Oglethorpe County, Georgia

Last updated

Oglethorpe County, Georgia
County
Oglethorpe County Courthouse.jpeg
Oglethorpe County Courthouse
Flag of Oglethorpe County, Georgia.png
Flag
Logo of Oglethorpe County, Georgia.png
Logo
Map of Georgia highlighting Oglethorpe County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°53′N83°05′W / 33.88°N 83.08°W / 33.88; -83.08
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg Georgia
FoundedDecember 19, 1795;230 years ago (1795-12-19)
Named after James Oglethorpe
Seat Lexington
Largest city Crawford
Area
 • Total
442 sq mi (1,140 km2)
 • Land439 sq mi (1,140 km2)
 • Water3.0 sq mi (7.8 km2)  0.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
14,825
 • Density34/sq mi (13/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 10th
Website oglethorpecountyga.gov

Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,825. [1] The county seat is Lexington. [2]

Contents

Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area. It is the largest county in Northeast Georgia.

History

Oglethorpe County was originally part of a large tract of land surrendered by Creek and Cherokee Native Americans to the Colony of Georgia in the treaty of 1773. The county itself was founded on December 19, 1793, and is named for Georgia's founder, General James Oglethorpe.

On September 10, 1919, Obe Cox was accused of murdering a White farmer's wife. He was seized by a White mob taken to the scene of the crime, his body riddled with bullets and burned at the stake. Several thousand persons witnessed the scene. The lynching was controversial as the local black community "thanked" the mob for just killing Cox and not attacking their community. [3] [4] After an investigation the black media of the time reported that the blacks who wrote the letter thanking the lynching "do not stand for much in the town and are excused for their utter ignorance in condoning [lynching]." [3]

Controversy

In June 2018, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office came under protest after a controversial hire was made of former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Tyler Saulters. [5] Saulters, who was fired from ACCPD, was involved in a controversial use of deadly force with his vehicle, striking a fleeing misdemeanor suspect [6] while attempting to apprehend him in Athens, GA. Protestors were upset that Oglethorpe County Sheriff, David Gabriel, defended the hire and the use of force by the former ACCPD officer. [5]

In April 2021, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Davis was arrested and charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for two counts of aggravated assault. [7] The arrest stemmed from an on-duty use-of-force, in Clarke County. [7] Davis struck a vehicle he had already performed a traffic stop on. [7] After striking the vehicle, Davis discharged his duty weapon at the vehicle. [7] When the vehicle fled from the unprovoked and unjustified shooting by the Deputy, the deputy pursued and involved officers from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. [7] ACCPD requested an investigation by the GBI, which is standard in most officer involved shootings in Georgia. [7]

In August 2024, YouTuber DG Hamblin, produced interviews with a former Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy about his experiences as a police officer. [8] [9] During the interviews excessive use of force by a Sheriff's commander and failure to report that use of force was discussed as well as Sheriff's commanders' interactions with the controversial Poulan Police Department. [9]

On August 29, 2024, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputies engaged in a pursuit with a motorcycle for a minor traffic violation (missing registration plate) inside Oglethorpe County. [10] [11] [12] [13] During the pursuit, speeds reached 100 mph (160 km/h). [10] [13] According to the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office, the Deputy pursuing the motorcycle called the chase off inside Clarke County but continued to follow the motorcycle. [11] [13] The motorcyclist was involved in a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Lexington Road and Woodgrove Road [13] [10] in Clarke County. The motorcyclist died on scene, according to the Georgia State Patrol, who investigated the collision and pursuit that led up to the fatal collision. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 442 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 439 square miles (1,140 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.7%) is water. [14] The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

The majority of Oglethorpe County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A narrow western portion of the county, in a line from just north of Woodville, through Crawford, to just south of Winterville, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small part of the southern portion of the county, from Maxeys east, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. [15]

River

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1800 9,780—
1810 12,29725.7%
1820 14,04614.2%
1830 13,618−3.0%
1840 10,868−20.2%
1850 12,25912.8%
1860 11,549−5.8%
1870 11,7822.0%
1880 15,40030.7%
1890 16,95110.1%
1900 17,8815.5%
1910 18,6804.5%
1920 20,2878.6%
1930 12,927−36.3%
1940 12,430−3.8%
1950 9,958−19.9%
1960 7,926−20.4%
1970 7,598−4.1%
1980 8,92917.5%
1990 9,7639.3%
2000 12,63529.4%
2010 14,89917.9%
2020 14,825−0.5%
2024 (est.)16,172 [16] 9.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [17]
1790-1880 [18] 1890-1910 [19]
1920-1930 [20] 1930-1940 [21]
1940-1950 [22] 1960-1980 [23]
1980-2000 [24] 2010 [25]
Oglethorpe County racial composition as of 2020 [26]
RaceNum.Perc.
White 10,90373.54%
Black or African American 2,24815.16%
Native American 400.27%
Asian 1340.9%
Pacific Islander 50.03%
Other/Mixed 6264.22%
Hispanic or Latino 8695.86%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 14,825, 5,803 households, and 3,711 families residing in the county. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. [27] [28]

As of the 2020 census, the median age was 43.3 years, with 21.5% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.3% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.9 males age 18 and over. [28]

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 74.7% White, 15.2% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.8% from some other race, and 6.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.9% of the population. [29]

As of the 2020 census, the 5,803 households included 29.8% with children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.5% with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.1% of all households were composed of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [28]

As of the 2020 census, there were 6,343 housing units, of which 8.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.4% were owner-occupied and 19.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.7%. [28]

Education

Recreation

Historic Districts and Heritage Research, Antique Stores in Historic Lexington, Agriculture and Agritourism as well as Oglethorpe Fresh Produce

In 2016, the Oglethorpe County Recreation Department was named both the District 7 and State Agency of the Year for populations under 20,000 through the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.

Transportation

Major highways

Pedestrians and cycling

The county has limited walkability options available.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Oglethorpe County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 70.9% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Oglethorpe County is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Oglethorpe County is part of District 24. [30] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Oglethorpe County is part of District 124. [31]

United States presidential election results for Oglethorpe County, Georgia [32]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
1912 509.09%40072.73%10018.18%
1916 182.51%65791.63%425.86%
1920 424.74%84495.26%00.00%
1924 1296.56%1,74888.96%884.48%
1928 20520.14%81379.86%00.00%
1932 342.66%1,24097.03%40.31%
1936 11511.93%84587.66%40.41%
1940 13113.79%81886.11%10.11%
1944 17315.80%92284.20%00.00%
1948 625.55%81973.26%23721.20%
1952 20812.46%1,46187.54%00.00%
1956 16710.63%1,40489.37%00.00%
1960 1429.17%1,40690.83%00.00%
1964 1,12656.58%86443.42%00.00%
1968 38314.71%48318.56%1,73766.73%
1972 1,71284.00%32616.00%00.00%
1976 81130.43%1,85469.57%00.00%
1980 1,18741.56%1,61156.41%582.03%
1984 2,12263.15%1,23836.85%00.00%
1988 1,95162.61%1,15437.03%110.35%
1992 1,59042.94%1,49140.26%62216.80%
1996 1,82648.03%1,57041.29%40610.68%
2000 2,70661.71%1,51934.64%1603.65%
2004 3,68865.41%1,89933.68%510.90%
2008 4,14464.12%2,23234.54%871.35%
2012 4,25167.64%1,91430.45%1201.91%
2016 4,62569.30%1,83127.43%2183.27%
2020 5,59268.71%2,43929.97%1071.31%
2024 6,25570.90%2,51528.51%520.59%

[33]

United States Senate election results for Oglethorpe County, Georgia3
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№ %№ %№ %
2022 4,34069.36%1,91730.64%00.00%

Notable people

See also

Bibliography

  1. ↑ "Census - Geography Profile: Oglethorpe County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Brundage, William Fitzhugh (1993). Lynching in the New South: Georgia and Virginia, 1880-1930 . University of Illinois Press. p. 47. ISBN   9780252063459.
  4. ↑ "The Lynching Project: Oglethorpe County".
  5. 1 2 Riggall, Hunter (June 15, 2018). "Policing the police: Athens residents protest Oglethorpe sheriff hiring ex-Athens cop". The Red & Black. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  6. ↑ Soriano, Ashley (June 5, 2018). "Athens officer used 'poor judgement' when hitting fleeing suspect with car, investigation finds". The Red & Black. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "GBI: Georgia deputy arrested after shooting at car during traffic stop". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN   1539-7459 . Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ What happened with Poulan Police Department?. DG Hamblin. August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024– via YouTube.
  9. 1 2 What happened with Poulan PD (part two). DG Hamblin. August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024– via YouTube.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Ford, Wayne. "Motorcyclists fleeing from Oglethorpe deputy killed in collision with SUV in Athens". Online Athens. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 "Motorcyclist crashes, dies during pursuit in Athens-Clarke County". FOX 5 Atlanta. August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  12. 1 2 Purcell, Joy (August 30, 2024). "Police: Biker crashes and dies while fleeing from deputies". Now Habersham. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Police chase ends with fatal crash in Athens". Classic City News. August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  14. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  15. ↑ "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.
  16. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ↑ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  19. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  21. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  22. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  23. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  24. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  25. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  27. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 4 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  29. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  30. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  31. ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  32. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  33. ↑ "2022 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Georgia by county. November 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2024.

33°53′N83°05′W / 33.88°N 83.08°W / 33.88; -83.08

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.