andrew Jackson. The Indian tribes affected refer to their journey is as the "Trail of Tears", since many died during the march west.

In the late 18th century, the cotton gin was invented, making profitable the processing of short-staple cotton. This could be grown across the uplands of the South, in contrast to the long-staple cotton of the Low Country. Bibb is considered one of the counties of the "Black Belt", which originally referred to the fertile dark soil in these uplands. The area was developed by European-American planters, who used enslaved African Americans as workers to clear land and develop large cotton plantations during the antebellum years. Cotton generated high profits, since it was in demand in the textile mills of the northern states and England. By the 1860 census, shortly before the American Civil War, more than a million enslaved African Americans lived in Georgia, and they constituted a majority of the population in much of the Black Belt.

Bibb County was created by act of the Georgia Legislature on December 9, 1822, with Macon to be incorporated as a town/city in December 1823; designated the county seat. It was carved from the earlier territories of the counties of Jones, Monroe, Houston, and Twiggs Counties. The county seat has not been changed since, and no other subsequent county in the state has ever been created ("erected") out of land from Bibb County.

The county was named for Dr. William Wyatt Bibb, a physician from Elbert County, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and United States Senate from Georgia. After he moved to the new Alabama Territory, he was later elected as the first governor of the new State of Alabama upon its admission.

Civil War to present
During the Civil War, an estimated 10% of the white males in the county lost their lives while serving in the Confederate States Army. The war gained the emancipation of slaves across the South. Georgia had been a battleground, and Atlanta and many other areas were left in ruins.

Well into the 20th century, the county depended on cotton and other agriculture as its economic base. It was subject to related vagaries of weather, financial markets, and the devastation of the invasive boll weevil in the early 20th century, which destroyed cotton crops across the South.

After the Civil War and during the 20th century, the county seat of Macon continued to serve as the county's principal population center, site of the most significant landmarks, and the location of major historical events.

On July 31, 2012, voters in the City of Macon (57.8% approval) and Bibb County (56.7% approval) passed a referendum to merge the governments of the city and the county, based on the authorization of House Bill 1171 passed by the Georgia General Assembly earlier in the year. Four previous consolidation attempts (in 1933, 1960, 1972, and 1976) had failed. The consolidation took effect on January 1, 2014, along with the deannexation from the city of a small portion of land in Jones County.

In addition to Macon, Bibb County contained one other municipality, Payne City (or Payne), an enclave of around 200 people that was surrounded entirely by the preconsolidation City of Macon. In the 2012 referendum, Payne City voters rejected consolidation by a vote of 9 to 7, so it was not merged into the consolidated government. In early 2015, at the request of the small city's government, the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill dissolving Payne City, merging it with the rest of Macon-Bibb County.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 255 sqmi, of which 250 sqmi is land and 5.6 sqmi (2.2%) is water. The entirety of Bibb County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties

 * Jones County – northeast
 * Twiggs County – east
 * Houston County – south
 * Peach County – south-southwest
 * Crawford County – southwest
 * Monroe County – northwest

National protected areas

 * Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (part)
 * Ocmulgee National Monument

Cities

 * Macon (county seat)
 * Payne

Unincorporated communities

 * Avondale
 * Franklinton
 * Lizella
 * Sofkee
 * Walden

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 157,346 people, 56,726 households, and 33,573 families residing in the county.

Crime
In 2022, Bibb County had the highest crime rate in Georgia. Bibb County had a rate of 52.6 crimes per 1,000 residents. The most common was larceny theft, of which there were 3,694 incidents, while the second most common crime was aggravated assault, with 1,911 committed. Overall, Bibb had the highest crime rate for seven of the ten crime categories, including murder, robbery, motor vehicle theft and arson.

Government and politics
Since the 2014 consolidation, Macon-Bibb has been governed by a mayor, elected at-large (county-wide), along with a nine-member county commission with members elected from single-member districts.

Like all other Georgia counties, Bibb has an elected sheriff responsible for maintaining the jail. Bibb's sheriff also manages the county's law enforcement duties, with their deputies acting as the city and county police force. , the current sheriff is David Davis.

Elections
In 2013, the consolidated city-county held its first elections. Macon's incumbent mayor Robert Reichert received 49% of the vote in the general election on September 17 over the other five mayoral candidates, but a winner had to take a majority of the vote. Reichert subsequently won 63% of the vote in a runoff election against former Macon mayor C. Jack Ellis. Reichert was unopposed for re-election in 2016, following the death of his only opponent before the election. Under the city-county charter, the mayor is subject to term limits and may serve only two consecutive terms. Reichert had to leave office in December 2020.

As an urban county with a majority African-American population, voters in Bibb County today consistently vote at high rates for Democratic candidates counties in presidential elections. During the late 19th century and into the late 1960s, when most African Americans were disenfranchised by the state constitution and practices under Jim Crow, white conservatives dominated the Democratic Party and voting. The combination of these two contrasting affiliations resulted in the majority of county voters having supported for a Republican presidential candidate only three times in its history. Bibb was the only county in the 2004 flag referendum to vote to keep the 2001 flag.

Recreation

Lake Tobesofkee, about 10 miles west of Macon, has three parks. Claystone, Sandy Beach, and Arrowhead Parks, each with a beach, and children's playgrounds. Sandy Beach has lighted tennis courts, a water park with many attractions, and a softball field.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-16.svg|20px]] Interstate 16
 * [[Image:I-75.svg|20px]] Interstate 75
 * [[Image:I-475.svg|25px]] Interstate 475
 * [[Image:US 23.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 23
 * [[Image:US 41.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 41
 * U.S. Route 41 Business (Macon)
 * [[Image:US 80.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 80
 * [[Image:US 129.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 129
 * U.S. Route 129 Alternate (Macon)
 * Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
 * Georgia 19.svg State Route 19
 * Georgia 22.svg State Route 22
 * Georgia 49.svg State Route 49
 * Georgia 74.svg State Route 74
 * Georgia 87.svg State Route 87
 * Georgia 87 Connector.svg State Route 87 Connector
 * Georgia 247.svg State Route 247
 * Georgia 401.svg State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
 * Georgia 404.svg State Route 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)
 * Georgia 408.svg State Route 408 (unsigned designation for I-475)
 * Georgia 540.svg State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

Pedestrians and cycling

 * Heritage Trail
 * Ocmulgee Heritage Trail

title: Bibb County, Georgia


text:
Berrien County, Georgia

Berrien County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,160. The county seat is Nashville. The county was created February 25, 1856, out of portions of Coffee, Irwin and Lowndes counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. It is named after Georgia senator John M. Berrien.

Establishment
The citizens of the area of Lowndes County and Irwin County that would become Berrien County had to travel long distances to get the county courthouse at Franklinville, Georgia and later Troupville, Georgia for those in Lowndes County, and Irwinville, Georgia for those in Irwin County. By at least June 1853, citizens had petitioned to form a new county. The 1853 attempt of a new county failed. By 1856, a renewed attempt at the creation of a new county was successful.

World War I
Berrien County lost a disproportionate number of men in World War I in part because companies at that time were organized by militia districts at home. Eight weeks before the Armistice, 25 Berrien County men were among the 200 recently enlisted soldiers who perished at sea off the coast of Scotland. Many of the bodies were returned to the soldiers' hometowns for burial, and the names of the dead were engraved on a memorial located on the courthouse grounds in Nashville. The memorial was the first in a series of pressed copper sculptures by artist E. M. Viquesney entitled The Spirit of the American Doughboy.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 458 sqmi, of which 452 sqmi is land and 6.0 sqmi (1.3%) is water.

The western portion of Berrien County, from just north of U.S. Route 82 and roughly west of U.S. Route 129 heading south, is located in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 82.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 82
 * [[Image:US 129.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 129
 * Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
 * Georgia 37.svg State Route 37
 * Georgia 64.svg State Route 64
 * Georgia 76.svg State Route 76
 * Georgia 125.svg State Route 125
 * Georgia 135.svg State Route 135
 * Georgia 158.svg State Route 158
 * Georgia 168.svg State Route 168
 * Georgia 520.svg State Route 520

Adjacent counties

 * Irwin County - north
 * Coffee County - northeast
 * Atkinson County - east
 * Lanier County - southeast
 * Lowndes County - south
 * Cook County - west
 * Tift County - northwest

Cities

 * Nashville
 * Ray City

Towns

 * Alapaha
 * Enigma

Unincorporated communities

 * Bannockburn
 * Glory

Demographics
At the 2020 United States census, there were 18,160 people, 7,367 households, and 5,055 families residing in the county, down from 19,286 at the 2010 census. Previously, the county had a historic-high population of 22,722 in 1910, although in 1860, Berrien County's population was 3,475.

According to the American Community Survey in 2022, its median household income was $48,670 with a per capita income of $25,100. Approximately 51% of its population made less than $50,000 a year; 30% from $50,000-100,000; 17% from $100,000-200,000; and 2% more than $200,000 annually. Of the county, 23.2% lived at or below the poverty line, and an estimated 30% of children under 18 years of age were at or below the poverty line. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $108,300.

The Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted the largest religion in the area is Christianity. The largest Christian groups within the county are Baptists and non or interdenominational Protestants, followed by Methodists and Pentecostals. Within Berrien County, the largest single Christian denomination as of 2020 has been the Southern Baptist Convention.

title: Berrien County, Georgia


text:
Ben Hill County, Georgia

Ben Hill County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,194. The county seat is Fitzgerald. The county was organized in 1906. It is named after Benjamin Harvey Hill, a former Confederate and United States Senator.

Ben Hill County comprises the Fitzgerald micropolitan statistical area. The Ben Hill County Courthouse and Ben Hill County Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History
Ben Hill County was organized in 1906. It was created from Irwin and Wilcox counties.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 254 sqmi, of which 250 sqmi is land and 3.8 sqmi (1.5%) is water.

The majority of Ben Hill County, its northern and eastern portions, are located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northwestern corner of the county, east of Rebecca, is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The southeastern corner of the county, east of Fitzgerald, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. Ben Hill County is part of the Southeast Georgia region.

Major highways

 * US 129.svg U.S. Route 129
 * US 319.svg U.S. Route 319
 * Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
 * Georgia 90.svg State Route 90
 * Georgia 107.svg State Route 107
 * Georgia 125.svg State Route 125
 * Georgia 182.svg State Route 182
 * Georgia 206.svg State Route 206
 * Georgia 215.svg State Route 215
 * Georgia 233.svg State Route 233

Adjacent counties

 * Wilcox County - north
 * Telfair County - northeast
 * Coffee County - east
 * Irwin County - south
 * Turner County - west

City

 * Fitzgerald (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

 * Bowen's Mill
 * Queensland

Demographics
In 2000, there were 17,484 people, 6,673 households, and 4,631 families living in the county. The population density was 69 PD/sqmi. There were 7,623 housing units at an average density of 30 /mi2. In 2010, there were 17,634 people, 6,794 households, and 4,730 families living in the county. By the 2020 United States census, there were 17,194 people, 6,443 households, and 4,019 families residing in the county.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $27,100, and the median income for a family was $33,023. Males had a median income of $26,750 versus $19,547 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,093. 22.30% of the population and 18.70% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.30% are under the age of 18 and 17.60% are 65 or older. In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $30,134 and the median income for a family was $35,868. Males had a median income of $32,613 versus $23,320 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,529. About 22.7% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over. According to the 2022 American Community Survey, the county's median household income was $38,255 with a per capita income of $22,625. An estimated 26.5% of the county lived at or below the poverty line.

Religiously, the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted Christianity as the predominant religion, being part of the Bible Belt. Among its Christian population, the majority formed the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Baptist tradition was the county's dominant Christian affiliation. The National Baptist Convention, USA was the second-largest Baptist denomination in Ben Hill County. One notable non-Christian religion for the county has been the Baha'i Faith.

Education
The Ben Hill County School District operates schools serving the county.
 * Ben Hill Preschool
 * Ben Hill County Primary School
 * Ben Hill County Elementary School
 * Ben Hill County Middle School
 * Fitzgerald High School

Transportation

 * Fitzgerald Municipal Airport is a public use airport located 2 miles southwest of Fitzgerald.

title: Ben Hill County, Georgia


text:
Bartow County, Georgia

Bartow County is located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,901, up from 100,157 in 2010. The county seat is Cartersville.

Traditionally considered part of northwest Georgia, Bartow County is now included in the Atlanta metropolitan area, mainly in the southeastern part near Cartersville, which has become an exurb more than 40 mi from downtown Atlanta on I-75. It has a sole commissioner government, and is the largest county by population of the few remaining in Georgia with a sole commissioner.

History
Bartow County was created from the Cherokee lands of the Cherokee County territory on December 3, 1832, and named Cass County, after General Lewis Cass (1782–1866), Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, Minister to France and Secretary of State under President James Buchanan, who was instrumental in the removal of Native Americans from the area. However, the county was renamed on December 6, 1861, in honor of Francis S. Bartow, because of Cass's support of the Union, even though Bartow never visited in the county, living 200 mi away near Savannah all of his life. Cass had supported the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the right of each state to determine its own laws independently of the Federal government, the platform of conservative Southerners who removed his name.

The American Civil War first entered Bartow County on April 12, 1862, in the form of "The Great Locomotive Chase": As a result of the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s (W&A RR) strategic war time value, Union soldiers boarded boarded and stole a train named "The General". Their plan was to take the stolen train north toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, destroying bridges, parts of the railroad, and telegraph lines along the way.

The Raiders were unable to cause sufficient destruction to the railroad to make pursuit impossible, and William Fuller, the conductor of the stolen train, eventually caught up with the raiders just north of Ringgold Georgia.

The first county seat was at Cassville, but after the burning of the county courthouse and the Sherman Occupation, the seat moved to Cartersville, where it remains.

Bartow County was profoundly affected by the Civil War: an estimated one out of three Bartow County soldiers died during the war as a result of wounds received, diseases caught, and, in one case, as a result of a train accident. At the end of the Civil War, many residents were financially insolvent, the county seat was "in ruins", the transportation networks were severely damaged, and the citizens were starving due to several consecutive years of crop failures.

Prior to the Civil War, Bartow County's social order, and that of the South as a whole, was dominated by "a sense of white intra-class unity that rested upon a shared notion of racial supremacy." Post-Civil War, during Reconstruction, that world-view was challenged, creating a period of racial tension. When the state of Georgia allocated $200,000 to purchase and transport corn into North Georgia, local officials solely distributed the corn to white families. And when black families petitioned Bartow County for better educational and vocational opportunities, some local whites responded with violence, including but not limited to Ku Klux Klan activity.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 sqmi, of which 460 sqmi is land and 11 sqmi or 2.2% is water.

The bulk of Bartow County is located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The northeastern portion of the county around Rydal is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin, while an even smaller northwestern section around Adairsville is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin of the larger ACT River Basin.

The Etowah is mostly part of Lake Allatoona in southeast Bartow and southwest Cherokee counties, with the Allatoona Dam near Cartersville also impounding Allatoona Creek into northwest Cobb county. The peninsula between the two major arms of the lake is home to Red Top Mountain State Park, east-southeast of Cartersville and just southeast of the dam.

Adjacent counties

 * Gordon County – north
 * Pickens County – northeast
 * Cherokee County – east
 * Cobb County – southeast
 * Paulding County – south
 * Polk County – southwest
 * Floyd County – west

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 108,901 people, 39,742 households, and 28,529 families residing in the county.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 100,157 people, 35,782 households, and 26,529 families living in the county. The population density was 217.9 PD/sqmi. There were 39,823 housing units at an average density of 86.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 82.7% white, 10.2% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.9% were American, 10.0% were Irish, 9.3% were English, and 7.8% were German.

Of the 35,782 households, 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, and 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,216 and the median income for a family was $56,281. Males had a median income of $42,835 versus $31,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,241. About 10.8% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of 2000, there were 76,019 people, 27,176 households, and 21,034 families living in the county. The population density was 64 /km2. There were 28,751 housing units at an average density of 24 /km2. The racial makeup of the county was 87.79% White, 8.68% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 3.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 27,176 households, out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 22.60% were non-families. 18.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 33.00% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,660, and the median income for a family was $49,198. Males had a median income of $35,136 versus $24,906 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,989. 8.60% of the population and 6.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.60% were under the age of 18 and 12.20% were 65 or older.

Education
Public education in Bartow County is administered by Bartow County School District and Cartersville City Schools.

Excel Christian Academy and the Trinity School are private institutions.

Politics
Bartow County has voted Republican consistently since 1984. Mitt Romney carried the county in 2012 with 75.11 percent of the vote. Barack Obama won a small minority of votes in the county, at 23.5 percent, that same year.

Major highways

 * I-75.svg Interstate 75
 * US 41.svg U.S. Route 41
 * US 411.svg U.S. Route 411
 * Georgia 3.svg State Route 3
 * Georgia 20.svg State Route 20
 * Georgia 20 Spur.svg State Route 20 Spur
 * Georgia 61.svg State Route 61
 * Georgia 113.svg State Route 113
 * Georgia 140.svg State Route 140
 * Georgia 293.svg State Route 293
 * Georgia 293 Connector.svg State Route 293 Connector
 * Georgia 401.svg State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)

Secondary highways

 * Old S.R. 293. Portion south of Emerson and east of U.S. 41 into Cobb County.

Museums

 * Savoy Automobile Museum connects people to the cultural diversity of the automobile. Through changing exhibits, educational programs, and engaging experiences individuals have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and history of automobiles. Guests visiting this world-class museum will be met with an assortment of automobiles and original works of art.
 * Bartow History Museum opened in 1987 and is located in the historic 1869 Courthouse in downtown Cartersville. Artifacts, photographs, documents and a variety of permanent exhibits focus on the settlement and development of Bartow County, Georgia, beginning with the early nineteenth century when the Cherokee inhabited the area. Early European settler life, the iron ore and bauxite industries, Civil War strife, post-war recovery, the Great Depression era, early textile industries and notable figures are depicted through interactive exhibits in the permanent gallery space. The museum offers a wide variety of educational programs and lectures.
 * Booth Western Art Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120000 sqft museum located in Cartersville. Guests are invited to See America's Story through contemporary Western artwork, presidential portraits and letters, Civil War art, more than 200 Native American artifacts, and Sagebrush Ranch children's gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the second largest art museum in the state, and houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country.
 * Tellus Science Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a world-class 120000 sqft museum located in Cartersville, just off I-75 at exit 293. The museum features four main galleries: the Weinman Mineral Gallery, the Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and the Collins Family My Big Backyard. There is also a 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory with a state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope located at Tellus.
 * Euharlee History Museum is located adjacent to the Euharlee Covered Bridge in Euharlee, Georgia, about 9 miles west of downtown Cartersville. The museum opened in 1997 and is a cooperation between the Euharlee Historical Society and the City of Euharlee.
 * Adairsville Rail Depot Age of Steam Museum is located in a restored 1847 railroad depot on the Historic Public Square in Adairsville, along with a locally operated welcome center. The museum displays artifacts and pictures covering almost 150 years of life in the area, including the Civil War, the chenille boom, railroad history, early farming implements, and weapons.

Recreation

 * Bartow County Georgia Hiking Trails
 * Etowah Indian Mounds

Cities

 * Adairsville
 * Cartersville
 * Emerson
 * Euharlee
 * Kingston
 * White

Town

 * Taylorsville

Unincorporated communities

 * Atco
 * Cassville
 * Rowland Springs
 * Stilesboro
 * Rydal (south of Pine Log)
 * Folsom
 * Center
 * Funkhouser
 * Allatoona (mostly lost to Lake Allatoona, but portion remains at Allatoona Pass)

title: Bartow County, Georgia


text:
Barrow County, Georgia

Barrow County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,505. The county seat is Winder. Barrow County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan statistical area.

History
Barrow County was created from portions of Gwinnett, Jackson, and Walton counties when Georgia voters approved a constitutional amendment on November 3, 1914, making Barrow County the 149th Georgia county out of 159. Barrow County was named after David Crenshaw Barrow, Jr., a University of Georgia mathematics and engineering professor who was later Chancellor serving in that position from 1906 to 1925. Barrow died on January 11, 1929, in Athens and is buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 163 sqmi, of which 160 sqmi is land and 2.6 sqmi (1.6%) is water. The entirety of Barrow County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties

 * Hall County – north
 * Clarke County – east
 * Jackson County – east
 * Oconee County – southeast
 * Walton County – south
 * Gwinnett County – west

Cities

 * Auburn
 * Statham
 * Winder

Towns

 * Bethlehem
 * Braselton
 * Carl

Census-designated place

 * Russell

Other unincorporated communities

 * Barrow Heights
 * Whistelville

Demographics
At the 2020 United States census, there were 83,505 people, 27,765 households, and 20,948 families residing in the county. In 2010, there here were 69,367 people, 23,971 households, and 18,214 families living in the county. The population density was 432.7 PD/sqmi. There were 26,400 housing units at an average density of 164.7 /sqmi.

In 2000, the racial makeup of the county was 84.84% White, 10.72% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 3.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Barrow County is considered a part of the Atlanta, GA combined statistical area despite its comparatively small population. In 2010, the racial and ethnic makeup of the county was 78.8% White, 11.4% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.6% were American, 10.7% were Irish, 9.1% were German, and 8.5% were English.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $48,958 and the median income for a family was $55,415. Males had a median income of $42,869 versus $33,175 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,882. About 9.4% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Winder-Barrow Cluster:
 * Winder-Barrow High School
 * Richard B. Russell Middle School
 * Winder-Barrow Middle School (1956-2013)
 * Bear Creek Middle School (WBMS replacement)
 * Holsenbeck Elementary School
 * Bramlett Elementary School
 * Statham Elementary School
 * County Line Elementary

Apalachee Cluster:
 * Apalachee High School
 * Westside Middle School
 * Haymon-Morris Middle School
 * Auburn Elementary School
 * Kennedy Elementary School
 * Bethlehem Elementary School
 * Yargo Elementary School
 * Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy

Major highways

 * I-85.svg Interstate 85
 * US 29.svg U.S. Route 29
 * U.S. Route 29 Business
 * Georgia 8.svg State Route 8
 * Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
 * Georgia 53.svg State Route 53
 * Georgia 81.svg State Route 81
 * Georgia 82.svg State Route 82
 * Georgia 124.svg State Route 124
 * Georgia 211.svg State Route 211
 * Georgia 316.svg State Route 316
 * Georgia 324.svg State Route 324
 * Georgia 330.svg State Route 330
 * Georgia 403.svg State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)

title: Barrow County, Georgia


text:
Banks County, Georgia

Banks County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,035, down from 18,395 in 2010. The county seat is Homer. The Old Banks County Courthouse is located in Homer and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A new county courthouse was constructed adjacent to the old one in 1983.

History
The law to establish Banks County was passed by the Georgia General Assembly on December 11, 1858. It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks. The legislation called for the creation of Banks County on February 1, 1859, from Franklin and Habersham counties.

Ty Cobb, a Baseball Hall of Famer, was born in Banks County in 1886 in an area of the county known as The Narrows - a small farming community consisting of fewer than 100 people. The area and birthplace are on State Highway 105 in the northern part of the county near the Broad River. The legal organ for the county is The Banks County News, a member of Mainstreet News, Inc. One of the county's oldest church sites is the Hebron Presbyterian Church, established in 1796. Banks County is the home of the Atlanta Dragway, located near Banks Crossing. Banks County is also known for being the home of the former world's largest Easter egg hunt. (The 50th annual egg hunt in 2009 was the last in the series.)

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 234 sqmi, of which 232 sqmi is land and 1.8 sqmi (0.8%) is water. Banks County is entirely located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-85.svg|20px]] Interstate 85
 * [[Image:US 441.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 441
 * Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
 * Georgia 51.svg State Route 51
 * Georgia 52.svg State Route 52
 * Georgia 59.svg State Route 59
 * Georgia 63.svg State Route 63
 * Georgia 98.svg State Route 98
 * Georgia 105.svg State Route 105
 * Georgia 164.svg State Route 164
 * Georgia 184.svg State Route 184
 * Georgia 198.svg State Route 198
 * Georgia 323.svg State Route 323
 * Georgia 326.svg State Route 326
 * Georgia 403.svg State Route 403 (hidden designation for I-85)

Adjacent counties

 * Habersham County - north
 * Stephens County - northeast
 * Madison County - southeast
 * Jackson County - south
 * Hall County - west
 * Franklin County - east

National protected area

 * Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 18,035 people, 6,740 households, and 4,875 families residing in the county.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 18,395 people, 6,700 households, and 5,100 families living in the county. The population density was 79.3 PD/sqmi. There were 7,595 housing units at an average density of 32.7 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% white, 2.3% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.7% were American, 8.5% were Irish, and 8.5% were English.

Of the 6,700 households, 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.9% were non-families, and 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 38.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,455 and the median income for a family was $48,606. Males had a median income of $41,444 versus $26,998 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,497. About 13.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,422 people, 5,364 households, and 4,162 families living in the county. The population density was 62 /mi2. There were 5,808 housing units at an average density of 25 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 93.16% White, 3.22% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.96% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 3.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,364 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.40% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% were non-families. 19.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,523, and the median income for a family was $43,136. Males had a median income of $29,986 versus $21,698 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,424. About 9.80% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The Banks County School District is a public school district that services Banks County, and is based in Homer. There are four schools in the district, which educate 2,788 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Cities

 * Baldwin (partly in Habersham)
 * Commerce (partly in Jackson)
 * Gillsville (partly in Hall)
 * Lula (partly in Hall)

Towns

 * Alto (partly in Habersham)
 * Homer
 * Maysville (partly in Jackson)

Unincorporated communities

 * Hollingsworth
 * Narrows

title: Banks County, Georgia


text:
Baldwin County, Georgia

Baldwin County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 43,799. The county seat is Milledgeville, which was developed along the Oconee River. Baldwin County is part of the Milledgeville micropolitan statistical area.

History
For centuries, the land was occupied by the Creek Nation, and for thousands of years before them, varying cultures of indigenous peoples.

Part of the land ceded by the Creek people in the Treaty of Fort Wilkinson in 1802 was used to create Baldwin County on May 11, 1803, by the Georgia General Assembly, the state's legislative body.

The land west of the Oconee River was organized as Baldwin and Wilkinson Counties. The Treaty of Washington with the Creek in 1805 extended the state's western boundary to the Ocmulgee River. A legislative act on June 26, 1806, added some of this additional land to both counties.

The state legislature subsequently passed an act on December 10, 1807, that created four new counties from Baldwin County's 1806 borders. It expanded Baldwin to the east with land from Hancock and Washington Counties. The new counties were Morgan, Jones, Putnam, and present-day Jasper (originally named Randolph County at the time of the act).

The county is named for Abraham Baldwin, a signer of the United States Constitution, U.S. congressman representing Georgia, and the founder of the University of Georgia. White settlers moved into the area and developed large cotton plantations, made possible by the labor of slaves. Since the invention of the cotton gin, short-staple cotton could be profitably processed, and it was well-suited to the uplands of Georgia. What became known as the Black Belt of Georgia, an arc of fertile soil, was one of the destinations for slaves being sold from the Upper South, as well as from the Low Country.

The county seat of Milledgeville, formerly the state capital of Georgia (1804–1868), is one of only 3 planned capital cities in the United States along with Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis, IN.

Because of its central location within the state and its abundant supply of water from the Oconee River, Milledgeville grew rapidly into a bustling frontier town. On November 2, 1807, the state legislature held its first session in the newly completed statehouse in Milledgeville. Georgia's first state penitentiary was also built within the historic city limits of Milledgeville in 1817. This site is now used as the main campus of Georgia College and State University. In 1837, the General Assembly provided for the establishment of the state's first mental asylum, today known as Central State Hospital.

When the state of Georgia seceded from the Union in January 1861, during a legislative session held in Milledgeville, Baldwin County became a target for Union forces. When Union general William T. Sherman made his devastating March to the Sea through Georgia, his troops occupied the capital city in November 1864. Sherman and his Union armies burned the state penitentiary, vandalized the city, and held a mock session of the legislature in the statehouse to repeal the state's ordinance of secession.

In 1868, after the Civil War (1861–65), Georgia's capital was moved from Milledgeville to its present location in Atlanta. Today, Milledgeville is home to two institutions of higher education: Georgia College and State University and Georgia Military College. Founded in 1889 as the Georgia Normal and Industrial College for Women, Georgia College and State University has since grown to become the state's premier public liberal-arts university. Georgia Military College, founded in 1879, now occupies the Old Capitol Building.

In addition to the Old Capitol and Governor's Mansion, visitors to Baldwin County can explore Andalusia, the family farm of writer Flannery O'Connor; Milledgeville's historic district; and the Lockerly Arboretum, a botanical garden and nature education center that hosts the Lockerly Heritage Festival each September.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 267 sqmi, of which 9.6 sqmi (3.6%) is covered by water.

The county is located along the fall line of the Eastern United States. The city of Milledgeville, which is located along the Oconee River, is an important city in the region. Because of its location, the northern part of the county tends to be more hilly due to its location in the Piedmont than the southern part of the county, which is in the far northern part of the Atlantic coastal plain.

Most of Baldwin County, south of Lake Sinclair, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northern portion of the county is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties

 * Putnam County, Georgia - north
 * Hancock County, Georgia - northeast
 * Washington County, Georgia - east
 * Wilkinson County, Georgia - south
 * Jones County, Georgia - west

City

 * Milledgeville (county seat)

Census-designated place

 * Hardwick

Unincorporated community

 * Scottsboro

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, 43,799 people, 16,191 households, and 9,568 families were residing in the county.

Government
Members of the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners are responsible for administering the government to residents. Five members serve on the board, elected from single-member districts. Commissioners served 4 year terms up until 2024 when legislation allowed for staggered elections. The 2024 Election will be the last in which all commissioners are up for election simultaneously. Now, Districts 1-3 will share the ballot every 4 years beginning in 2028, and commissioners elected in 2024 to represent districts 4 and 5 will serve a 2 year term, to end in 2026, and thereafter terms will be 4 years.The members of the board elect the chair from amongst themselves.

 * In a June 2024 primary runoff election, Commissioner John Westmoreland lost to fellow Republican, Scott Little. Commissioner Henry Craig did not seek another term, and will be replaced by Andrew Strickland, who won the primary in District 4. Democrats did not field a candidate in either race, meaning the current partisan composition of the board will remain unchanged when the new board is seated in January of 2025.

Politics
Baldwin County has been a Democratic-leaning swing county in recent presidential elections, with no candidate receiving more than 52.9% of the vote in any presidential election from 1992 onward. The county was the only one in Georgia that failed to give a majority to either major-party candidate in the 2018 gubernatorial election, with Democrat Stacey Abrams winning the county by only 58 votes over Republican Brian Kemp. Baldwin County, along with neighboring Washington County, was one of 2 counties that gave a plurality of votes to Herschel Walker in the first round of the 2022 Senate election but then gave a majority of votes to Raphael Warnock in the subsequent run-off.

As recently as 2018, Democrats held all county constitutional offices with the exception of Surveyor (R). Since then, the Sheriff, Superior Court Clerk and Tax Commissioner have registered as Independents, and a Republican now serves as Solicitor General. Democrats still hold the Coroner's Office and Chief Magistrate.

Baldwin County voted for the Republican candidate in all 8 statewide executive offices in 2022. In the Georgia General Assembly, the state's legislature, Republican Rick Williams represents the county in the Georgia State Senate. Democrat Mack Jackson, and Republican Kenneth Vance represent the county in the Georgia House of Representatives.

Major highways

 * US 441.svg U.S. Route 441
 * U.S. Route 441 Business
 * Georgia 22.svg State Route 22
 * Georgia 24.svg State Route 24
 * Georgia 29.svg State Route 29
 * Georgia 49.svg State Route 49
 * Georgia 112.svg State Route 112
 * Georgia 212.svg State Route 212
 * Georgia 540.svg State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

Hiking and cycling

 * Oconee River Greenway

Notable people

 * Carl Vinson, who served for 50 years in the U.S. Congress, was born in Baldwin County.
 * Oliver Hardy, comedian and film director, began his career in the Milledgeville Opera House.
 * Flannery O'Connor, novelist and short-story writer, lived in Milledgeville. She is buried in her family plot in the city's historic Memory Hill Cemetery.

title: Baldwin County, Georgia


text:
Baker County, Georgia

Baker County is a county in Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,876. The county seat and only city is Newton. The county was created December 12, 1825, from the eastern portion of Early County by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and is named for Colonel John Baker, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.

Baker County is included in the Albany, GA metropolitan statistical area.

The Baker County Courthouse (Georgia) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three other properties in Newton are also listed on the register: Notchaway Baptist Church and Cemetery, Pine Bloom Plantation, and Tarver Plantation.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 349 sqmi, of which 342 sqmi is land and 7.2 sqmi (2.1%) is water.

The eastern half of Baker County is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The western half of the county is located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.

Major highways

 * [[Image:Georgia 37.svg|20px]] State Route 37
 * [[Image:Georgia 91.svg|20px]] State Route 91
 * [[Image:Georgia 200.svg|25px]] State Route 200
 * [[Image:Georgia 216.svg|25px]] State Route 216
 * [[Image:Georgia 253.svg|25px]] State Route 253

Adjacent counties

 * Dougherty County, Georgia - northeast
 * Mitchell County, Georgia - east
 * Decatur County, Georgia - southwest
 * Early County, Georgia - west
 * Miller County, Georgia - west
 * Calhoun County, Georgia - northwest

City

 * Newton

Unincorporated communities

 * Anna
 * Bethany
 * Crestview
 * Elmodel
 * Hardup
 * Milford
 * Patmos

Ghost towns

 * Cheevertown
 * Dewsville

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 2,876 people, 1,425 households, and 788 families residing in the county.

Education
Baker County School System operates public schools.

Politics
Like most Deep South counties, Baker County is historically Democratic. Starting in 1964, the county began to see a realignment, with Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon carrying it in 1964 and 1972, and American Independent candidate George Wallace winning the county in 1968 as a third-party candidate. In 1956, Adlai Stevenson received over 96 percent of the county's vote. The county voted Democratic consistently from 1976 until 2012, but by closer margins than in 1956, and the county shifted more to the right throughout the early 2000s. In 2008 Barack Obama won with just 50.1 percent to John McCain's 49.1 percent, while Donald Trump won the county by almost ten percent in 2016, despite declining on Mitt Romney’s performance statewide. Brian Kemp repeated this feat by double digits in the 2018 gubernatorial race, and in 2020, Trump won Baker County by nearly sixteen percentage points.

title: Baker County, Georgia


text:
Bacon County, Georgia

Bacon County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,140. The county seat is Alma.

History
The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed July 7, 1914, and ratified November 3, 1914. It is named after Augustus Bacon, a former United States senator from Georgia.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 286 sqmi, of which 259 sqmi are land and 27 sqmi (9.5%) are covered by water.

The majority and western portion of Bacon County is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The entire eastern and half of the southeastern edge of the county is located in the Little Satilla River sub-basin of the same St. Marys-Satilla River basin. The county forms part of Southeast Georgia.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 1.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 1
 * [[Image:US 23.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 23
 * [[Image:Georgia 4.svg|20px]] Georgia State Route 4
 * [[Image:Georgia 4 Alternate.svg|20px]] State Route 4 Alternate
 * [[Image:Georgia 19.svg|20px]] State Route 19
 * [[Image:Georgia 32.svg|20px]] State Route 32
 * [[Image:Georgia 203.svg|20px]] State Route 203

Adjacent counties

 * Appling County (northeast)
 * Pierce County (east)
 * Ware County (south)
 * Coffee County (west)
 * Jeff Davis County (northwest)

City

 * Alma (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

 * Coffee
 * Rockingham

Demographics
According to the 1920 United States census, the county had a population of 6,460 which has increased since every decennial census except from 1960 and 1970; in 1960, its population declined from 8,940 to 8,359; and in 1970, its population declined to 8,233. In the 2020 United States census, there were 11,140 people, 3,874 households, and 2,706 families residing in the county, up from 10,103 in 2000.

Per the 2020 census, Bacon County's racial and ethnic makeup was 72.74% non-Hispanic white, 15.68% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.36% Asian American, 0.04% Pacific Islander American, 3.29% other or multiracial, and 7.85% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The 2022 American Community Survey estimated its racial and ethnic composition was 73% White, 15% African American, 1% Asian, 3% multiracial, and 9% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2022, the median household income for the county was $43,938 with a per capita income of $24,654. An estimated 21.6% of the county population lived at or below the poverty line. With an estimated 4,807 housing units in the county, 72% were owner-occupied and the median value of an owner-occupied housing unit was $95,600. Approximately 53% of housing units were valued under $100,000.

Religiously, as of 2020, the Association of Religion Data Archives determined the Southern Baptist Convention was the county's largest religious group, being within the Bible Belt. The Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) was the second-largest Christian denomination in the county, followed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and National Association of Free Will Baptists. Among the county's predominantly Christian population, Methodists, Holiness, and Pentecostal Christians formed the remainder of its religious landscape.

title: Bacon County, Georgia


text:
Atkinson County, Georgia

Atkinson County is a county located in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 8,286. The county seat is Pearson. The county was formed in 1917 from parts of Coffee and Clinch counties. It is named for William Yates Atkinson, Democratic governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898. In 2003, it had the highest illiteracy rate of any U.S. county at 36%.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 sqmi, of which 339 sqmi is land and 5.2 sqmi (1.5%) is water. Atkinson County forms a part of Southeast Georgia.

The vast majority of Atkinson County is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. The entire narrow western border area, in a line parallel to the western border and running through Willacoochee, is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. A small southeastern corner of the county is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 82.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 82
 * [[Image:US 221.svg|23px]] U.S. Route 221
 * [[Image:US 441.svg|23px]] U.S. Route 441
 * [[Image:Georgia 31.svg|20px]] State Route 31
 * [[Image:Georgia 64.svg|20px]] State Route 64
 * [[Image:Georgia 89.svg|20px]] State Route 89
 * [[Image:Georgia 90.svg|20px]] State Route 90
 * [[Image:Georgia 135.svg|20px]] State Route 135
 * [[Image:Georgia 520.svg|20px]] State Route 520

Adjacent counties

 * Coffee County - north
 * Ware County - east
 * Clinch County - south
 * Lanier County - southwest
 * Berrien County - west

Cities

 * Pearson
 * Willacoochee

Unincorporated communities

 * Kirkland
 * Axson

Demographics
Since the county's 1920 population of 7,656 residents, its population has fluctuated between more than 7,000 to a low of 6,213 in 1990; the lowest population for the county was 5,879 in 1970. By the 2020 United States census, its population increased to 8,286, although in 2010 its population reached a historic high of 8,375. In 2010, there were 3,522 housing units at an average density of 10.4 /sqmi.

According to the 2010 U.S. census, the racial makeup of the county was 62.2% white, 17.3% black or African American, 0.6% American Indian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.3% Asian, 17.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Altogether, those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 24.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.1% were English, 16.0% were Irish, and 7.5% were American. Although its racial and ethnic makeup has been predominantly non-Hispanic white up to the 2010 census, in 2020 its non-Hispanic white population declined to 57.94%, and its African American population also declined to 14.58%. The Hispanic or Latino American population grew to 24.72% of the county-area population, reflecting nationwide trends of greater diversification.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $26,470, and the median income for a family was $32,688. Males had a median income of $24,763 versus $18,434 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,178. By 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $33,834 and the median income for a family was $34,859. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $25,705 for females. In 2020, the county's median household income was an estimated $35,703 per the American Community Survey. Families had a median income of $46,086; married-couple families $50,475; and nonfamily households $23,306. Among its 2022 population estimates, 27.5% of the county lived at or below the poverty line.

As of 2022's American Community Survey, Atkinson County's 3,063 households had an average of 2.7 people per household. Approximately 66% were married couples, 6% male households and 17% female households. These households were spread throughout 3,494 housing units, and 67% were owner-occupied. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $77,100 with 62% of its properties valued at under $100,000.

As part of the Bible Belt, the majority of the county's religious or spiritual population professed Christianity. Among the Christian population in 2020, the Association of Religion Data Archives determined the largest single Christian denomination for Atkinson County was the Southern Baptist Convention, followed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church and United Methodist Church. As a whole tradition, Pentecostalism encompassed the following, with Catholicism remaining a minority.

Education
Atkinson County is serviced along with Coffee County by the Satilla Regional Library System.

Politics
Historically, Atkinson County has primarily voted for Democratic Party candidates in U.S. presidential elections up to 1960. Since then, the county has remained reliably Republican.

title: Atkinson County, Georgia


text:
Appling County, Georgia

Appling County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,444. The county seat is Baxley.

History
Appling County is named for Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Appling, a soldier in the War of 1812. Appling County, the 42nd county created in Georgia, was established by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December15, 1818. The original county consisted of Creek lands ceded in the 1814 Treaty of Fort Jackson and the 1818 Treaty of the Creek Agency.

Throughout the 1920s, the population of Appling County increased as the county was included in land lotteries by the Georgia General Assembly in 1820, 1821, 1827, and 1832. Large proportions of settlers at this time included South Carolinians and others from Tattnall County, Georgia.

On December15, 1824, Ware County was formed by the Georgia General Assembly from roughly the southern half of Appling land districts 4, 5, and 6, and all of land districts 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. On December24, 1825, Appling County land district 6 was added to Telfair County by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. This created an ambiguity of the border between Telfair County and Ware County that was later solved by additional legislation.

On December8, 1828, Holmesville, Georgia was declared the county seat by the General Assembly, following over ten years of disagreement by local judges. Previously, court was held at residence of William Carter Jr. In 1836, the General Assembly appointed a seven-member commission to find a location for a more centrally located county seat than Holmesville, but were not able to come to a conclusion. The need for a more central county seat would remain a point of contention in county politics for several decades.

On December18, 1857, the part of Appling County that was south of Lightsey's Ford on Big Creek downstream to the Little Satilla River was taken from Appling County for the creation of Pierce County.

At the time of the 1850 United States Census, Appling County had a white population of 2,520, a slave population of 404, and 25 free people of color. By the 1860 United States Census, the county had a white population of 3,442, a slave population of 740, and 3 free people of color.

On August27, 1872, eastern sections of Appling land districts 3 and 4 were added to Wayne County. This area included Wayne County's current county seat Jesup, Georgia, which became the new county seat of Wayne County in 1873. Also in August 1872, the General Assembly called for an election in Appling County to vote on the removal of the county seat to a point along the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. The residents voted for removal and the town of Baxley, Georgia was selected as the new county seat after the election. In February 1873, the General Assembly mistakenly passed a law giving county commissioners to sell the public lands in Holmesville so that the proceeds can go to the construction of a new courthouse in Holmesville. It amended the law a year later for the new courthouse location to read Baxley, as had originally been intended.

On August18, 1905, Jeff Davis County was created from western portions of Appling County and eastern portions Coffee County. On July27, 1914, Bacon County was created from parts of Appling County, Pierce County, and Ware County. The remaining section of Appling County that had been located south of Little Satilla River became part of Bacon County.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 sqmi, of which 507 sqmi is land and 5.2 sqmi (1.0%) is water.

The southern two-thirds of Appling County, south of a line from Graham to Baxley, then running due east from Baxley, is located in the Little Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The northern third of the county is located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the basin by the same name.

Major highways

 * [[Image:US 1.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 1
 * [[Image:US 23.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 23
 * [[Image:US 341.svg|23px]] U.S. Route 341
 * [[Image:Georgia 4.svg|20px]] State Route 4
 * [[Image:Georgia 15.svg|20px]] State Route 15
 * [[Image:Georgia 19.svg|20px]] State Route 19
 * [[Image:Georgia 27.svg|20px]] State Route 27
 * [[Image:Georgia 121.svg|20px]] State Route 121
 * [[Image:Georgia 144.svg|20px]] State Route 144
 * [[Image:Georgia 169.svg|20px]] State Route 169
 * [[Image:Georgia 203.svg|20px]] State Route 203

Adjacent counties

 * Toombs County - north
 * Tattnall County - northeast
 * Wayne County - southeast
 * Pierce County - south
 * Jeff Davis County - west
 * Bacon County - west

Cities

 * Baxley
 * Graham

Town

 * Surrency

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,444 people, 6,656 households, and 4,875 families residing in the county.

title: Appling County, Georgia