Elbert County, Georgia
Elbert County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,637.[1] The county seat is Elberton.[2] The county was established on December 10, 1790, and was named for Samuel Elbert.[3][4]
Geography
[edit | edit source]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 374 square miles (970 km2), of which 351 square miles (910 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (6.2%) is water.[5] The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.
The northern half of Elbert County, north of a line made by following State Route 17 from Bowman southeast to Elberton, and then following State Route 72 east to just before the South Carolina border, and then heading south along the shores of Lake Richard B. Russell & Clarkes Hill to the county's southeastern tip, is located in the Upper Savannah River sub-basin of the larger Savannah River basin. The portion of the county south of this line is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.[6]
Major highways
[edit | edit source]- File:Georgia 17.svg State Route 17
- File:Georgia 72.svg State Route 72
- File:Georgia 77.svg State Route 77
- File:Georgia 77 Connector.svg State Route 77 Connector
- File:Georgia 79.svg State Route 79
- File:Georgia 172.svg State Route 172
- File:Georgia 368.svg State Route 368
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- Anderson County, South Carolina (northeast)
- Abbeville County, South Carolina (east)
- McCormick County, South Carolina (southeast)
- Lincoln County (southeast)
- Wilkes County (south)
- Oglethorpe County (southwest)
- Madison County (west)
- Hart County (north)
Communities
[edit | edit source]Cities
[edit | edit source]Census-designated place
[edit | edit source]Unincorporated communities
[edit | edit source]Ghost town
[edit | edit source]Demographics
[edit | edit source]Racial and ethnic composition
[edit | edit source]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[7] | Pop 1990[8] | Pop 2000[9] | Pop 2010[10] | Pop 2020[11] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 12,855 | 13,058 | 13,505 | 12,956 | 12,610 | 68.53% | 68.91% | 65.84% | 64.25% | 64.22% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 5,681 | 5,702 | 6,305 | 5,906 | 5,253 | 30.29% | 30.09% | 30.74% | 29.29% | 26.75% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 13 | 8 | 39 | 37 | 26 | 0.07% | 0.04% | 0.19% | 0.18% | 0.13% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 21 | 45 | 50 | 121 | 182 | 0.11% | 0.24% | 0.24% | 0.60% | 0.93% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [12] | x [13] | 6 | 5 | 3 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 20 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 53 | 0.11% | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.07% | 0.27% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [14] | x [15] | 111 | 159 | 514 | x | x | 0.54% | 0.79% | 2.62% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 168 | 134 | 489 | 967 | 996 | 0.90% | 0.71% | 2.38% | 4.80% | 5.07% |
| Total | 18,758 | 18,949 | 20,511 | 20,166 | 19,637 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, there were 19,637 people and 5,065 families residing in the county.[16] The median age was 44.8 years; 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older.[16]
For every 100 females there were 91.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.3 males age 18 and over. 29.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 71.0% lived in rural areas.[16][17]
The racial makeup of the county was 65.3% White, 26.9% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.1% of the population.[18]
There were 8,016 households in the county, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[16]
There were 9,248 housing units, of which 13.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[16]
Judiciary and government
[edit | edit source] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2026) |
Elbert County is part of the Northern Judicial Circuit of Georgia, which also includes the counties of Hart, Franklin, Madison, and Oglethorpe. Elbert County's governing authority, the Elbert County Board of Commissioners, has five Commissioners elected in districts, a Chairperson elected County-wide, and an appointed County Administrator.
Politics
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020s, Elbert County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 71% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Elbert County is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Elbert County is part of District 24.[19] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Elbert County is part of district District 123.[20]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 13 | 1.15% | 882 | 77.85% | 238 | 21.01% |
| 1916 | 0 | 0.00% | 1,756 | 90.56% | 183 | 9.44% |
| 1920 | 187 | 13.04% | 1,247 | 86.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 72 | 5.59% | 1,024 | 79.56% | 191 | 14.84% |
| 1928 | 931 | 46.95% | 1,052 | 53.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 77 | 3.63% | 2,023 | 95.47% | 19 | 0.90% |
| 1936 | 438 | 19.62% | 1,772 | 79.39% | 22 | 0.99% |
| 1940 | 357 | 14.70% | 2,052 | 84.48% | 20 | 0.82% |
| 1944 | 370 | 19.11% | 1,564 | 80.79% | 2 | 0.10% |
| 1948 | 152 | 7.16% | 1,617 | 76.17% | 354 | 16.67% |
| 1952 | 552 | 14.41% | 3,279 | 85.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 447 | 10.95% | 3,635 | 89.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 609 | 14.23% | 3,672 | 85.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,887 | 37.30% | 3,172 | 62.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| "text-align:center;" Template:Party shading/American Independent |1968 | 914 | 16.98% | 1,216 | 22.59% | 3,252 | 60.42% |
| 1972 | 2,875 | 76.48% | 884 | 23.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 961 | 16.89% | 4,730 | 83.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,967 | 32.45% | 4,014 | 66.23% | 80 | 1.32% |
| 1984 | 3,366 | 55.77% | 2,670 | 44.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 2,796 | 56.77% | 2,118 | 43.01% | 11 | 0.22% |
| 1992 | 2,372 | 38.46% | 3,025 | 49.05% | 770 | 12.49% |
| 1996 | 2,393 | 40.86% | 2,900 | 49.51% | 564 | 9.63% |
| 2000 | 3,262 | 55.73% | 2,527 | 43.17% | 64 | 1.09% |
| 2004 | 4,626 | 60.33% | 2,984 | 38.91% | 58 | 0.76% |
| 2008 | 4,868 | 58.43% | 3,366 | 40.40% | 98 | 1.18% |
| 2012 | 4,859 | 59.58% | 3,181 | 39.00% | 116 | 1.42% |
| 2016 | 5,292 | 65.93% | 2,539 | 31.63% | 196 | 2.44% |
| 2020 | 6,226 | 67.85% | 2,879 | 31.38% | 71 | 0.77% |
| 2024 | 6,860 | 71.54% | 2,700 | 28.16% | 29 | 0.30% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot Template:U.S. SenHead Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenRow Template:U.S. SenFoot Template:G.A. GovHead Template:G.A. GovRow Template:G.A. GovFoot
Education
[edit | edit source]The Elbert County School District has six schools, including the Elbert County High School.
Historical and cultural sites
[edit | edit source] |
Historical and cultural sites in Elbert County include the Nancy Hart cabin, the Dan Tucker gravesite, the Stephen Heard Cemetery, the Petersburg Township site, Vans Creek Church, the Elbert County Courthouse, the Elberton Seaboard-Airline Depot, the Rock Gym, the Granite Bowl, the Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit, the Richard B. Russell Dam, the Elbert Theatre, Richard B. Russell State Park, and Bobby Brown Park. The Georgia Guidestones stood in Elbert County from 1980 until their destruction in 2022.
Notable people
[edit | edit source] |
- Warren Akin Sr., member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Confederate States Congress
- Milton Alexander, brigadier general during the Black Hawk War
- William J. Alston, U.S. House of Representatives, Alabama House of Representatives, and Alabama Senate
- Richard E. Banks, physician and surgeon
- William Barnett, U.S. House of Representatives
- William Augustus Bell, academic and president of Miles College
- Fred Bond Jr., tobacco industry representative and mayor Cary, North Carolina
- Nathaniel J. Hammond, United States House of Representatives and Georgia Attorney General
- Mecole Hardman, professional football player
- Derek Harper, professional basketball player
- Corra Mae Harris, journalist and war correspondent
- Sampson Willis Harris, U.S. House of Representatives and Georgia House of Representatives
- Nancy Hart, rebel heroine of the American Revolutionary War
- William Henry Heard, clergyman and diplomat
- R. H. Hunt, architect
- Mammy Kate, enslaved women
- Joseph Rucker Lamar, US Supreme Court justice
- Otis Leavill, R&B singer, songwriter and record company executive
- Daniel Parker, leader in the Primitive Baptist Church
- Charles Tait, United States Senator and a United States district judge
- Horace Tate, educator, activist, scholar, and politician
- Daniel Tucker, Methodist minister, farmer, and ferryman as well as a captain during the American Revolution
- Matthias Ward, lawyer and United States Senator from Texas.
- William J. White, civil rights leader, minister, educator, and journalist
- Thomas Simpson Woodward, brigadier general in the Georgia militia
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Census – Geography Profile: Elbert County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "Elbert County". georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 116.
- ↑ "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 18, 2015.
- ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Georgia - Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980 and Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 12-52. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2026 – via Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 15-65. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Elbert County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Elbert County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Elbert County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
- ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
- ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
- ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
External links
[edit | edit source]Template:Geographic Location Template:Elbert County, Georgia Template:Georgia (U.S. state) Coordinates: 34°07′N 82°50′W / 34.11°N 82.84°W