Berrien County, Georgia

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Berrien County, Georgia
County
BerrienCountyCourthouse.jpg
Berrien County courthouse in Nashville
Seal of Berrien County, Georgia.png
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Berrien County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°16′N83°14′W / 31.27°N 83.23°W / 31.27; -83.23
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia
Founded1856;169 years ago (1856)
Named after John M. Berrien
Seat Nashville
Largest cityNashville
Area
 • Total
458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
 • Land452 sq mi (1,170 km2)
 • Water6.0 sq mi (16 km2)  1.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
18,160
 • Density40/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 8th
Website www.berriencountygeorgia.com

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. [1] The county seat is Nashville. [2] 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. [3]

Contents

History

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. [4] 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. [5] 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 square miles (1,190 km2), of which 452 square miles (1,170 km2) is land and 6.0 square miles (16 km2) (1.3%) is water. [6]

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. [7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Extinct communities

  • Avera Mill
  • Baker's Sawmill
  • Brewer's Mill
  • Flat Creek Mills
  • Rowetown
  • White Station

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860 3,475—
1870 4,51830.0%
1880 6,61946.5%
1890 10,69461.6%
1900 19,44081.8%
1910 22,72216.9%
1920 15,573−31.5%
1930 14,646−6.0%
1940 15,3704.9%
1950 13,966−9.1%
1960 12,038−13.8%
1970 11,556−4.0%
1980 13,52517.0%
1990 14,1534.6%
2000 16,23514.7%
2010 19,28618.8%
2020 18,160−5.8%
2024 (est.)18,666 [10] 2.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]
1790-1880 [12] 1890-1910 [13]
1920-1930 [14] 1930-1940 [15]
1940-1950 [16] 1960-1980 [17]
1980-2000 [18] 2010 [19]
Berrien County racial composition as of 2020 [20]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)14,39679.27%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)1,93410.65%
Native American 220.12%
Asian 800.44%
Pacific Islander 100.06%
Other/Mixed 6733.71%
Hispanic or Latino 1,0455.75%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 18,160 and 5,055 families. Of the residents, 24.6% were under the age of 18 and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males. 26.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 73.3% lived in rural areas. [21] [22] [23]

The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% White, 10.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.8% of the population. [23]

There were 7,118 households in the county, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [22]

There were 7,991 housing units, of which 10.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.5% were owner-occupied and 31.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%. [22]

2022 American Community Survey

According to the American Community Survey in 2022, its median household income was $48,670 with a per capita income of $25,100. [24] 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.

Religion

The Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted the largest religion in the area is Christianity. [25] 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.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Berrien County, Georgia [26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
1912 708.60%70987.10%354.30%
1916 492.24%2,10296.29%321.47%
1920 588.52%62391.48%00.00%
1924 133.01%40994.68%102.31%
1928 10512.50%73587.50%00.00%
1932 191.28%1,44797.44%191.28%
1936 533.02%1,70096.98%00.00%
1940 231.95%1,15697.97%10.08%
1944 21712.78%1,48187.22%00.00%
1948 1075.03%1,77283.31%24811.66%
1952 36414.27%2,18785.73%00.00%
1956 1656.44%2,39893.56%00.00%
1960 36811.66%2,78788.34%00.00%
1964 4,07360.51%2,65839.49%00.00%
1968 56614.79%45211.81%2,81073.41%
1972 2,28586.03%37113.97%00.00%
1976 55514.05%3,39485.95%00.00%
1980 1,48733.76%2,86965.15%481.09%
1984 2,39558.92%1,67041.08%00.00%
1988 2,03059.36%1,38140.38%90.26%
1992 1,63736.03%2,10346.29%80317.68%
1996 1,95042.87%2,06645.42%53311.72%
2000 2,71861.63%1,64037.19%521.18%
2004 3,91769.87%1,63829.22%510.91%
2008 4,90175.95%1,47122.80%811.26%
2012 4,84377.81%1,27320.45%1081.74%
2016 5,42281.99%1,04715.83%1442.18%
2020 6,41982.89%1,26916.39%560.72%
2024 6,84184.79%1,20914.99%180.22%

As of the 2020s, Berrien County is a Republican stronghold, voting 84.8% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Berrien County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Austin Scott. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Berrien County is part of District 13. [27] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Berrien County is part of District 170, currently represented by Jaclyn Ford. [28]

Education

All residents of the county are in the Berrien County School District. [29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Berrien County, Georgia" . 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. 17. ISBN   0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  4. ↑ "Flat Creek, June 18 1853". Albany Patriot. Albany, Georgia. July 1, 1853. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  5. ↑ Otranto Sunk in Collision," New York Times, October 12, 1918.
  6. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ "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 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ "REGULAR SESSION MEETING BERRIEN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS" (PDF). Berrien County, Georgia. December 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ Poling, Dean (April 8, 2017). "Utopia lost: Man wants Berrien 'town' on the map". Valdosta Daily Times.
  10. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  12. ↑ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1880.
  13. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  14. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930.
  15. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1940.
  16. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1950.
  17. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
  18. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 2000.
  19. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts".
  20. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  21. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  22. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  23. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
  24. ↑ "Berrien County, GA". CensusReporter. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Congregational Membership Reports | US Religion". www.thearda.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  26. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  29. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Berrien County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved September 26, 2024. - Text list

31°16′N83°14′W / 31.27°N 83.23°W / 31.27; -83.23

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