| Taliaferro County, Georgia | |
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Taliaferro County Courthouse (Built 1902),[1] Crawfordville, Georgia
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Location in the state of Georgia |
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Georgia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 24, 1825 |
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| Named for | Benjamin Taliaferro |
| Seat | Crawfordville |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
195.47 sq mi (506 km²) 195.39 sq mi (506 km²) 0.08 sq mi (0 km²), 0.04% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
2,077 10/sq mi (4/km²) |
Taliaferro County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 2,077, making it the least populous county east of the Mississippi River. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 1,884.[2] The county seat is Crawfordville.[3]
The spelling of the county's name is not phonetic. The pronunciation is in keeping with how many families with the name "Taliaferro" traditionally pronounce it. The pronunciation is "Tolliver" (rhyming with the common male name "Oliver", IPA: /ˈtɒlɪvər/).
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Taliaferro County was formed by an act of the Georgia Legislature meeting in Milledgeville on December 24, 1825. It was formed by taking portions of five other counties: Wilkes, Greene, Hancock, Oglethorpe, and Warren Counties.
The county was named for Colonel Benjamin Taliaferro of Virginia, who was an officer in the American Revolution.
The county is most famous for being the home of Alexander H. Stephens, who served as a senator from Georgia in the antelbellum south, the Vice President of the Confederate States of America, and the governor of Georgia until his death. A state park near his home in Crawfordville, Georgia bears his name.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 195.47 square miles (506.3 km2), of which 195.39 square miles (506.1 km2) (or 99.96%) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2) (or 0.04%) is water.[4]
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 2,077 people, 870 households, and 559 families residing in the county. The population density was 11 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 1,085 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.33% Black or African American, 38.18% White, 0.05% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.67% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 870 households out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.30% were married couples living together, 20.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.70% were non-families. 33.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $27,800. Males had a median income of $26,380 versus $21,534 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,498. About 22.30% of families and 23.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.30% of those under age 18 and 23.40% of those age 65 or over.
Several Hollywood films have been shot in Taliaferro County. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, starring Kristy McNichol and Dennis Quaid was largely filmed in Crawfordville. Paris Trout, starring Dennis Hopper, was also primarily filmed in the county. More recently, the film Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, was filmed in the county seat, Crawfordville.
Taliaferro County has not experienced the level of development that other parts of Georgia have experienced in recent decades. The county has steadily lost population over the years, even though the state overall has been one of the fastest-growing in the nation. This has given the county a "stuck in time" quality in spite of its access to Interstate 20.
| Wilkes County and Oglethorpe County | ||||
| Greene County | ||||
| Taliaferro County, Georgia | ||||
| Hancock County | Warren County |