Washington_County,_Georgia

Washington County, Georgia

County in Georgia, United States

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 afterward President of the United States) George Washington.^[4]

Quick Facts Country, State ...

Washington County
County
County courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°58′N 82°47′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	February 25, 1784; 240 years ago (1784)
Named for	George Washington
Seat	Sandersville
Largest city	Sandersville
Area
• Total	684 sq mi (1,770 km²)
• Land	678 sq mi (1,760 km²)
• Water	5.9 sq mi (15 km²) 0.9%
Population (2020)
• Total	19,988
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	washingtoncountyga.gov

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

State Route 15
State Route 24
State Route 24 Spur
State Route 57
State Route 68
State Route 88
State Route 102
State Route 231
State Route 242
State Route 272
State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

Adjacent counties

Glascock County (northeast)
Jefferson County (east)
Johnson County (south)
Wilkinson County (southwest)
Baldwin County (west)
Hancock County (northwest)

Communities

Cities

Davisboro
Oconee
Sandersville (county seat)
Tennille

Towns

Deepstep
Harrison
Riddleville

Census-designated places

Warthen

Other unincorporated communities

Goat Town
Irwins Crossroads
Pringle
Sun Hill

Demographics

More information Census, Pop. ...

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	4,552		—
1800	10,300		126.3%
1810	9,940		−3.5%
1820	10,627		6.9%
1830	9,820		−7.6%
1840	10,565		7.6%
1850	11,766		11.4%
1860	12,698		7.9%
1870	15,842		24.8%
1880	21,964		38.6%
1890	25,237		14.9%
1900	28,227		11.8%
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	18,842		7.8%
1990	19,112		1.4%
2000	21,176		10.8%
2010	21,187		0.1%
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

More information Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic), Pop 2000 ...

**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)	9,620	9,339	8,412	45.43%	44.08%	42.09%
Black or African American alone (NH)	11,233	11,124	10,698	53.05%	52.50%	53.52%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	35	19	37	0.17%	0.09%	0.19%
Asian alone (NH)	55	104	76	0.26%	0.49%	0.38%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2	1	0	0.01%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	11	26	30	0.05%	0.12%	0.15%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	86	167	401	0.41%	0.79%	2.01%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	134	407	334	0.63%	1.92%	1.67%
Total	21,176	21,187	19,988	100.00%	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.^[19]

Education

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

Ridge Road Elementary School
T.J. Elder Middle School
Washington County High School.

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

Brentwood School

In popular culture

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.

More information Year, Republican ...

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Georgia^[21]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,668	49.24%	4,743	50.03%	69	0.73%
2016	4,149	48.90%	4,200	49.50%	136	1.60%
2012	4,035	45.76%	4,714	53.46%	68	0.77%
2008	4,216	47.49%	4,607	51.89%	55	0.62%
2004	4,081	51.93%	3,733	47.51%	44	0.56%
2000	3,162	47.26%	3,476	51.95%	53	0.79%
1996	2,348	33.94%	4,057	58.64%	514	7.43%
1992	2,384	35.45%	3,508	52.16%	833	12.39%
1988	2,752	51.12%	2,615	48.58%	16	0.30%
1984	2,887	48.76%	3,034	51.24%	0	0.00%
1980	1,822	33.97%	3,452	64.35%	90	1.68%
1976	1,657	30.01%	3,865	69.99%	0	0.00%
1972	3,901	75.79%	1,246	24.21%	0	0.00%
1968	1,247	26.43%	1,443	30.58%	2,029	43.00%
1964	2,296	55.63%	1,830	44.34%	1	0.02%
1960	956	32.30%	2,004	67.70%	0	0.00%
1956	602	19.22%	2,530	80.78%	0	0.00%
1952	795	25.03%	2,381	74.97%	0	0.00%
1948	204	14.79%	1,169	84.77%	6	0.44%
1944	351	24.29%	1,094	75.71%	0	0.00%
1940	253	18.41%	1,112	80.93%	9	0.66%
1936	149	10.34%	1,286	89.24%	6	0.42%
1932	9	0.46%	1,923	99.33%	4	0.21%
1928	472	29.24%	1,142	70.76%	0	0.00%
1924	130	13.47%	758	78.55%	77	7.98%
1920	118	9.42%	1,134	90.58%	0	0.00%
1916	18	1.60%	954	84.57%	156	13.83%
1912	28	2.51%	920	82.51%	167	14.98%

References

[1]
"State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
[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.

External links

Official page of Washington County

32.97°N 82.79°W / 32.97; -82.79

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