Washington County, Georgia

Last updated

Washington County
County
Courthouse in Sandersville.jpg
County courthouse
Map of Georgia highlighting Washington County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia in United States.svg
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°58′N82°47′W / 32.97°N 82.79°W / 32.97; -82.79
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg  Georgia
FoundedFebruary 25, 1784;240 years ago (1784)
Named for George Washington
Seat Sandersville
Largest citySandersville
Area
 • Total
684 sq mi (1,770 km2)
 • Land678 sq mi (1,760 km2)
 • Water5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  0.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
19,988
 • Estimate 
(2023)
19,820 Decrease2.svg
 • Density29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 12th
Website washingtoncountyga.gov

Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,988. [1] [2] The county seat is Sandersville. [3] The county was established on February 25, 1784. It was named for Revolutionary War general and President of the United States George Washington. [4]

Contents

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 684 square miles (1,770 km2), of which 678 square miles (1,760 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (0.9%) is water. [5]

The western portion of Washington County, west of a north-to-south line running through Sandersville, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of the county, north of Riddleville, is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, while the southeastern portion, centered on Harrison, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. [6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1790 4,552—
1800 10,300126.3%
1810 9,940−3.5%
1820 10,6276.9%
1830 9,820−7.6%
1840 10,5657.6%
1850 11,76611.4%
1860 12,6987.9%
1870 15,84224.8%
1880 21,96438.6%
1890 25,23714.9%
1900 28,22711.8%
1910 28,174−0.2%
1920 28,147−0.1%
1930 25,030−11.1%
1940 24,230−3.2%
1950 21,012−13.3%
1960 18,903−10.0%
1970 17,480−7.5%
1980 18,8427.8%
1990 19,1121.4%
2000 21,17610.8%
2010 21,1870.1%
2020 19,988−5.7%
2023 (est.)19,820 [7] −0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]
1790-1880 [9] 1890-1910 [10]
1920-1930 [11] 1930-1940 [12]
1940-1950 [13] 1960-1980 [14]
1980-2000 [15] 2010 [1] 2020 [2]

2020 Census

Washington County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000 [16] Pop 2010 [17] Pop 2020 [18] % 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone (NH)9,6209,3398,41245.43%44.08%42.09%
Black or African American alone (NH)11,23311,12410,69853.05%52.50%53.52%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3519370.17%0.09%0.19%
Asian alone (NH)55104760.26%0.49%0.38%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)2100.01%0.00%0.00%
Other race alone (NH)1126300.05%0.12%0.15%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)861674010.41%0.79%2.01%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)1344073340.63%1.92%1.67%
Total21,17621,18719,988100.00%100.00%100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,988 people, 7,503 households, and 5,315 families residing in the county.

Kaolin mines are a major industry in Washington County. Kaolin has had a particularly strong impact on the town of Sandersville which brands itself as the "kaolin capital of the world." Each October, the town hosts a festival that includes a parade of heavy mining machinery, kaolin mine tours, and a beauty pageant that crowns Miss Kaolin. Kaolin mines in Washington County, Georgia.jpg
Kaolin mines are a major industry in Washington County. Kaolin has had a particularly strong impact on the town of Sandersville which brands itself as the “kaolin capital of the world.” Each October, the town hosts a festival that includes a parade of heavy mining machinery, kaolin mine tours, and a beauty pageant that crowns Miss Kaolin.

Education

The county is served by the Washington County School District, which includes: [20]

The county is also the location of one privately run school:

The 1933 short story "The People's Choice" by Erskine Caldwell is set in Washington County, where the story's protagonist is a popular local politician elected again and again as the county's tax assessor.

In 1992, the Pig Monument was erected in the county, near Oconee off of Georgia State Route 272. The monument commemorates a 1933 event where several residents of the county gathered together to help a local farmer rescue a pig that had fallen down a dry well.

The biography of one of the main characters (Grant Alexander) in the 2011 console game X-Men: Destiny states that they were born in Sandersville, Georgia.

Politics

Like most other majority-minority counties in the South, Washington County has primarily backed Democratic Party candidates for most of its history. Democratic margins of victory in presidential elections were far greater prior to 1964, but the county has only failed to back a Democratic presidential candidate five times in its history. However, no candidate of any party since Bill Clinton in 1996 has managed to win the county by a margin of 1,000 votes or greater. It was the most Black county in Georgia to vote for Donald Trump in 2024.

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Georgia [21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 4,82450.82%4,64348.91%260.27%
2020 4,66849.24%4,74350.03%690.73%
2016 4,14948.90%4,20049.50%1361.60%
2012 4,03545.76%4,71453.46%680.77%
2008 4,21647.49%4,60751.89%550.62%
2004 4,08151.93%3,73347.51%440.56%
2000 3,16247.26%3,47651.95%530.79%
1996 2,34833.94%4,05758.64%5147.43%
1992 2,38435.45%3,50852.16%83312.39%
1988 2,75251.12%2,61548.58%160.30%
1984 2,88748.76%3,03451.24%00.00%
1980 1,82233.97%3,45264.35%901.68%
1976 1,65730.01%3,86569.99%00.00%
1972 3,90175.79%1,24624.21%00.00%
1968 1,24726.43%1,44330.58%2,02943.00%
1964 2,29655.63%1,83044.34%10.02%
1960 95632.30%2,00467.70%00.00%
1956 60219.22%2,53080.78%00.00%
1952 79525.03%2,38174.97%00.00%
1948 20414.79%1,16984.77%60.44%
1944 35124.29%1,09475.71%00.00%
1940 25318.41%1,11280.93%90.66%
1936 14910.34%1,28689.24%60.42%
1932 90.46%1,92399.33%40.21%
1928 47229.24%1,14270.76%00.00%
1924 13013.47%75878.55%777.98%
1920 1189.42%1,13490.58%00.00%
1916 181.60%95484.57%15613.83%
1912 282.51%92082.51%16714.98%

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Wilcox 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 8,766. The county seat is Abbeville.

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

Walton County is a county located in the Middle Georgia portion of the U.S. - State of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 96,673. It is located about 30 miles east of the state capital, the city of Atlanta. Monroe is the county seat; Loganville is another major city.

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

Taliaferro County is a county located in East central Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,559, down from the 2010 census when the population was 1,717, making it the least populous county in Georgia and the second least populous county east of the Mississippi River. The county seat is Crawfordville.

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

Seminole County is a county located in the southwestern corner of U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,147. The county seat is Donalsonville.

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

Peach County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,981. Its county seat is Fort Valley. Founded in 1924, it is the state's newest county, taken from Houston and Macon counties on July 18 of that year. Its namesake is the peach on account of it being located in a peach-growing district.

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

Newton County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,483. The county seat is Covington. Newton County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA.

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

Monroe County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,957. The county seat is Forsyth. The county was created on May 15, 1821. The county was named for James Monroe. Monroe County is included in the Macon, GA metropolitan statistical area.

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

Miller County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,000. The county seat is Colquitt. The county was created on February 26, 1856, and named after Andrew Jackson Miller (1806–56), president of the Medical College of Georgia.

<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">Lamar County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Lamar County is a county in the West Central region the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,500. The county seat is Barnesville.

<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">Jefferson County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,709. The county seat and largest city is Louisville. The county was created on February 20, 1796, and named for Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence who became the third president of the United States.

<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">Greene County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

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. The county seat is Greensboro. The county was created on February 3, 1786, and is named for Nathanael Greene, an American Revolutionary War major general.

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

Dougherty County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 85,790. The county seat and sole incorporated city is Albany.

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

Dooly County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,208. The county seat is Vienna. The county was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on May 15, 1821, and named for Colonel John Dooly, a Georgia American Revolutionary War fighter. It was one of the original landlot counties created from land ceded from the Creek Nation.

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

Clinch County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,749. The county seat is Homerville. The county was created on February 14, 1850, named in honor of Duncan Lamont Clinch.

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

Clarke County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,671. Its county seat is Athens, with which it is a consolidated city-county. Clarke 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.

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

Chatham County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Georgia, on the state's Atlantic coast. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, and is named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.

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

Barrow County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 83,505. Its county seat is Winder. Barrow County is included in the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area.

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  2. 1 2 U.S. 2020 Census Bureau report, Washington County, Georgia
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 247. ISBN   0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 27, 2003.
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  9. ↑ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  10. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  11. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  12. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  13. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  14. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  15. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  16. ↑ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Washington County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  17. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Washington County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Washington County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ↑ Kaolin mines in Washington County, Georgia
  20. ↑ District, Washington County School. "Washington County Board of Education - Washington County Board of Education Listing" . Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  21. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 24, 2018.

Further reading

32°58′N82°47′W / 32.97°N 82.79°W / 32.97; -82.79

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.