Bleckley County, Georgia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Bleckley County
U.S. county
Bleckley County Courthouse in Cochran
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	1912; 111 years ago (1912)
Named for	Logan Edwin Bleckley
Seat	Cochran
Largest city	Cochran
Area
• Total	219 sq mi (570 km²)
• Land	216 sq mi (560 km²)
• Water	3.3 sq mi (9 km²) 1.5%%
Population
• Estimate (2019)	12,873
• Density	61/sq mi (24/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th

Bleckley County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,063. The county seat is Cochran.

History
Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2010 census
- 2020 census
Communities
Education
See also

History

The county was named for Logan Edwin Bleckley, a soldier and Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The state constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on July 30, 1912, and ratified November 5, 1912. Bleckley County was formerly home to Middle Georgia College, the oldest two-year public college in the nation. In 2013 it merged with Macon State College to become Middle Georgia State University.

After making similar news in Mississippi, Bleckley County High School made news on March 2010 for allowing a same-sex couple to attend its senior prom, after another same-sex couple in Mississippi were denied attendance at another senior prom.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 219 square miles (570 km²), of which 216 square miles (560 km²) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) (1.5%) is water.

The eastern quarter of Bleckley County, roughly in a line from west of Danville running southeast, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The central quarter of the county, between Cochran and the previous line, is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The western half of the county, west of Cochran, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same larger Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

Interstate 16
U.S. Route 23
U.S. Route 23 Business
U.S. Route 129 Alternate
State Route 26
State Route 87
State Route 87 Business
State Route 112
State Route 126
State Route 257
State Route 278
State Route 404 (unsigned designation of I-16)

Adjacent counties

Wilkinson County - north
Twiggs County - north
Laurens County - east
Dodge County - southeast
Pulaski County - southwest
Houston County - west

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	10,532	—
1930	9,133	−13.3%
1940	9,655	5.7%
1950	9,218	−4.5%
1960	9,642	4.6%
1970	10,291	6.7%
1980	10,767	4.6%
1990	10,430	−3.1%
2000	11,666	11.9%
2010	13,063	12.0%
2019 (est.)	12,873	−1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,063 people, 4,660 households, and 3,248 families living in the county. The population density was 60.5 inhabitants per square mile (23.4/km²). There were 5,304 housing units at an average density of 24.6 per square mile (9.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.1% white, 27.3% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.8% were American, 7.9% were English, and 6.3% were Irish.

Of the 4,660 households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.3% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 35.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,661 and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $36,697 versus $26,691 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,960. About 18.0% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Bleckley County racial composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	8,867	70.47%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,788	22.16%
Native American	11	0.09%
Asian	153	1.22%
Pacific Islander	8	0.06%
Other/Mixed	287	2.28%
Hispanic or Latino	469	3.73%