List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)
Encyclopedia
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Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
to deal with issues that are purely local in nature. Four consolidated city-counties have been established in Georgia: Athens
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
(Clarke County
Clarke County, Georgia
Clarke County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 101,489. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 114,063...
), Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
(Richmond County
Richmond County, Georgia
Richmond County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created February 5, 1777. As of 2010, the population was 200,549. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 199,486....
), Columbus
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
(Muscogee County
Muscogee County, Georgia
Muscogee County is a county located on the central western border of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population was 186,291. The 2009 Census Estimate shows a population of 190,414...
), and Cusseta
Cusseta, Georgia
Cusseta-Chattahoochee County is unified city-county in Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,196 at the 2000 Census..-History:...
(Chattahoochee County
Chattahoochee County, Georgia
Chattahoochee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on February 13, 1854. The 2000 Census reported a population of 14,882. The 2009 Census Estimate shows a population of 14,402. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area...
).
History
Georgia has the second highest number of counties of any state in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, next behind the geographically huge State of Texas, which has 254 counties (see List of counties in Texas). One traditional reasoning for the creation and location of counties was that a country farmer, rancher, etc., should be able to travel to the legal county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
town or city, and back home, in one day on horseback or via wagon. However, about 25 counties in Georgia have been created in the 20th century—after the use of the automobile, truck, and bus had become widespread. These 25 or so counties are generally thought of as having being created because of political reasons. The last new county to be established in Georgia was Peach County, established in 1924.
The proliferation of counties in Georgia led to multiple state constitutional amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
s attempting to establish a limit on the number of counties in the state. The most recent such amendment, adopted in 1945, limits the number to 159 counties, although there had been 161 counties there from 1924 to 1931. In a very rare consolidation of counties, both Campbell County
Campbell County, Georgia
Campbell County, Georgia was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1828 to 1931. It was created by the state legislature on December 20, 1828 from land taken from Fayette, Coweta, and Carroll counties, and from the half of DeKalb County which became Fulton County soon afterward. Georgia's...
and Milton County
Milton County, Georgia
Milton County was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1857 to 1931. It was created on December 18, 1857 from parts of northeastern Cobb, southeastern Cherokee, and southwestern Forsyth counties. The county was named for John Milton, Secretary of State of Georgia from 1777 to 1799...
were annexed to Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
in 1932 as a financial move during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Fulton County contains Atlanta, and it was thought that tax revenues from Atlanta and its (small) suburbs then would help to support the quite rural areas of the terminated counties, which had nearly no tax income of their own.
Changed names of counties in Georgia
A few counties in Georgia have had their names changed in the history of the state. Jasper CountyJasper County, Georgia
Jasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 11,426. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 13,660...
was originally named "Randolph County". Later on, the present-day Randolph County
Randolph County, Georgia
Randolph County is a county located in the US state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population is 7,791. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 7,294. The county seat is Cuthbert.-History:Randolph County is named after Virginian John Randolph....
was established. Webster County
Webster County, Georgia
Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2000 Census reflected a population of 2,390. The 2009 Census Estimate shows a population of 2,192. The county seat is Preston.-History:...
was once named "Kinchafoonee County", and Cass County was renamed Bartow County
Bartow County, Georgia
Bartow County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 100,157. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's July 1, 2009 estimate, the county's explosive growth resulted in a population of 96,217, a 26.5% increase in less than ten years...
.
Defunct counties in Georgia
- St. George, St. Mary's, St. Thomas, St. Phillip, Christ Church, St. David, St. Matthews, St. Andrew, St. James, St. Johns, and St. Paul Parishes. These were all dissolved in 1777, and other counties were established later on.
- Campbell CountyCampbell County, GeorgiaCampbell County, Georgia was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1828 to 1931. It was created by the state legislature on December 20, 1828 from land taken from Fayette, Coweta, and Carroll counties, and from the half of DeKalb County which became Fulton County soon afterward. Georgia's...
(1828–1932): Formed from CarrollCarroll County, GeorgiaCarroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 87,268. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 111,954...
and Coweta CountiesCoweta County, GeorgiaCoweta County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 89,215. The 2009 Census Estimate placed the population at 131,936...
in 1828, this was merged into Fulton County in 1932. - Milton CountyMilton County, GeorgiaMilton County was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1857 to 1931. It was created on December 18, 1857 from parts of northeastern Cobb, southeastern Cherokee, and southwestern Forsyth counties. The county was named for John Milton, Secretary of State of Georgia from 1777 to 1799...
(1857–1932): Formed from Cobb CountyCobb County, GeorgiaCobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
in 1857, this was merged into Fulton County in 1932.
In addition, there was a previous Walton County, Georgia, which was actually located in present-day North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. A brief skirmish, the so-called Walton War
Walton War
The Walton War was an 1810 boundary dispute between North Carolina and Georgia over a strip of land in present day Transylvania County, North Carolina. There were two major clashes between the two state's militias: the Battle of McGaha Branch and the Battle of Selica Hill. Both of these battles...
, was fought between North Carolina and Georgia before Georgia relinquished its claim on the area.
Counties listing
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External links
- Historical Atlas of Georgia Counties
- Article IX of the Constitution of Georgia, on counties and municipal corporations
- History of Walton County
- Walton War
- List of Digital Library of Georgia collections by county
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Historic Georgia County Maps in the collection of the Georgia Archives.