Taliaferro County (/ˈtɒlɪvər/ TOL-iv-ər) is a county located in East central Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,559,[2] down from the 2010 census when the population was 1,717,[3] making it the least populous county in Georgia and the second least populous county east of the Mississippi River (after Issaquena County, Mississippi). The county seat is Crawfordville.[4]
Taliaferro County | |
|---|---|
![Taliaferro County Courthouse (built 1902),[1] Crawfordville](https://www.how.com.vn/wiki/en/File:Taliaferro_County_Courthouse_east_facade.jpg) Taliaferro County Courthouse (built 1902),[1] Crawfordville | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
 Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 33°34′N 82°53′W / 33.57°N 82.88°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 24, 1825 |
| Named for | Benjamin Taliaferro |
| Seat | Crawfordville |
| Largest city | Crawfordville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 195 sq mi (510 km2) |
| • Land | 195 sq mi (510 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (2 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,559 |
| • Density | 8.0/sq mi (3.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 10th |
| Website | taliaferrocountyga |
History
editTaliaferro 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.[5]
The county was named for Colonel Benjamin Taliaferro of Virginia, who was an officer in the American Revolution.
The county is most famous for containing the birthplace and home of Alexander H. Stephens, who served as a U.S. congressman from Georgia in the antebellum South, as vice president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and as governor of Georgia after the war (dying in office). A state park near his home in Crawfordville bears his name.
Geography
editAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 195 square miles (510 km2), of which 195 square miles (510 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.4%) is water.[6] It is drained by tributaries of the Ogeechee and Little rivers.[7]
The northern half of Taliaferro County, north of Crawfordville, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The southern half of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.[8]
Major highways
edit
Interstate 20
U.S. Route 278
State Route 12
State Route 22
State Route 44
State Route 47
State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)
Adjacent counties
edit- Wilkes County - Northeast
- Oglethorpe County - northwest
- Warren County - southeast
- Hancock County - south
- Greene County - west
Communities
editCities
edit- Crawfordville (county seat)
- Sharon
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 4,934 | — | |
| 1840 | 5,190 | 5.2% | |
| 1850 | 5,146 | −0.8% | |
| 1860 | 4,583 | −10.9% | |
| 1870 | 4,796 | 4.6% | |
| 1880 | 7,034 | 46.7% | |
| 1890 | 7,291 | 3.7% | |
| 1900 | 7,912 | 8.5% | |
| 1910 | 8,766 | 10.8% | |
| 1920 | 8,841 | 0.9% | |
| 1930 | 6,172 | −30.2% | |
| 1940 | 6,278 | 1.7% | |
| 1950 | 4,515 | −28.1% | |
| 1960 | 3,370 | −25.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,423 | −28.1% | |
| 1980 | 2,032 | −16.1% | |
| 1990 | 1,915 | −5.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,077 | 8.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,717 | −17.3% | |
| 2020 | 1,559 | −9.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 1,609 | [9] | 3.2% |
| 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] 2020[19] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[20] | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 787 | 625 | 591 | 37.89% | 36.40% | 37.91% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,251 | 1,024 | 833 | 60.23% | 59.64% | 53.43% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0.05% | 0.12% | 0.26% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1 | 8 | 6 | 0.05% | 0.47% | 0.38% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0.29% | 0.00% | 0.13% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 12 | 23 | 54 | 0.58% | 1.34% | 3.46% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 19 | 35 | 69 | 0.91% | 2.04% | 4.43% |
| Total | 2,077 | 1,717 | 1,559 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,559 people, 593 households, and 399 families residing in the county.
Economy
editTaliaferro county's main employer is the government,[21] primarily the Taliaferro County Sheriffs Department, which patrols I-20 and issues many traffic tickets per capita compared to other counties in the state. For instance, Fulton County, the largest county by population in Georgia, gains $16.98 per capita in traffic ticket revenue. By comparison, Taliaferro county gains $1,614.33 per capita, which is around a hundred times more.[22]
In popular culture
editSeveral Hollywood films have been shot in Taliaferro County. Paris Trout (1991), starring Dennis Hopper and based on the novel by the same name by Pete Dexter, was primarily filmed in the county. Sweet Home Alabama (2002), starring Reese Witherspoon, was filmed in the county seat of Crawfordville.
Politics
editTaliaferro County is one of the most reliably Democratic counties in Georgia, despite being mostly rural in nature. It has supported the Democrat candidate in every presidential election by wide margins except in 1972, when Richard Nixon won by a landslide.
Notable people
edit- Romulus Moore
- Maude Andrews Ohl (1862–1943), journalist, poet, novelist
- Alexander H. Stephens
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 360 | 38.79% | 561 | 60.45% | 7 | 0.75% |
| 2016 | 349 | 38.91% | 545 | 60.76% | 3 | 0.33% |
| 2012 | 323 | 33.54% | 636 | 66.04% | 4 | 0.42% |
| 2008 | 339 | 34.24% | 643 | 64.95% | 8 | 0.81% |
| 2004 | 335 | 35.23% | 612 | 64.35% | 4 | 0.42% |
| 2000 | 271 | 32.57% | 556 | 66.83% | 5 | 0.60% |
| 1996 | 235 | 26.52% | 615 | 69.41% | 36 | 4.06% |
| 1992 | 269 | 24.32% | 755 | 68.26% | 82 | 7.41% |
| 1988 | 306 | 39.38% | 469 | 60.36% | 2 | 0.26% |
| 1984 | 318 | 36.64% | 550 | 63.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 270 | 28.30% | 670 | 70.23% | 14 | 1.47% |
| 1976 | 236 | 23.98% | 748 | 76.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 585 | 61.13% | 372 | 38.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 232 | 16.36% | 678 | 47.81% | 508 | 35.83% |
| 1964 | 337 | 34.92% | 628 | 65.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 148 | 18.43% | 655 | 81.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 160 | 21.08% | 599 | 78.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 103 | 10.55% | 873 | 89.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 21 | 3.51% | 504 | 84.14% | 74 | 12.35% |
| 1944 | 6 | 1.52% | 389 | 98.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 19 | 3.61% | 507 | 96.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 14 | 2.44% | 552 | 96.34% | 7 | 1.22% |
| 1932 | 3 | 0.59% | 503 | 99.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 58 | 11.51% | 446 | 88.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 4 | 1.37% | 228 | 77.82% | 61 | 20.82% |
| 1920 | 12 | 3.51% | 330 | 96.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 14 | 5.07% | 255 | 92.39% | 7 | 2.54% |
| 1912 | 35 | 12.50% | 225 | 80.36% | 20 | 7.14% |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Caldwell, W. W.: "The Courthouse and the Depot", pages 33-34. Mercer University Press, 2001
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 219. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). . The American Cyclopædia.
- ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 19, 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 Decade". 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.
- ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taliaferro County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taliaferro County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Taliaferro County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ Boatright, Susan R. (November 2005). "Taliaferro County Community Profile" (PDF). uga.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ "Database: Georgia's biggest ticket traps". myajc. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.