Washington County
County
County courthouse
County courthouse
Map of Georgia highlighting Washington County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°58′N 82°47′W / 32.97°N 82.79°W / 32.97; -82.79
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedFebruary 25, 1784 (1784)
Named forGeorge Washington
SeatSandersville
Largest citySandersville
Area
 • Total684 sq mi (1,770 km2)
 • Land678 sq mi (1,760 km2)
 • Water5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  0.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total19,988
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district12th
Websitewashingtoncountyga.gov

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]

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

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
17904,552—
180010,300126.3%
18109,940−3.5%
182010,6276.9%
18309,820−7.6%
184010,5657.6%
185011,76611.4%
186012,6987.9%
187015,84224.8%
188021,96438.6%
189025,23714.9%
190028,22711.8%
191028,174−0.2%
192028,147−0.1%
193025,030−11.1%
194024,230−3.2%
195021,012−13.3%
196018,903−10.0%
197017,480−7.5%
198018,8427.8%
199019,1121.4%
200021,17610.8%
201021,1870.1%
202019,988−5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1880[8]1890-1910[9]
1920-1930[10] 1930-1940[11]
1940-1950[12] 1960-1980[13]
1980-2000[14] 2010[1] 2020[2]
Washington County racial composition as of 2020[15]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 8,412 42.09%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 10,698 53.52%
Native American 37 0.19%
Asian 76 0.38%
Other/Mixed 431 2.16%
Hispanic or Latino 334 1.67%

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.[16]

Education

The county is served by the Washington County School District, which includes:[17]

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

  • Brentwood School

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.

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Georgia[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
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%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  2. 1 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. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  8. ↑ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  9. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1910.
  10. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  11. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  12. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1950.
  13. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  14. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  15. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  16. ↑ Kaolin mines in Washington County, Georgia
  17. ↑ District, Washington County School. "Washington County Board of Education - Washington County Board of Education Listing". Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  18. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 24, 2018.

Further reading

  • Ella Mitchell, History of Washington County. Atlanta, GA: Byrd Printing Company, 1924. —Reissued 1973.

32°58′N 82°47′W / 32.97°N 82.79°W / 32.97; -82.79

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