Montgomery County, Georgia

Last updated

Montgomery County
County
Montgomery County Courthouse (Mount Vernon, Georgia).jpg
Montgomery County Courthouse (built 1907) in Mount Vernon
Map of Georgia highlighting Montgomery County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia in United States.svg
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°10′N82°32′W / 32.17°N 82.53°W / 32.17; -82.53
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg  Georgia
FoundedDecember 19, 1793;231 years ago (1793)
Named for Richard Montgomery
Seat Mount Vernon
Largest cityMount Vernon
Area
 • Total245 sq mi (630 km2)
 • Land240 sq mi (600 km2)
 • Water5.2 sq mi (13 km2)  2.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total8,610
 • Density36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 12th
Website montgomerycountyga.gov

Montgomery County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,610. [1] The county seat is Mount Vernon. [2] Montgomery County is part of the Vidalia, GA micropolitan statistical area.

Contents

History

Montgomery County is named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. It was created on December 19, 1793, from a southern portion of Washington County, Georgia. [3]

Arthur Lott's Plantation was designated the first county seat in 1797.

In 1801, Tattnall County, Georgia was formed from the southern part of Montgomery County. The dividing line between Tatnall and Montgomery ran from the mouth of Limestone Creek on the Oconee River, just below modern Mount Vernon, Georgia, to the mouth of Wolf Creek on the Canoochee River below Metter, Georgia.

The Great Revision

On December 11, 1811, the county lines between Washington County, Montgomery County, and Laurens County were adjusted by the Georgia General Assembly. The northern section of Montgomery between the Oconee River and the Ohoopee River was transferred to Laurens. On December 10, 1812, the county line of Montgomery was significantly adjusted as part of the creation of Emanuel County. Its new boundaries became from the then Laurens and Telfair county line on the Oconee River to the north prong of the Little Ocmulgee River (near present Chauncey, Dodge County, Georgia) down the Little Ocmulgee River as it meanders to its confluence with the Ocmulgee River then downstream as it meanders to the Oconee River, then North 30 degrees to Milligan's Creek in Tatnall County, and then with it to the Montgomery County line. [4] Pendleton Creek (in modern Treutlen and Toombs counties) was used as the border between Montgomery and Emanuel. Because of these transitions Montgomery regained part of the land it had lost in the creation of Tatnall County in 1801 (land along the lower Oconee River), but also lost land along the upper Oconee River to Laurens County.

The creation of Emanuel County put the old county seat within Emanuel's border. On December 12, the Georgia General Assembly appointed the justices of the inferior court of Montgomery county to a commission to designate a new county seat and called for county business to be held until then at the home of James Alston. In 1813, the General Assembly recognized Mount Vernon as the new county seat.

The county line between Telfair County and Montgomery was adjusted once again in 1820 by the Georgia Genera Assembly. The new line differed in the upstream portion of the Little Ocmulgee River and better defined the line and gave Montgomery a small border with Pulaski County, Georgia and Telfair County some land on the northeast side of the Little Ocmulgee River. The line was to go upstream to its fork then to Browning's mill, a straight line to the mouth of Joiner's Creek (Near modern McRae, Georgia) at the second fork of the Little Ocmulgee River, and then up the second prong to Pulaski County Line. [5]

The land gained by Telfair County from Montgomery County on the northeast side of the Little Ocmulgee River was reversed by the Georgia General Assembly on December 18, 1833. [6]

American Civil War

At the time of the 1850 United States Census, Montgomery had 1,541 whites, 613 slaves. By the 1860 census, there were 2,014 whites, 977 slaves, and 6 Free people of color. The pine barrens and soil quality outside of the river lands made the area unsuitable for slave-heavy cotton producing plantation culture. Montgomery's status as a majority white county led the region developing different attitudes about secession from other areas of Georgia.

On January 22, 1861, Montgomery County representatives, Thomas M. McRae and Solon Homer Latimer, were among the 89 delegates who voted no to Georgia's immediate secession from the Union at the state secession convention. In addition, McRae and Latimer were among the 6 delegates who voiced their protest by against the Ordinance of Secession in the published document.

In the interior of the county around Gum Swamp (Modern Chauncey, Georgia) near the Pulaski County, Telfair County, and Montgomery County lines a deserter gang fought against Confederate forces. [7]

Additional counties created

On August 18, 1905, Montgomery County gained and lost some territory during the creation of Toombs County. On August 14, 1912, the parts of Montgomery County between the Little Ocmulgee River and the Oconee River became Wheeler County. On August 21, 1917, Montgomery lost additional territory during the creation of Treutlen County, Georgia.

Modern

More recently, the county was noted for its practice of organizing segregated proms, a practice that had continued since integration of its schools in the 1970s. [8] [9] [10] Following publicity about this practice, Montgomery County students took the initiative to integrate the prom in 2010. [11]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 245 square miles (630 km2), of which 240 square miles (620 km2) is land and 5.2 square miles (13 km2) (2.1%) is water. [12]

The southeastern quarter of Montgomery County is located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the larger river basin by the same name. The western half of the county, from Tarrytown south, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northeastern quarter of Montgomery County, northeast of a line from Tarrytown to Higgston, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. [13]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated community

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1800 3,180—
1810 2,954−7.1%
1820 1,869−36.7%
1830 1,269−32.1%
1840 1,61627.3%
1850 2,15433.3%
1860 2,99739.1%
1870 3,58619.7%
1880 5,38150.1%
1890 9,24871.9%
1900 16,35976.9%
1910 19,63820.0%
1920 9,167−53.3%
1930 10,0209.3%
1940 9,668−3.5%
1950 7,901−18.3%
1960 6,284−20.5%
1970 6,099−2.9%
1980 7,01115.0%
1990 7,1632.2%
2000 8,27015.5%
2010 9,12310.3%
2020 8,610−5.6%
2023 (est.)8,761 [14] 1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [15]
1790-1880 [16] 1890-1910 [17]
1920-1930 [18] 1930-1940 [19]
1940-1950 [20] 1960-1980 [21]
1980-2000 [22] 2010 [23]
Montgomery County racial composition as of 2020 [24]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)5,66565.8%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)2,12024.62%
Native American 110.13%
Asian 340.39%
Other/Mixed 2092.43%
Hispanic or Latino 5716.63%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,610 people, 3,097 households, and 2,102 families residing in the county.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Montgomery County, Georgia [25]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 2,96074.60%98024.70%280.71%
2016 2,67074.66%84723.69%591.65%
2012 2,66269.41%1,13529.60%380.99%
2008 2,52170.16%1,04529.08%270.75%
2004 2,15067.82%1,00731.77%130.41%
2000 1,46558.39%1,01340.37%311.24%
1996 1,16343.31%1,23345.92%28910.76%
1992 1,00938.56%1,18545.28%42316.16%
1988 1,22857.49%90342.28%50.23%
1984 1,36558.96%95041.04%00.00%
1980 94835.91%1,66362.99%291.10%
1976 62628.00%1,61072.00%00.00%
1972 1,37080.26%33719.74%00.00%
1968 35215.38%50321.98%1,43362.63%
1964 1,40961.61%87838.39%00.00%
1960 38120.80%1,45179.20%00.00%
1956 27120.48%1,05279.52%00.00%
1952 29014.16%1,75885.84%00.00%
1948 1176.91%1,04861.90%52831.19%
1944 9414.03%57585.82%10.15%
1940 759.78%68689.44%60.78%
1936 817.83%94591.39%80.77%
1932 171.90%86897.20%80.90%
1928 9822.53%33777.47%00.00%
1924 8719.21%35377.92%132.87%
1920 14846.69%16953.31%00.00%
1916 666.06%1,00292.01%211.93%
1912 222.37%85492.03%525.60%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheeler County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Wheeler County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,471. The county seat is Alamo. The county is one of the most impoverished counties in the nation. The American Community Survey's 2009–2013 average reports that the county's per-capita income of $8,948 makes it the poorest county in the United States by this metric. The measurement however is misleading as Wheeler County is the site of Wheeler Correctional Facility, a large prison with a capacity of 2,874 prisoners, about 40 percent of the county's total population. Most prisoners have little income. The prison was opened in 1998 and the prison population may also account for the increased population of the county in the early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Wayne County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,144. The county seat is Jesup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twiggs County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Twiggs County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,022. The county seat is Jeffersonville. The county was created on December 14, 1809, and named for American Revolutionary War general John Twiggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treutlen County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Treutlen County is a county located in the east central. & Magnolia midlands portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,406. The county seat is Soperton. It is host to the Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival which occurs during the first weekend in November.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toombs County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Toombs County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,030. The county seat is Lyons and the largest city is Vidalia. The county was created on August 18, 1905.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telfair County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Telfair County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,477. The largest city and county seat is McRae-Helena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurens County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Laurens County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,570, up from 48,434 in 2010. The county seat is Dublin. The county was founded on December 10, 1807, and named after Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jones County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Jones County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,347. The county seat is Gray. The county was created on December 10, 1807, and named after U.S. Representative James Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Johnson County is a county located along the oconee River in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,189. The county seat is Wrightsville. Johnson County is part of the Dublin, Georgia, micropolitan statistical area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Davis County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Jeff Davis County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,779. The county seat is Hazlehurst. The county was created on August 18, 1905, and named for Jefferson Davis, the only Confederate president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Jasper County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,588, up from 13,900 in 2010. The county seat is Monticello. Jasper County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hancock County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Hancock County is a county located in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a Founding Father of the American Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emanuel County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Emanuel County is a county located in the magnolia midlands portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,768. The county seat is Swainsboro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Dodge County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2020, the population was 19,925. The county seat is Eastman. Dodge County lies in the Historic South and Black Belt region of Georgia, an area that was devoted to cotton production in the antebellum years. It has significant historic buildings and plantations, has a substantial African-American population, and shows cultural aspects of the South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleckley County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldwin County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appling County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumber City, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Lumber City is a city located in Telfair County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altamaha River</span> River in Georgia, the United States of America

The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles (220 km) from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. No dams are directly on the Altamaha, though some are on the Oconee and the Ocmulgee. Including its tributaries, the Altamaha River's drainage basin is about 14,000 square miles (36,000 km2) in size, qualifying it among the larger river basins of the US Atlantic coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oconee River</span> River in the state of Georgia, U.S.

The Oconee River is a 220-mile-long (350 km) river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it joins the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River near Lumber City at the borders of Montgomery County, Wheeler County, and Jeff Davis County. South of Athens, two forks, known as the Middle Oconee River and North Oconee River, which flow for 55–65 miles (89–105 km) upstream, converge to form the Oconee River. Milledgeville, the former capital city of Georgia, lies on the Oconee River.

References

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Montgomery County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 150. ISBN   0-915430-00-2.
  4. ↑ Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Passed at Milledgeville, at an Annual Session, in November and December, 1812. Vol. 1. pp. 83, 119.
  5. ↑ Acts of the Georgia State General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Passed at Milledgeville, at an Annual Session, in November and December, 1820. Vol. 1. Milledgeville, Georgia. p. 75.
  6. ↑ Acts of the General Assembly of the state of Georgia, Passed in Milledgeville, at an Annual Session in November and December, 1833. Vol. 1. Milledgeville, Georgia. p. 55.
  7. ↑ Wetherington, Mark V. (2005). Plain Folk's Fight: The Civil War and Reconstruction in Piney Woods Georgia . Chapel Hill, North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press. p.  223.
  8. ↑ Shapiro, Dana (May 2003). "Separate but equal?". Spin . Retrieved March 22, 2010.
  9. ↑ Sara Corbett (May 21, 2009). "A Prom Divided". The New York Times .
  10. ↑ Leonard Doyle (June 21, 2009). "Segregated high school proms divide Georgia's students". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  11. ↑ Kelley, Brooke (2010). "Montgomery County to have first integrated prom". WTOC Savannah) . Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  12. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  16. ↑ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  17. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  18. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  19. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  20. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  21. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  22. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  23. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  25. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.

32°10′N82°32′W / 32.17°N 82.53°W / 32.17; -82.53

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.