Henry County, Georgia

Henry County
County
Henry County Courthouse and Confederate monument
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°28′N84°10′W / 33.46°N 84.16°W / 33.46; -84.16
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	May 15, 1821;202 years ago (1821-05-15)
Named for	Patrick Henry
Seat	McDonough
Largest city	Stockbridge
Area
• Total	327 sq mi (850 km2)
• Land	322 sq mi (830 km2)
• Water	4.4 sq mi (11 km2)  1.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	240,712
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	3rd, 10th, 13th
Website	henrycountyga.gov

Henry County is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2020 census, ^{[1] [2]} the population of Henry County was 240,712, up from 203,922 in 2010. The seat of government is McDonough. ^[3] The county was named for Patrick Henry. ^[4]

Henry County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan statistical area. The Henry County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Henry County, Georgia, was created by the Georgia State Legislature in 1821 from land acquired from the Creek Indian Nation by the First Treaty of Indian Springs. Henry's original land area was much larger than it is today, stretching from near Indian Springs (present-day Indian Springs State Park) in the south to the Chattahoochee River near Sandy Springs in the north; encompassing most of present-day Metropolitan Atlanta. Before one year had passed, the size of the county was diminished through the separation of land areas which, in whole or in part, became the present-day DeKalb, Fulton, Fayette and Newton counties. Later divisions resulted in Clayton, Spalding, Rockdale and Butts counties.

In the beginning Henry County was a virgin wilderness, having just been ceded from the Creek Nation. Prior to 1821, the Creeks and a few trappers and traders were the only residents of this area. The Creek Indians left their mark through place names, a few small Indian Mounds scattered around the county and through the arrowheads and broken pottery which can be found throughout Henry County.

Jesse Johnson, son of John Johnson and great-grandfather of U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson, was a "first settler" of Henry County. He was a prosperous farmer, the second sheriff (1822–1835), and judge, before he moved to Texas. ^[5] Jonesboro Road stretches through the county. ^[6] In 1995, Henry County was the sixth-fastest-growing county in the United States. ^[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 327 square miles (850 km²), of which 322 square miles (830 km²) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km²) (1.4%) is water. ^[8]

The vast majority of Henry County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, with just a very small western corner, west of Hampton, located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). ^[9]

Adjacent counties

• DeKalb County – north
• Rockdale County – northeast
• Newton County – east Northeast
• Butts County – southeast
• Spalding County – southwest
• Clayton County – west

Government and politics

The Henry County Board of Commissioners is responsible for administering county government to residents. Four commissioners are elected by voters in individual districts, while the commission chairman is elected countywide and serves as the county's chief executive. June Wood, the former commission chair, was the first African-American to serve in the position after being elected in a December 2016 run-off election. She left office in December 2020 after losing her bid for re-election. As of January 2023, the following individuals serve the county on the Board of Commissioners:

Henry County Board of Commissioners ^[10]

Name		Party	District
	Carlotta Harris-Harrell	Democratic	Chairman (at-large)
	Johnny Wilson	Republican	1
	Neat Robinson	Democratic	2
	Dee Anglyn III	Republican	3
	Vivian Thomas	Democratic	4
	Kevin Lewis	Democratic	5

Prior to 1984, Henry County had a presidential voting pattern typical of any other Solid South county in Georgia, consistently awarding landslide margins to Democrats. In 1920, it was one of three counties in the state (alongside Bleckley and Columbia) to give 100% of the vote to Democratic nominee James M. Cox. ^[11] The first Republican to win Henry County was Richard Nixon in 1972, doing so with 77.93% of the vote, ^[12] though it returned to the Democratic column when native Georgian Jimmy Carter won it in 1976 and 1980.

From 1984 to 2004, Henry County was a Republican stronghold, consistent with several Atlanta suburbs, as well as other suburban areas across the country. ^[13] Strong margins in Henry County and other Atlanta suburbs were vital to Republicans' performance, offsetting strongly Democratic Black voters in Atlanta proper. ^[14] Republican dominance peaked in 1988, when George H.W. Bush won 71.11% of the vote to Michael Dukakis' 28.41%, a 42.7% margin of victory. ^[15] During this time, no Democrat managed to attain even 40 percent of the county's vote.

In the 2010s, the county rapidly flipped from being safely Republican at the start of the decade to safely Democratic by the end, thanks to explosive population growth that brought an influx of Democratic-leaning minority voters into the county, and a growing Democratic trend among suburban voters in general. ^[13] The African American percentage of the population increased from 14.7% in the 2000 Census to 36.9% in 2010 and 48.4% in 2020, while the white proportion of the population fell from 81.4% in 2000 to 55.0% in 2010 and 35.9% in 2020. ^[16] In the 2004 election, Democrat John Kerry had lost the county by 33.7%, but in 2008 ^[17] and 2012, Democrat Barack Obama lost the county by only 7.4% and 3.3% respectively. ^[18] In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county for the Democrats for the first time in 36 years, by a 4.4 percentage point margin of victory, in spite of the rightward shift taken by the rest of the country. ^[19] In 2020, the county swung 16.1 points deeper into the Democratic column, the largest Democratic swing of any county in the country in that election, ^[20] culminating in Joe Biden winning the county by 20.5 percentage points as he carried Georgia. In doing so, Biden turned in the best showing for a non-Georgian Democrat in the county since John F. Kennedy in 1960. The Democratic trend continued in 2022, with Henry County being one of the few counties where Stacey Abrams improved on her 2018 margin against Republican Brian Kemp even as she performed worse statewide. She took 61% of the vote, and Raphael Warnock defeated Herschel Walker with a similar share of the vote in the concurrent Senate race.

United States presidential election results for Henry County, Georgia ^[21]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	48,259	39.23%	73,443	59.70%	1,314	1.07%
2016	45,724	46.02%	50,057	50.38%	3,586	3.61%
2012	46,774	51.10%	43,761	47.81%	996	1.09%
2008	47,157	53.29%	40,567	45.85%	762	0.86%
2004	42,759	66.57%	21,096	32.84%	380	0.59%
2000	25,815	66.42%	11,971	30.80%	1,081	2.78%
1996	16,968	58.36%	9,498	32.67%	2,608	8.97%
1992	12,634	52.03%	7,817	32.19%	3,833	15.78%
1988	10,882	71.11%	4,348	28.41%	74	0.48%
1984	9,142	69.06%	4,096	30.94%	0	0.00%
1980	5,326	47.27%	5,635	50.01%	307	2.72%
1976	2,622	31.44%	5,717	68.56%	0	0.00%
1972	5,155	77.93%	1,460	22.07%	0	0.00%
1968	2,017	25.41%	2,317	29.19%	3,604	45.40%
1964	3,125	46.58%	3,583	53.41%	1	0.01%
1960	1,041	26.04%	2,957	73.96%	0	0.00%
1956	848	24.34%	2,636	75.66%	0	0.00%
1952	553	17.60%	2,589	82.40%	0	0.00%
1948	229	12.41%	1,400	75.84%	217	11.76%
1944	152	9.42%	1,461	90.58%	0	0.00%
1940	101	6.11%	1,551	93.77%	2	0.12%
1936	116	7.83%	1,362	91.90%	4	0.27%
1932	21	1.37%	1,496	97.65%	15	0.98%
1928	360	32.06%	763	67.94%	0	0.00%
1924	53	7.42%	594	83.19%	67	9.38%
1920	0	0.00%	608	100.00%	0	0.00%
1916	78	7.54%	868	83.86%	89	8.60%
1912	15	2.23%	536	79.64%	122	18.13%
1908	369	45.22%	369	45.22%	78	9.56%
1904	64	8.19%	464	59.41%	253	32.39%
1900	378	35.36%	639	59.78%	52	4.86%
1896	568	46.56%	569	46.64%	83	6.80%
1892	578	30.99%	718	38.50%	569	30.51%
1888	512	30.60%	1,136	67.90%	25	1.49%
1884	694	42.66%	933	57.34%	0	0.00%
1880	506	42.27%	691	57.73%	0	0.00%

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 75
• Interstate 675
• U.S. Route 19
• U.S. Route 23
• U.S. Route 41
• State Route 3
• State Route 20
• State Route 42
• State Route 81
• State Route 138
• State Route 155
• State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
• State Route 413 (unsigned designation for I-675)
• Georgia State Route 920 (unsigned designation for Jonesboro Road)

Pedestrians and cycling

• Reeves Creek Trail ^[22]

Transit systems

• Henry County operates its own reservation-based transit service for use by county residents. ^[23] In addition, Xpress, a regional commuter bus service operated by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, serves park-and-ride lots in Stockbridge, Hampton, and McDonough.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	10,566		—
1840	11,756		11.3%
1850	14,726		25.3%
1860	10,702		−27.3%
1870	10,102		−5.6%
1880	14,193		40.5%
1890	16,220		14.3%
1900	18,602		14.7%
1910	19,927		7.1%
1920	20,420		2.5%
1930	15,924		−22.0%
1940	15,119		−5.1%
1950	15,857		4.9%
1960	17,619		11.1%
1970	23,724		34.7%
1980	36,309		53.0%
1990	58,741		61.8%
2000	119,341		103.2%
2010	203,922		70.9%
2020	240,712		18.0%
2023 (est.)	254,613	[24]	5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [25] 1790-1880 [26] 1890-1910 [27] 1920-1930 [28] 1930-1940 [29] 1940-1950 [30] 1960-1980 [31] 1980-2000 [32] 2010 [33] 2020 [33]

2020 census

Henry County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the U.S. 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 [34]	Pop 2010 [33]	Pop 2020 [35]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	95,550	107,083	86,297	80.06%	52.51%	35.85%
Black or African American alone (NH)	17,435	74,056	116,431	14.61%	36.32%	48.37%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	245	482	427	0.21%	0.24%	0.18%
Asian alone (NH)	2,062	5,902	7,976	1.73%	2.89%	3.31%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	45	110	119	0.04%	0.05%	0.05%
Other race alone (NH)	162	504	1,650	0.14%	0.25%	0.69%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,150	3,972	9,375	0.96%	1.95%	3.89%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	2,692	11,813	18,437	2.26%	5.79%	7.66%
Total	119,341	203,922	240,712	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 240,712 people, 79,550 households, and 60,471 families residing in the county.

2010 Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 203,922 people, 70,255 households, and 54,445 families residing in the county. ^[36] The population density was 633.0 inhabitants per square mile (244.4/km²). There were 76,533 housing units at an average density of 237.6 per square mile (91.7/km²). ^[37] The racial makeup of the county was 55.0% white, 36.9% black or African American, 2.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.4% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.8% of the population. ^[36] In terms of ancestry, 10.7% were American, 9.3% were Irish, 9.2% were German, and 8.2% were English. ^[38]

Of the 70,255 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.5% were non-families, and 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age was 35.3 years. ^[36]

The median income for a household in the county was $63,923 and the median income for a family was $70,972. Males had a median income of $50,198 versus $39,785 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,773. About 6.3% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over. ^[39]

2000 Census

As of the census of 2000, ^[16] there were 119,341 people, 41,373 households, and 33,305 families residing in the county. The population density was 370 inhabitants per square mile (140/km²). There were 43,166 housing units at an average density of 134 per square mile (52/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.38% White, 14.68% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.76% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 2.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Census Estimates from the 2008 American Community Survey indicate that the African-American population is 32.6%.

There were 41,373 households, out of which 42.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.40% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.50% were non-families. 15.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.20% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 34.90% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,309, and the median income for a family was $61,607. Males had a median income of $41,449 versus $29,211 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,945. About 3.70% of families and 4.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Goya Foods has its Atlanta offices in an unincorporated area near McDonough. ^[40]

Additionally, a pair of warehouses used to exist along US 23 south of McDonough, one of which was owned by Whirlpool Corporation, and the other by Toys 'R' Us.

Media

WKKP is the local radio media outlet. It broadcasts 24 hours a day on 100.9 FM and 1410 AM, and has a classic country format.

The Henry Herald is the local county news print media.

Sports

The semi-professional soccer team Georgia Revolution FC plays in the National Premier Soccer League at the Warhawk Stadium.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is located in Henry County and hosts an annual NASCAR race and many other events throughout the year, including the 2021 Publix Atlanta Marathon, which moved to the Speedway premises.

Education

Local public schools are operated by the Henry County Schools.^{[ citation needed ]}

Enriched Virtual Program

• Impact academy

Alternative schools

• EXCEL Academy (known as Patrick Henry alternative)
• Mainstay Academy (GNETS - Special Education)

Private schools

• ABC Montessori (Toddler - 12)
• Bible Baptist Christian School (K4–12) ^[41]
• Community Christian School (Nursery–12)
• Creekside Christian Academy
• Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (K3–12)
• Lake Dow Christian Academy
• New Creation Christian Academy
• North Henry Academy (K3–8) ^[42]
• Strong Rock Christian School (K–12)
• Peoples Baptist Academy
• Heritage Baptist Christian School
• The Sharon School
• McDonough Methodist Academy

Higher education

Mercer University has a Regional Academic Center in McDonough. The center, opened in 2003, offers programs through the university's College of Continuing and Professional Studies and Mercer's Tift College of Education. Clayton State University and Gordon College also offer a range of college courses at the Academy for Advanced Studies in McDonough.

Southern Crescent Technical College's Henry County Center (in McDonough) offers programs in Allied Health, Business Technology, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Computer Information Systems, Personal Services, Public Safety, and Drafting Technology. ^[43]

Communities

Cities

• Hampton
• Locust Grove
• McDonough
• Stockbridge

Census-designated place

• Heron Bay (part)

Unincorporated communities

• Blacksville
• Ellenwood (part)
• Flippen
• Kelleytown
• Luella
• Ola

See also

• State of Georgia portal

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

References

1. "Henry County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". quickfacts.census.gov. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
2. US Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Henry County, Georgia
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  155.
5. Caro, Robert A. (1983). The Path to Power . The Years of Lyndon Johnson. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p.  15. ISBN   0394499735. LCCN   90201781.
6. "Henry County takes steps to begin Jonesboro Road widening project" . Retrieved April 12, 2023.
7. "Fastest-growing counties, 1990-95". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
8. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
10. "Henry County Board of Commissioners | Board of Commissioners". www.co.henry.ga.us. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
11. Scammon, Richard M. (compiler); America at the Polls: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics 1920-1964; pp. 96-98 ISBN   0405077114
12. "1972 Presidential General Election Results - Georgia". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
13. Tavernise, Sabrina; Gebeloff, Robert (October 25, 2019). "Are the Suburbs Turning Democratic?". The New York Times . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
14. Savicki, Drew (October 26, 2020). "The Road to 270: Georgia". 270toWin . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
15. "1988 Presidential General Election Results - Georgia". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
16. "U.S. Census". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. "2008 Presidential General Election Results - Henry County, GA". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
18. "2012 Presidential General Election Results - Henry County, GA". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
19. "2016 Presidential General Election Results - Henry County, GA". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
20. "2020 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections . Retrieved January 13, 2021.
21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
22. "Loading site please wait..." www.cityofstockbridge.com.
23. "Henry County Board of Commissioners > Departments > S - Z > Transit Department". www.co.henry.ga.us. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
24. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
25. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
26. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
27. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
28. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
29. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
30. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
31. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
32. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
33. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Henry County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
34. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Henry County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
35. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Henry County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
36. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
37. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
38. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
39. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
40. "Contact Us." Goya Foods. Retrieved on March 26, 2016. "Goya Foods of Atlanta 4005 Haworth Parkway McDonough, GA 30253"
41. "Home". Bible Baptist Christian School.
42. "NHA - Welcome to North Henry Academy". northhenryacademy.com.
43. "Henry County Center | About Southern Crescent". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.

External links

• Henry County Board of Commissioners
• Henry County Chamber of Commerce
• Taste of Henry An annual fundraiser that showcases many of Henry County's best restaurants.
• Kelleytown, GA Website run by Mr. Beau Kelley, a descendant of the original family to which the community is named.
• A Friend's House Henry County's emergency shelter for abused, neglected, and abandoned children.
• Howard, John. "The Sub Series: Henry County, Georgia." Southern Spaces, January 26, 2010.
• Henry County historical marker

33°28′N84°10′W / 33.46°N 84.16°W / 33.46; -84.16