Chattahoochee County, Georgia

Chattahoochee County
County
Chattahoochee County Courthouse in Cusseta
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°21′N84°47′W / 32.35°N 84.79°W / 32.35; -84.79
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	1854;171 years ago (1854)
Named for	Chattahoochee River
Seat	Cusseta
Largest city	Cusseta
Area
• Total	251 sq mi (650 km2)
• Land	249 sq mi (640 km2)
• Water	2.4 sq mi (6 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,565
• Estimate  (2023)	8,661
• Density	38/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	ugoccc.com

Chattahoochee County, also known as Cusseta-Chattahoochee County, ^[1] is a county located on the western border in central Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,565. ^[2] The county seat is Cusseta, ^[3] with which the county shares a consolidated city-county government. The city of Cusseta remains a geographically distinct municipality within Chattahoochee County. ^{[1] [4]} The county was created on February 13, 1854. Chattahoochee County is included in the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area.

History

This area was occupied by the historic Muscogee people (also known as the Creek) at the time of European encounter. They had a large confederacy in the Southeast. They were among the Five Civilized Tribes who were forcibly removed to Indian Territory in the 1830s during the administration of President Andrew Jackson. European Americans moved into their former areas, in some cases acquiring land through lotteries run by the state.

The Georgia General Assembly created Chattahoochee County on February 13, 1854, from portions of Muscogee and Marion counties. It is named for the Chattahoochee River that forms its western boundary. ^[5] The county seat was named Cusseta to commemorate the historic Creek Indian town of that name that long existed nearby. In 2004–2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a 6.2% population decline, making this county at the top of those nationally with shrinking populations.

The original courthouse, built in 1854 by enslaved African Americans, is preserved at the tourist attraction of Westville in Columbus, Georgia.

Since 1918, most of the land in Chattahoochee County has been part of the Fort Moore military reservation. ^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 251 square miles (650 km²), of which 249 square miles (640 km²) is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) (1.0%) is water. ^[7]

The vast majority of Chattahoochee County is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake subbasin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The very small southeastern corner of the county is located in the Kinchafoonee-Muckalee subbasin of the same larger ACF Basin. ^[8] The county forms part of the West Georgia region.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 27
• U.S. Route 280
• State Route 1
• State Route 26
• State Route 355
• State Route 520

Adjacent counties

• Muscogee County (north)
• Talbot County (northeast)
• Marion County (east)
• Stewart County (south)
• Russell County, Alabama (which is west of the border of Central Standard Time border except for Phenix City, Alabama, a part of the Columbus Metropolitan Area)

Communities

Cities

• Cusseta

Former census-designated places

• Fort Benning South (now part of Cusseta)

Unincorporated communities

• Ida Vesper

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	5,797		—
1870	6,059		4.5%
1880	5,670		−6.4%
1890	4,902		−13.5%
1900	5,790		18.1%
1910	5,586		−3.5%
1920	5,266		−5.7%
1930	8,894		68.9%
1940	15,138		70.2%
1950	12,149		−19.7%
1960	13,011		7.1%
1970	25,813		98.4%
1980	21,732		−15.8%
1990	16,934		−22.1%
2000	14,882		−12.1%
2010	11,267		−24.3%
2020	9,565		−15.1%
2023 (est.)	8,661	[9]	−9.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 1790-1880 [11] 1890-1910 [12] 1920-1930 [13] 1930-1940 [14] 1940-1950 [15] 1960-1980 [16] 1980-2000 [17] 2010 [18]

Chattahoochee County racial and ethnic composition as of 2020 ^[19]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	5,403	56.49%
Black or African American	1,463	15.3%
Native American	35	0.37%
Asian	304	3.18%
Pacific Islander	104	1.09%
Other/Mixed	646	6.75%
Hispanic or Latino	1,610	16.83%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,565 people, 2,570 households, and 1,886 families residing in the county.

Education

The Chattahoochee County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. ^[20] The district has 85 full-time teachers and over 1000 students. ^[21]

• Chattahoochee County Education Center
• Chattahoochee County Middle School
• Chattahoochee County High School

All parts of the county except Fort Moore are zoned to county schools for all grades. Fort Moore children are zoned to Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools for grades K-8. ^[22] However Fort Moore high school students attend the public high schools in the respective counties they are located in. ^[23]

Politics

United States presidential election results for Chattahoochee County, Georgia ^[24]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	982	57.97%	703	41.50%	9	0.53%
2020	880	55.63%	667	42.16%	35	2.21%
2016	751	54.03%	594	42.73%	45	3.24%
2012	735	49.23%	729	48.83%	29	1.94%
2008	811	48.97%	830	50.12%	15	0.91%
2004	905	53.55%	773	45.74%	12	0.71%
2000	590	48.88%	600	49.71%	17	1.41%
1996	398	36.78%	565	52.22%	119	11.00%
1992	413	34.47%	604	50.42%	181	15.11%
1988	454	55.57%	362	44.31%	1	0.12%
1984	459	51.75%	428	48.25%	0	0.00%
1980	256	34.04%	476	63.30%	20	2.66%
1976	178	26.02%	506	73.98%	0	0.00%
1972	345	74.03%	121	25.97%	0	0.00%
1968	70	13.44%	148	28.41%	303	58.16%
1964	246	56.29%	191	43.71%	0	0.00%
1960	66	25.78%	190	74.22%	0	0.00%
1956	43	28.67%	107	71.33%	0	0.00%
1952	73	38.62%	116	61.38%	0	0.00%
1948	1	0.86%	46	39.66%	69	59.48%
1944	19	15.97%	100	84.03%	0	0.00%
1940	20	8.93%	204	91.07%	0	0.00%
1936	20	8.85%	206	91.15%	0	0.00%
1932	1	0.53%	186	99.47%	0	0.00%
1928	18	11.32%	141	88.68%	0	0.00%
1924	14	6.17%	208	91.63%	5	2.20%
1920	5	5.43%	87	94.57%	0	0.00%
1916	4	2.42%	156	94.55%	5	3.03%
1912	11	7.38%	137	91.95%	1	0.67%

See also

• State of Georgia portal

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

References

1. "Cusseta-Chattahoochee County". GeorgiaGov. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Chattahoochee County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 26, 2022.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Cusseta". GeorgiaGov. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
5. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 39. ISBN   0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 10, 2003.
6. Grimsley, Reagan. "Chattahoochee County". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
7. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
8. "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 22, 2015.
9. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
10. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
11. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1880.
12. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1910.
13. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930.
14. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1940.
15. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1950.
16. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
17. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 2000.
18. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
19. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
20. Georgia Board of Education ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}, Retrieved June 3, 2010.
21. School Stats Archived February 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , Retrieved June 3, 2010.
22. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Chattahoochee County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022. - Text list - "Fort Benning Schools" refers to the DoDEA schools on Fort Benning. The document states that the county schools have high school zoning.
23. "Fort Benning Schools". Department of Defense Education Activity . Retrieved July 4, 2022. - The document states that the county schools have high school zoning.
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.

External links

• Columbus Enquirer archive at Digital Library of Georgia
• Chattahoochee County historical marker

32°21′N84°47′W / 32.35°N 84.79°W / 32.35; -84.79