Calhoun County, Georgia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Calhoun County
U.S. county
Calhoun County Courthouse in Morgan
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	February 20, 1854; 170 years ago (1854)
Named for	John C. Calhoun
Seat	Morgan
Largest city	Morgan
Area
• Total	284 sq mi (740 km2)
• Land	280 sq mi (700 km2)
• Water	3.2 sq mi (8 km2)  1.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,573
• Density	20/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Calhoun County is a rural county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Morgan.

History

Calhoun County is named for John C. Calhoun, the seventh Vice President of the United States.

As the county seat, the city of Morgan boasts a historic Courthouse. Calhoun County hosts a single tri-colored traffic light, located in the city of Arlington, which also showcases north-south and east-west railroad tracks.

The County and its Cities hold several annual festivals. Still Pond Vineyard & Winery, a family-owned and operated Vineyard, bordering Baker County in southern region, hosts 3 festivals including a Bud Break Bash the first Saturday in April, a Grape Stomp the first Saturday in August, and a Holiday Festival the first Saturday in December. The city of Edison hosts the Billie Lane King Cotton Charity Horse Show the second Saturday of May. The city of Arlington hosts the oldest festival in Georgia, May Day, on the first Saturday of May and the city of Leary hosts the Leary Christmas Parade on the second Saturday in December. The city of Morgan holds the Harvest Festival the first Saturday in Morgan. Calhoun County is also proud to participate in the Southwest Georgia High Cotton 65-mile Yard Sale which takes place the second Saturday in November along Georgia Highway 37.

The largest locally governed employer in Calhoun County is the Hospital Authority of Calhoun County which operates 5 health care facilities including Calhoun Memorial Hospital, Calhoun Nursing Home, R.E. Jennings Medical Clinic, Willowood Assisted Living Facility and Calhoun Rehabilitation Services. Calhoun Memorial Hospital is located alongside Jennings Medical Clinic and Calhoun Rehab Services on RE Jennings Avenue in Arlington. The hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital that was founded as a Hill-Burton hospital in 1951. Jennings Medical Clinic hosts 2 physicians and 2 mid-level providers, alongside qualified support staff, for routine primary care practice. Calhoun Nursing Home, a 60-bed long-term care facility, and Willowood Assisted Living, a 15-bed personal care home fostering secure independence for Seniors, are located in Edison.

Calhoun County Elementary School is located in Arlington and Calhoun County Middle & High School is located in Edison, as well as the Calhoun County Library. Calhoun State Prison is located in Morgan and the city of Leary has two peanut buying points. Large farms and Quail Hunting Plantations decorate the pastoral landscape and complete scenic roadways in this rural Georgia community. Calhoun County proudly supports agriculture as the local lifeblood industry.

In 2008, SGRITA was founded in Arlington. The firm is a wireless broadband service that is being developed through grant participation to serve the greater Southwest Georgia area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 284 square miles (740 km²), of which 280 square miles (730 km²) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) (1.1%) is water.

The vast majority of Calhoun County is located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The county's western and southwestern corner, from Arlington running northwest to west of Edison, is located in the Spring Creek sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin.

Major highways

• State Route 37
• State Route 41
• State Route 45
• State Route 55
• State Route 62
• State Route 216
• State Route 234

Adjacent counties

• Terrell County (northeast)
• Dougherty County (east)
• Baker County (southeast)
• Early County (southwest)
• Clay County (west)
• Randolph County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,573 people, 1,736 households, and 1,152 families residing in the county. Of these people, 4.0% were under 5 years old, 16.9% were under 18, and 16.6% were 65 or over. The population was 39.3% female. The foreign-born population was 4.1% of the total. Of residents aged 5 or older, 7.7% spoke a language other than English at home.

There were 1,736 households. The average household size was 2.56. The county had 2,406 housing units, of which 65.6% were owner-occupied.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 6,694 people, 2,002 households, and 1,292 families living in the county. The population density was 23.9 inhabitants per square mile (9.2/km²). There were 2,409 housing units at an average density of 8.6 per square mile (3.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.3% black or African American, 34.7% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Pacific islander, 0.1% American Indian, 2.1% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 7.3% were American, and 6.3% were Irish.

Of the 2,002 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.2% were married couples living together, 22.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.5% were non-families, and 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 38.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,522 and the median income for a family was $37,309. Males had a median income of $27,096 versus $20,845 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,452. About 20.3% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.0% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Arlington
• Edison
• Leary
• Morgan

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

• Oothcaloga

Economy

Many farms in Calhoun County grow corn, oats, sorghum, and wheat. Still Pond Vineyard Winery & Distillery produces moonshine, vodka, brandy, whisky, and 19 varieties of muscadine wine.

Calhoun State Prison in Morgan is a major employer. Calhoun Nursing Home, a 60-bed long-term care facility in Edison, is now operated by Miller County. Willowood Personal Care Home is an assisted-living facility, also in Edison.

Education

The Calhoun County School District has an elementary school in Arlington and a middle-high school in Edison. The district has about 530 students.

Pataula Charter Academy opened in 2010 in Edison as a tuition-free public charter school serving several counties in southwest Georgia. It has about 609 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The Calhoun County Library in Edison is part of the Kinchafoonee Regional Library System.

Transportation

Major highways

• State Route 37
• State Route 41
• State Route 45
• State Route 55
• State Route 62
• State Route 216
• State Route 234

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Calhoun (Georgia) para niños