Baldwin County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Baldwin, Georgia.

Baldwin County
County
Baldwin County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°04′N83°15′W / 33.07°N 83.25°W / 33.07; -83.25
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	1803;221 years ago (1803)
Named for	Abraham Baldwin
Seat	Milledgeville
Largest city	Milledgeville
Area
• Total	267 sq mi (690 km2)
• Land	258 sq mi (670 km2)
• Water	9.6 sq mi (25 km2)  3.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,799
• Density	170/sq mi (70/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	baldwincountyga.com

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. ^[1] The county seat is Milledgeville, ^[2] 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. ^[3] 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 square miles (690 km²), of which 9.6 square miles (25 km²) (3.6%) is covered by water. ^[4]

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. ^[5]

Adjacent counties

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

Communities

City

• Milledgeville (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Hardwick

Unincorporated community

• Scottsboro

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1810	6,356		—
1820	7,734		21.7%
1830	7,295		−5.7%
1840	7,250		−0.6%
1850	8,148		12.4%
1860	9,078		11.4%
1870	10,618		17.0%
1880	13,806		30.0%
1890	14,608		5.8%
1900	17,768		21.6%
1910	18,354		3.3%
1920	19,791		7.8%
1930	22,878		15.6%
1940	24,190		5.7%
1950	29,706		22.8%
1960	34,064		14.7%
1970	34,240		0.5%
1980	34,686		1.3%
1990	39,530		14.0%
2000	44,700		13.1%
2010	45,720		2.3%
2020	43,799		−4.2%
2023 (est.)	43,396	[6]	−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1880 [8] 1890-1910 [9] 1920-1930 [10] 1930-1940 [11] 1940-1950 [12] 1960-1980 [13] 1980-2000 [14] 2010 [15]

Baldwin County racial composition as of 2020 ^[16]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	22,432	51.22%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	18,318	41.82%
Native American	64	0.15%
Asian	599	1.37%
Pacific Islander	27	0.06%
Other/mixed	1,220	2.79%
Hispanic or Latino	1,139	2.6%

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. ^[17]

Board of commissioners
District	Commissioner	Party
District 1	Emily Davis	Democratic
District 2	Kendrick Butts	Democratic
District 3	Sammy Hall	Republican
District 4	Henry Craig***	Republican
District 5	John Westmoreland***	Republican

• • • 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.

^[18]

Politics

Baldwin County has been a highly competitive swing county in recent presidential elections, with no candidate receiving more than 52.9% of the vote in any 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. ^[19] 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. ^[20]

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. ^[21]

Baldwin County voted for the Republican candidate in all eight 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. ^[22]

United States presidential election results for Baldwin County, Georgia ^[23]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	9,574	50.86%	9,159	48.65%	92	0.49%
2020	8,903	48.75%	9,140	50.05%	218	1.19%
2016	7,697	47.76%	7,970	49.45%	449	2.79%
2012	7,589	46.64%	8,483	52.14%	198	1.22%
2008	7,823	47.23%	8,587	51.84%	154	0.93%
2004	7,709	52.89%	6,775	46.48%	91	0.62%
2000	6,041	49.82%	5,893	48.60%	192	1.58%
1996	4,570	40.79%	5,740	51.23%	895	7.99%
1992	4,262	36.16%	5,813	49.31%	1,713	14.53%
1988	5,852	59.05%	4,008	40.44%	51	0.51%
1984	5,717	59.74%	3,853	40.26%	0	0.00%
1980	3,639	43.71%	4,368	52.46%	319	3.83%
1976	3,612	43.59%	4,674	56.41%	0	0.00%
1972	4,826	77.08%	1,435	22.92%	0	0.00%
1968	2,318	32.60%	2,115	29.74%	2,678	37.66%
1964	3,430	55.59%	2,740	44.41%	0	0.00%
1960	1,264	35.85%	2,262	64.15%	0	0.00%
1956	1,080	32.19%	2,275	67.81%	0	0.00%
1952	1,023	30.62%	2,318	69.38%	0	0.00%
1948	559	26.68%	1,132	54.03%	404	19.28%
1944	307	19.02%	1,307	80.98%	0	0.00%
1940	203	13.36%	1,313	86.38%	4	0.26%
1936	113	12.20%	811	87.58%	2	0.22%
1932	45	5.27%	801	93.79%	8	0.94%
1928	270	27.49%	712	72.51%	0	0.00%
1924	107	10.87%	826	83.94%	51	5.18%
1920	92	14.24%	554	85.76%	0	0.00%
1916	65	9.48%	579	84.40%	42	6.12%
1912	24	3.47%	621	89.74%	47	6.79%

Education

Main article: Milledgeville, Georgia § Education

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Route 441
  • U.S. Route 441 Business
• State Route 22
• State Route 24
• State Route 29
• State Route 49
• State Route 112
• State Route 212
• 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.

See also

• State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Baldwin County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Baldwin County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 26, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 13. ISBN   0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
5. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
6. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
7. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
8. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1880.
9. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1910.
10. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930.
11. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1940.
12. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1950.
13. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
14. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 2000.
15. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
16. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
17. "CANDIDATE PROFILES: In District 5, Westmoreland seeking a fourth term | Baldwin2K". May 14, 2024.
18. "Election Night Reporting".
19. "Georgia Governor Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 27, 2019.
20. "Georgia U.S. Senate Runoff Election Results". The New York Times. December 6, 2022. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved July 19, 2023.
21. Moore, Greenberry (March 7, 2024). "Qualifying for county and state legislative offices begun". The Baldwin Bulletin. Archived from the original on September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
22. "Election Night Reporting".
23. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.

Further reading

• Anna Maria Green Cook, The History of Baldwin County, Georgia. (1925) Spartanburg, SC: Reprint Co., 1978.

External links

• Baldwin County website
• Georgia Encyclopedia Baldwin County entry

33°04′N83°15′W / 33.07°N 83.25°W / 33.07; -83.25