Greene County, Georgia

Last updated

Greene County, Georgia
County
Greene County Georgia Courthouse.jpg
Greene County courthouse in Greensboro
Map of Georgia highlighting Greene County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°35′N83°10′W / 33.58°N 83.17°W / 33.58; -83.17
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia
Founded1786;239 years ago (1786)
Named after Nathanael Greene
Seat Greensboro
Largest cityGreensboro
Area
 • Total
406 sq mi (1,050 km2)
 • Land387 sq mi (1,000 km2)
 • Water19 sq mi (49 km2)  4.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
18,915 [1]
 • Density49/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 10th
Website www.greenecountyga.gov
Unidentified building near White Plains, Georgia, ca. 1941 White Plains Georgia.jpg
Unidentified building near White Plains, Georgia, ca. 1941

Greene County is a county located in the east central portion & the Lake country region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,915. [2] The county seat is Greensboro. [3] The county was created on February 3, 1786, and is named for Nathanael Greene, an American Revolutionary War major general.

Contents

History

Greene County was formed on February 3, 1786, from land given by Washington County. [4] It was named in honor of General Nathanael Greene, a hero of the American Revolutionary War. [5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 square miles (1,050 km2), of which 387 square miles (1,000 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (4.6%) is water. [6]

The majority of Greene County, west of a line between Woodville, Union Point, and White Plains, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northern half of the remainder of the county is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, while the southern half is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. [7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Other

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1790 5,405—
1800 10,76199.1%
1810 11,6798.5%
1820 13,58916.4%
1830 12,549−7.7%
1840 11,690−6.8%
1850 13,06811.8%
1860 12,652−3.2%
1870 12,454−1.6%
1880 17,54740.9%
1890 17,051−2.8%
1900 16,542−3.0%
1910 18,51211.9%
1920 18,9722.5%
1930 12,616−33.5%
1940 13,7098.7%
1950 12,843−6.3%
1960 11,193−12.8%
1970 10,212−8.8%
1980 11,39111.5%
1990 11,7933.5%
2000 14,40622.2%
2010 15,99411.0%
2020 18,91518.3%
2024 (est.)21,091 [8] 11.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [9]
1790-1880 [10] 1890-1910 [11]
1920-1930 [12] 1930-1940 [13]
1940-1950 [14] 1960-1980 [15]
1980-2000 [16] 2010 [17] 2020 [1]
Greene County racial composition as of 2020 [18]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)11,12658.82%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)5,78330.57%
Native American 280.15%
Asian 1740.92%
Pacific Islander 20.01%
Other/Mixed 5132.71%
Hispanic or Latino 1,2896.81%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 18,915 people, 7,874 households, and 4,975 families residing in the county. The median age was 51.6 years, with 18.8% under the age of 18 and 29.6% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.8 males age 18 and over. None of the residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas. [19] [20]

The racial makeup of the county was 59.7% White, 30.7% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.7% from some other race, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.8% of the population. [21]

Of the 7,874 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 10,087 housing units, of which 21.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.3% were owner-occupied and 23.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%. [19]

Education

The county supports the Greene County School Board, Lake Oconee Academy and Nathanael Greene Academy.

Role in passage of the Georgia Indigent Defense Act

In 2001, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Benham convened a committee to investigate indigent defense in the state of Georgia. An avalanche of complaints about the state of public defense in Greene County, along with a number of lawsuits filed by Stephen Bright and the Southern Center for Human Rights, contributed to the formation of this commission. The commission discovered during its investigation that indigent defendants in Greene County were routinely pleaded guilty by judges without the presence of counsel and sometimes without even being present in court to make their pleas, violations of the Sixth Amendment. Excessive bail, e.g. $50,000 for loitering, was often set as well, a violation of the Eighth Amendment. After two years of investigation, the committee's recommendations led to the passage of the Georgia Indigent Defense Act. [22] [23]

Politics

Prior to 2000, the only time Greene County failed to back a Democratic Party candidate in a presidential election was in 1972, when Richard Nixon won every county in Georgia and all but 130 counties nationwide. From 2000 onward, it has been consistently Republican due to the growth of white residents moving to Reynolds Lake Oconee.

As of the 2020s, Greene County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 64% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Greene County is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Greene County is part of District 24. [24] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Greene County is part of District 124. [25]

United States presidential election results for Greene County, Georgia [26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
1912 15021.90%52576.64%101.46%
1916 15317.35%67676.64%536.01%
1920 17820.72%68179.28%00.00%
1924 779.86%55871.45%14618.69%
1928 24528.10%62771.90%00.00%
1932 525.35%91894.44%20.21%
1936 865.96%1,34893.35%100.69%
1940 1488.93%1,49790.29%130.78%
1944 14410.33%1,24689.38%40.29%
1948 925.79%1,21376.29%28517.92%
1952 39714.60%2,32385.40%00.00%
1956 54121.19%2,01278.81%00.00%
1960 32814.22%1,97985.78%00.00%
1964 1,09328.83%2,69871.17%00.00%
1968 65218.58%1,63546.58%1,22334.84%
1972 1,67964.63%91935.37%00.00%
1976 65220.46%2,53479.54%00.00%
1980 96126.90%2,57171.96%411.15%
1984 1,59944.53%1,99255.47%00.00%
1988 1,43243.93%1,81855.77%100.31%
1992 1,30732.21%2,25955.67%49212.12%
1996 1,70242.39%2,11552.68%1984.93%
2000 2,98057.34%2,13741.12%801.54%
2004 4,06959.17%2,77440.34%340.49%
2008 4,53257.21%3,33942.15%500.63%
2012 5,07160.90%3,20138.44%550.66%
2016 5,49061.55%3,19935.87%2302.58%
2020 7,06662.83%4,08736.34%940.84%
2024 8,21564.25%4,51435.30%570.45%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 US 2020 Census Bureau report, Greene County, Georgia
  2. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Greene County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 98. ISBN   0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  5. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  143.
  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 19, 2015.
  8. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ↑ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  11. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  12. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  13. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  14. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  15. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  16. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  17. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  19. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  20. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  21. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  22. ↑ Amy Bach (2009). Ordinary Injustice: How America Holds Court . New York: Metropolitan Books. ISBN   978-0-8050-7447-5.
  23. ↑ "Georgia Indigent Defense Act HB 770". Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  26. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.

33°35′N83°10′W / 33.58°N 83.17°W / 33.58; -83.17

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