Hancock County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hancock County
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Hancock County Courthouse and Confederate Monument in Sparta
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Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
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 Georgia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 17, 1793 |
| Named for | John Hancock |
| Seat | Sparta |
| Largest city | Sparta |
| Area | |
| • Total | 479 sq mi (1,240 km2) |
| • Land | 472 sq mi (1,220 km2) |
| • Water | 6.8 sq mi (18 km2) 1.4%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,735 |
| • Density | 19/sq mi (7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 10th |
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Hancock County is a county located in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a Founding Father of the American Revolution.
Contents
History
Before the Civil War, Hancock County was developed for cotton plantations, as international demand was high for the commodity. The land was developed and the cotton cultivated and processed by thousands of enslaved African Americans. This area is classified as part of the Black Belt of the United States, primarily due to its fertile soil. It was later also associated with the slave society. Enslaved persons made up 61% of the total county population in the 1850 Census. Unusually for such a plantation-dominated society, the county's representatives at the Georgia Secession Convention, who were overwhelmingly white and Democratic, voted against secession in 1861.
But the secession conventions were dominated by men who voted for separation, and Georgia soon seceded and entered the war.
After the war, the freed black population predominated by number in the county for decades. After emancipation and granting of citizenship and the franchise, most freedmen joined the Republican Party, which they credited with gaining their freedom. Conservative white Democrats resisted political domination by blacks, although they were outnumbered. In the later years of Reconstruction, whites used violence, intimidation and fraud to suppress black voting. In 1908 the white-dominated legislature passed an amendment that effectively disenfranchised most black voters and many poor whites ones.
Contemporary voting issues
According to the 2010 census estimate, the racial makeup of the county seat of Sparta was 84% African American, 15% White, 0.50% from two or more races, 0.30% Asian, and 0.10% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.
Since the late 20th century, most African Americans support the Democratic Party and conservative whites support the Republican Party.
In August 2015, the majority-white Hancock County Board of Elections initiated an effort to purge voters from the rolls. They directed deputy sheriffs to the homes of more than 180 black people residing in Sparta (these constituted some 20% of the city's total registered voters) to inform them they would lose their voting rights unless they appeared in court to prove their residency. A total of 53 voters were removed the voting rolls, but a federal judge overturned the Board's actions. It was asserted that these actions were racially based.
In 2021, the African-American elections superintendent for the City of Sparta was referred to the Georgia Secretary of State's Office for prosecution for allegedly imposing illegal requirements for candidates in the 2017 municipal election.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 479 square miles (1,240 km2), of which 472 square miles (1,220 km2) is land and 6.8 square miles (18 km2) (1.4%) is water.
The western portion of Hancock County, which is defined by a line running southeast from White Plains to the intersection of State Route 22 and Springfield Road, then running southwest along State Route 22, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The southern portion of the county, defined by a triangle made of State Route 22 and State Route 15, with Sparta at its apex, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of Hancock County is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.
Major highways
No Interstate Highway
State Route 248
State Route 15
State Route 16
State Route 22
State Route 77
Adjacent counties
- Taliaferro County - north
- Warren County - northeast
- Glascock County - east
- Washington County - southeast
- Baldwin County - southwest
- Putnam County - west
- Greene County - northwest
Communities
City
- Sparta (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 14,456 | — | |
| 1810 | 13,330 | −7.8% | |
| 1820 | 12,734 | −4.5% | |
| 1830 | 11,820 | −7.2% | |
| 1840 | 9,659 | −18.3% | |
| 1850 | 11,578 | 19.9% | |
| 1860 | 12,044 | 4.0% | |
| 1870 | 11,317 | −6.0% | |
| 1880 | 16,989 | 50.1% | |
| 1890 | 17,149 | 0.9% | |
| 1900 | 18,277 | 6.6% | |
| 1910 | 19,189 | 5.0% | |
| 1920 | 18,357 | −4.3% | |
| 1930 | 13,070 | −28.8% | |
| 1940 | 12,764 | −2.3% | |
| 1950 | 11,052 | −13.4% | |
| 1960 | 9,979 | −9.7% | |
| 1970 | 9,019 | −9.6% | |
| 1980 | 9,466 | 5.0% | |
| 1990 | 8,908 | −5.9% | |
| 2000 | 10,076 | 13.1% | |
| 2010 | 9,429 | −6.4% | |
| 2020 | 8,735 | −7.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 8,676 | −8.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020 |
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| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White alone (NH) | 2,141 | 2,212 | 2,413 | 21.25% | 23.46% | 27.62% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,820 | 6,959 | 6,025 | 77.61% | 73.80% | 68.98% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 16 | 21 | 23 | 0.16% | 0.22% | 0.26% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 9 | 47 | 37 | 0.09% | 0.50% | 0.42% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0.02% | 0.00% | 0.11% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 34 | 50 | 163 | 0.34% | 0.53% | 1.87% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 54 | 139 | 63 | 0.54% | 1.47% | 0.72% |
| Total | 10,076 | 9,429 | 8,735 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,735 people, 2,974 households, and 1,755 families residing in the county.
Notable people
- James Abercrombie, (1795–1861) was born in Hancock County.
- Amanda America Dickson was born in Hancock County.
- William Henry Harrison, state legislator from Hancock County.
- Harvey Grant, twin brother of Horace Grant.
- Horace Grant, twin brother of Harvey Grant.
- Thomas "Tommy" Jackson, "Hurricane" Jackson.
- Biddy Mason was born in Hancock county
- Hiram George Runnels wasborn in Hancock County.
- William Terrell, member of Georgia House of Representatives,representing Hancock County
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Hancock (Georgia) para niños
