Thomas County, Georgia

Thomas County, Georgia
Thomas County courthouse in Thomasville, Georgia

Location in the state of Georgia

Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded December 24, 1825
Named for Jett Thomas
Seat Thomasville
Largest city Thomasville
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

552.08 sq mi (1,430 km²)
548.30 sq mi (1,420 km²)
3.78 sq mi (10 km²),
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density

42,737
78/sq mi (30/km²)
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website http://www.thomascountyboc.org/

Thomas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2010 Census showed a population of 44,720.[1] The county seat is Thomasville.[2]

Contents

History

Thomas County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 24, 1825, from portions of Decatur and Irwin counties. Colquitt (1856), Brooks (1858), and Grady (1905) counties all were formed partially from lands within Thomas County's original borders.

The county is named for Jett Thomas, officer in the War of 1812 who is also known for overseeing the construction of the first building at the University of Georgia (originally referred to as Franklin College and known today as Old College) as well as the state capitol at Milledgeville.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 552.08 square miles (1,429.9 km2), of which 548.30 square miles (1,420.1 km2) (or 99.32%) is land and 3.78 square miles (9.8 km2) (or 0.68%) is water.[3]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 42,737 people, 16,309 households, and 11,465 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 18,285 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.98% White, 38.86% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,309 households out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.90% were married couples living together, 18.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.80 males.

As of 2007, the median income for a household in the county was $40,498, and the median income for a family was $52,392.[5] Males had a median income of $28,395 versus $21,344 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,540. About 13.60% of families and 17.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 19.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Unincorporated cities

Education

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
  4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  5. ^ [2]

External links