Upson County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,700.[1] The county seat is Thomaston.[2] The county was created on December 15, 1824.
Upson County | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Upson County Courthouse in Thomaston | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
 Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 32°53′N 84°18′W / 32.88°N 84.3°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 15, 1824 |
| Named for | Stephen Upson |
| Seat | Thomaston |
| Largest city | Thomaston |
| Area | |
• Total | 328 sq mi (850 km2) |
| • Land | 323 sq mi (840 km2) |
| • Water | 4.1 sq mi (11 km2) 1.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,700 |
| • Density | 86/sq mi (33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Upson County comprises the Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs CSA.
History
editUpson County was formed in 1824 and named after Stephen Upson, a state legislator.[3]
Emancipation Day
editOn May 29, 1865, following the conclusion of the American Civil War, enslaved African Americans in the county were notified in Thomaston that they had been emancipated.[4] By the following year, celebrations were held on that date, which continue to this day.[4] It is considered one of the largest Emancipation Day celebrations in Georgia and one of the oldest continuously celebrated ones in the United States.[4]
Geography
editAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 328 square miles (850 km2), of which 323 square miles (840 km2) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km2) (1.3%) is water.[5] Upson County boasts the lowest average summer humidity in the state.
The vast majority of Upson County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a tiny northeastern corner of the county, north of Yatesville, located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.[6]
Major highways
edit
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 80
State Route 3
State Route 22
State Route 36
State Route 74
State Route 74 Alternate
Adjacent counties
edit- Lamar County - north
- Pike County - north
- Monroe County - northeast
- Crawford County - southeast
- Taylor County - south
- Talbot County - southwest
- Meriwether County - northwest
Communities
editCity
editTown
editCensus-designated places
editUnincorporated communities
editDemographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 7,013 | — | |
| 1840 | 9,408 | 34.2% | |
| 1850 | 9,424 | 0.2% | |
| 1860 | 9,910 | 5.2% | |
| 1870 | 9,430 | −4.8% | |
| 1880 | 12,400 | 31.5% | |
| 1890 | 12,188 | −1.7% | |
| 1900 | 13,670 | 12.2% | |
| 1910 | 12,757 | −6.7% | |
| 1920 | 14,786 | 15.9% | |
| 1930 | 19,509 | 31.9% | |
| 1940 | 25,064 | 28.5% | |
| 1950 | 25,078 | 0.1% | |
| 1960 | 23,800 | −5.1% | |
| 1970 | 23,505 | −1.2% | |
| 1980 | 25,998 | 10.6% | |
| 1990 | 26,300 | 1.2% | |
| 2000 | 27,597 | 4.9% | |
| 2010 | 27,153 | −1.6% | |
| 2020 | 27,700 | 2.0% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 28,263 | [7] | 2.0% |
| 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[16] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 18,009 | 65.01% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,851 | 28.34% |
| Native American | 63 | 0.23% |
| Asian | 151 | 0.55% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.0% |
| Other/Mixed | 992 | 3.58% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 633 | 2.29% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,700 people, 10,154 households, and 6,100 families residing in the county.
Politics
edit| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 9,528 | 69.74% | 4,098 | 30.00% | 36 | 0.26% |
| 2020 | 8,606 | 66.68% | 4,203 | 32.56% | 98 | 0.76% |
| 2016 | 7,292 | 66.69% | 3,475 | 31.78% | 167 | 1.53% |
| 2012 | 7,230 | 64.10% | 3,959 | 35.10% | 90 | 0.80% |
| 2008 | 7,291 | 63.77% | 4,061 | 35.52% | 82 | 0.72% |
| 2004 | 6,634 | 65.72% | 3,424 | 33.92% | 36 | 0.36% |
| 2000 | 5,019 | 60.60% | 3,158 | 38.13% | 105 | 1.27% |
| 1996 | 3,783 | 47.08% | 3,491 | 43.45% | 761 | 9.47% |
| 1992 | 4,053 | 45.03% | 3,740 | 41.55% | 1,208 | 13.42% |
| 1988 | 4,614 | 63.05% | 2,666 | 36.43% | 38 | 0.52% |
| 1984 | 4,803 | 62.01% | 2,943 | 37.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 2,788 | 36.52% | 4,713 | 61.73% | 134 | 1.76% |
| 1976 | 2,897 | 40.71% | 4,219 | 59.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 4,892 | 84.52% | 896 | 15.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,494 | 22.73% | 1,480 | 22.52% | 3,599 | 54.75% |
| 1964 | 3,103 | 48.61% | 3,275 | 51.30% | 6 | 0.09% |
| 1960 | 1,001 | 23.48% | 3,262 | 76.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 712 | 17.22% | 3,422 | 82.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 648 | 14.45% | 3,837 | 85.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 262 | 8.75% | 2,432 | 81.26% | 299 | 9.99% |
| 1944 | 243 | 9.33% | 2,362 | 90.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 159 | 6.64% | 2,235 | 93.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 138 | 8.57% | 1,471 | 91.37% | 1 | 0.06% |
| 1932 | 20 | 1.19% | 1,660 | 98.57% | 4 | 0.24% |
| 1928 | 221 | 23.46% | 721 | 76.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 37 | 6.37% | 484 | 83.30% | 60 | 10.33% |
| 1920 | 170 | 15.08% | 957 | 84.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 18 | 1.78% | 734 | 72.60% | 259 | 25.62% |
| 1912 | 7 | 1.19% | 445 | 75.42% | 138 | 23.39% |
Notable people
editSee also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Upson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ "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. 238. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
- ^ a b c Ripley, Joe (June 17, 2022). "Juneteenth in Georgia | Here's how enslaved people in the South learned they were freed". WXIA-TV. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "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. 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 December 14, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.