Emanuel_County,_Georgia
Emanuel County, Georgia
County in Georgia, United States
Emanuel County is a county located in the magnolia midlands portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,768.[1] The county seat is Swainsboro.[2]
Emanuel County | |
|---|---|
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 32°35′N 82°18′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | 1812; 212 years ago (1812) |
| Named for | David Emanuel |
| Seat | Swainsboro |
| Largest city | Swainsboro |
| Area | |
| • Total | 690 sq mi (1,800 km2) |
| • Land | 681 sq mi (1,760 km2) |
| • Water | 9.6 sq mi (25 km2) 1.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 22,768 |
| • Density | 33/sq mi (13/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 12th |
| Website | Emanuel County, Georgia |
The county was created on December 10, 1812, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly from land originally in parts of Bulloch and Montgomery counties.[3] Emanuel County is named in honor of former Governor of Georgia David Emanuel.[4]
Portions of Johnson (1858), Jenkins (1905), Toombs (1905), Candler (1914), and Treutlen (1918) counties were taken from Emanuel's original borders.
Courthouses
Emanuel County has had seven courthouses in its over 200 years of existence.[5] In the county's early years, the court met at Steven Rich's home. Emanuel County's first courthouse was erected in 1814 and burned in 1841. It wasn't until 1854, the same time that the city of Swainsboro was formally incorporated, that the county was allowed to build a replacement. In a string of bad luck, this new courthouse burned in 1855 and was replaced by another courthouse, which burned in 1857. Emanuel County's fourth courthouse burned in 1919 and was replaced by a three-story brick structure which, characteristically, burned in 1938. The next courthouse, a two-story marble structure, was built in 1940 and was the first courthouse in Emanuel County's history not to be destroyed by fire. However, by the 1990s, the courthouse's cramped and deteriorating condition caused several county offices to vacate the courthouse and move into vacant office space surrounding the courthouse square. The courthouse was demolished in the spring of 2000, leaving only the sheriff's office annex. In the late 1990s, the Emanuel County commissioners purchased the former U.S. Post Office building, which was built in 1936, to serve as an interim courthouse. In 2000, the county commission acquired land adjacent to the old Post Office to build a new courthouse and sheriff's office. Emanuel County's current courthouse, a large, single-story brick structure incorporating the old Post Office building, was completed in 2002, and a city square was built on the former courthouse site with the old sheriff's office renovated to serve as the city's visitors' center as well as the office for Swainsboro-Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce.[6]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 690 square miles (1,800 km2), of which 681 square miles (1,760 km2) is land and 9.6 square miles (25 km2) (1.4%) is water.[7]
The northern portion of Emanuel County, centered on Summertown and defined by a southern border heading from Garfield east-northeast and running north of Modoc, is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The eastern portion of the county, east of Swainsboro, is located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the same Ogeechee River basin. The western and southern portions of Emanuel County are located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.[8]
Major highways
Interstate 16
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 Business
U.S. Route 80
U.S. Route 221
State Route 4
State Route 4 Business
State Route 15
State Route 23
State Route 26
State Route 46
State Route 56
State Route 57
State Route 78
State Route 86
State Route 121
State Route 171
State Route 192
State Route 297
State Route 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)
Adjacent counties
- Jefferson County - north
- Jenkins County - northeast
- Burke County - northeast
- Candler County - east
- Tattnall County - southeast
- Bulloch County - southeast
- Toombs County - south
- Laurens County - southwest
- Johnson County - west
- Treutlen County - west
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Five Points, Georgia
- Stevens Crossing, Georgia
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2,928 | — | |
| 1830 | 2,673 | −8.7% | |
| 1840 | 3,129 | 17.1% | |
| 1850 | 4,577 | 46.3% | |
| 1860 | 5,081 | 11.0% | |
| 1870 | 6,134 | 20.7% | |
| 1880 | 9,759 | 59.1% | |
| 1890 | 14,703 | 50.7% | |
| 1900 | 21,279 | 44.7% | |
| 1910 | 25,140 | 18.1% | |
| 1920 | 25,862 | 2.9% | |
| 1930 | 24,101 | −6.8% | |
| 1940 | 23,517 | −2.4% | |
| 1950 | 19,789 | −15.9% | |
| 1960 | 17,815 | −10.0% | |
| 1970 | 18,189 | 2.1% | |
| 1980 | 20,795 | 14.3% | |
| 1990 | 20,546 | −1.2% | |
| 2000 | 21,837 | 6.3% | |
| 2010 | 22,598 | 3.5% | |
| 2020 | 22,768 | 0.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 23,119 | [9] | 1.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1880[11] 1890-1910[12] 1920-1930[13] 1930-1940[14] 1940-1950[15] 1960-1980[16] 1980-2000[17] 2010[18] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 13,815 | 60.68% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,246 | 31.83% |
| Native American | 33 | 0.14% |
| Asian | 141 | 0.62% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 538 | 2.36% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 993 | 4.36% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,768 people, 8,387 households, and 5,683 families residing in the county.
Since 1964, the only times the county has failed to back a Republican candidate in a presidential election were when southern Democrats Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were on the ballot.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 6,553 | 68.93% | 2,886 | 30.36% | 68 | 0.72% |
| 2016 | 5,335 | 67.57% | 2,435 | 30.84% | 126 | 1.60% |
| 2012 | 5,100 | 63.05% | 2,927 | 36.18% | 62 | 0.77% |
| 2008 | 5,110 | 61.92% | 3,068 | 37.18% | 74 | 0.90% |
| 2004 | 4,666 | 62.44% | 2,774 | 37.12% | 33 | 0.44% |
| 2000 | 3,343 | 53.38% | 2,835 | 45.27% | 85 | 1.36% |
| 1996 | 2,451 | 41.73% | 2,947 | 50.18% | 475 | 8.09% |
| 1992 | 2,662 | 41.43% | 2,951 | 45.93% | 812 | 12.64% |
| 1988 | 3,530 | 58.95% | 2,387 | 39.86% | 71 | 1.19% |
| 1984 | 3,920 | 61.46% | 2,458 | 38.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 2,199 | 35.18% | 3,971 | 63.53% | 81 | 1.30% |
| 1976 | 1,493 | 24.49% | 4,603 | 75.51% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 3,684 | 80.09% | 916 | 19.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,297 | 21.22% | 1,508 | 24.67% | 3,307 | 54.11% |
| 1964 | 3,311 | 59.23% | 2,279 | 40.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,120 | 30.83% | 2,513 | 69.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 678 | 22.22% | 2,373 | 77.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 661 | 20.01% | 2,642 | 79.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 717 | 29.90% | 1,436 | 59.88% | 245 | 10.22% |
| 1944 | 317 | 16.23% | 1,635 | 83.72% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1940 | 81 | 5.36% | 1,428 | 94.51% | 2 | 0.13% |
| 1936 | 125 | 6.01% | 1,943 | 93.37% | 13 | 0.62% |
| 1932 | 33 | 1.34% | 2,420 | 98.49% | 4 | 0.16% |
| 1928 | 355 | 24.81% | 1,076 | 75.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 39 | 5.04% | 710 | 91.73% | 25 | 3.23% |
| 1920 | 190 | 11.63% | 1,444 | 88.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 28 | 1.56% | 1,500 | 83.61% | 266 | 14.83% |
| 1912 | 22 | 2.54% | 715 | 82.56% | 129 | 14.90% |
- "Census - Geography Profile: Emanuel County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 72. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
- Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 119.
- Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 248. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
- "Emanuel County Courthouse". Georgia Info. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
- "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
- "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
- "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
- "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
- "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
- "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
- "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
- "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Emanuel County
- Emanuel County history at GeorgiaInfo website
- Emanuel County historical marker
- Summerville historical marker