Jackson County, Georgia

Jackson County, Georgia
Jackson County courthouse in Jefferson
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1796
Named for	James Jackson
Seat	Jefferson
Largest city	Jefferson
Area
• Total	343 sq mi (888 km2)
• Land	340 sq mi (881 km2)
• Water	3.4 sq mi (9 km2), 1.0%
Population
• (2010)	60,485
• Density	178/sq mi (69/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.jacksoncountygov.com

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,485.^[1] The county seat is Jefferson.^[2]

Jackson County comprises the Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

History

Most of the first non-Native American settlers came from Effingham, County in 1786.^[3] On February 11, 1796, Jackson County was split off from part of Franklin County, Georgia. The new county was named in honor of Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel, Congressman, Senator and Governor James Jackson.^[4] The county originally covered an area of approximately 1,800 square miles (4,662.0 km²), with Clarksboro as its first county seat.

In 1801, the Georgia General Assembly granted 40,000 acres (160 km²) of land in Jackson County for a state college. Franklin College (now University of Georgia) began classes the same year, and the city of Athens was developed around the school. Also the same year, a new county was developed around the new college town, and Jackson lost territory to the new Clarke. The county seat was moved to an old Indian village called Thomocoggan, a location with ample water supply from Curry Creek and four large springs. In 1804, the city was renamed Jefferson, after Thomas Jefferson.

Jackson lost more territory in 1811 in the creation of Madison County, in 1818 in the creation of Walton, Gwinnett, and Hall counties, in 1858 in the creation of Banks County, and in 1914 in the creation of Barrow County.

The first county courthouse, a log and wooden frame building with an attached jail, was built on south side of the public square; a second, larger, two-story brick courthouse with a separate jailhouse was built in 1817. In 1880, a third was built on a hill north of the square. This courthouse was the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the United States until 2004, when the current courthouse was constructed north of Jefferson.

Law and government

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 343 square miles (890 km²), of which 340 square miles (880 km²) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) (1.0%) is water.^[5]

The vast majority of Jackson County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, with just a small portion of the county's northern edge, between Maysville to just east of Commerce, located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.^[6]

Rivers and creeks

• North Oconee River
  • Sandy Creek (Georgia)
  • Curry Creek
• Middle Oconee River
  • Pond Fork
  • Allen Creek
• Mulberry River

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Banks County - north
• Madison County - east
• Clarke County - southeast
• Gwinnett County - southwest
• Barrow County - west
• Hall County - northwest

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 41,589 people, 15,057 households, and 11,488 families residing in the county. The population density was 122 people per square mile (47/km²). There were 16,226 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.00% White, 7.78% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 1.07% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. 3.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,057 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 31.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,349, and the median income for a family was $46,211. Males had a median income of $34,063 versus $22,774 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,808. About 9.90% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 60,485 people, 21,343 households, and 16,479 families residing in the county.^[13] The population density was 178.1 inhabitants per square mile (68.8/km²). There were 23,752 housing units at an average density of 69.9 per square mile (27.0/km²).^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 86.8% white, 6.8% black or African American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.2% of the population.^[13] In terms of ancestry,^[15]

Of the 21,343 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.8% were non-families, and 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 37.1 years.^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $51,506 and the median income for a family was $58,239. Males had a median income of $43,906 versus $33,248 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,473. About 11.7% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.^[16]

Education

• Jefferson City School District
• Jackson County School District
• Commerce City School District

Attractions

• Atlanta Dragway (Commerce)
• Mayfield Dairy Visitors Center (Braselton)
• Chateau Elan (Braselton)
• Sandy Creek Golf Course (Commerce)
• Tanger Outlet Center (Commerce)

National Historic Places

Parks and cultural institutions

• Crawford W. Long Museum (Jefferson)
• Hurricane Shoals Park

Events

Cities and towns

Unincorporated communities

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jackson County, Georgia

References

External links

• Jackson County government website
• Atlanta Dragway
• Mayfield Dairy
• Chateau Elan
• Sandy Creek Golf Course
• Tanger Outlet Center
• Traditions of Braselton
• Crawford W. Long Museum
• Hurricane Shoals Park

	Hall County	Banks County
	Gwinnett County		Madison County
		Jackson County, Georgia
	Barrow County		Clarke County

Municipalities and communities of Jackson County, Georgia, United States County seat: Jefferson Cities Arcade Commerce Hoschton Jefferson Nicholson Pendergrass Towns Braselton‡ Maysville‡ Talmo Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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Coordinates: 34°08′N 83°34′W / 34.13°N 83.56°W / 34.13; -83.56