Laurens County, Georgia Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Laurens County
U.S. county
Laurens County Courthouse in Dublin
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 10, 1807; 217 years ago (1807-12-10)
Named for	John Laurens
Seat	Dublin
Largest city	Dublin
Area
• Total	818 sq mi (2,120 km²)
• Land	807 sq mi (2,090 km²)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km²) 1.4%%
Population (2020)
• Total	49,570
• Density	60/sq mi (20/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th

Laurens County is a county in the middle part of Georgia. In 2020, about 49,570 people lived there. The main city and county seat is Dublin. Laurens County was started on December 10, 1807. It was named after John Laurens, a brave soldier and leader from South Carolina who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Laurens County is also part of the Dublin area. This means it's connected to Dublin for jobs and daily life.

History
Geography
- Major roads
- Neighboring counties
Communities
Population Data
- 2020 Census Information
Education
Notable people
See also

History

Laurens County was created on December 10, 1807. It was formed from parts of Wilkinson and Washington Counties.

In 1919, during a time called the Red Summer, there were some difficult times in the area. People had strong disagreements because of racial tensions. This led to events known as the Laurens County, Georgia race riot of 1919.

Geography

Laurens County covers a total area of about 818 square miles. Most of this, about 807 square miles, is land. The remaining 11 square miles (which is about 1.4%) is water. This makes Laurens County the third-largest county in Georgia by land area. It is also the fourth-largest by total area.

Most of Laurens County is in the Lower Oconee River area. This river flows into the larger Altamaha River. A small part of the county in the southwest is in the Little Ocmulgee River area, which also flows into the Altamaha River. There's also a tiny strip on the eastern side that is part of the Ohoopee River area, another part of the Altamaha River basin. The county also has several swampy areas, like Cow Hell Swamp, near the Oconee River.

Major roads

Many important roads pass through Laurens County. These roads help people travel and transport goods.

Interstate 16
U.S. Route 80
U.S. Route 319
U.S. Route 441
U.S. Route 441 Bypass (around Dublin)
State Route 19
State Route 26
State Route 29
State Route 31
State Route 46
State Route 86
State Route 117
State Route 126
State Route 199
State Route 257
State Route 278
State Route 338
State Route 404 (this is another name for I-16)

Neighboring counties

Laurens County shares borders with several other counties:

Johnson County – to the northeast
Treutlen County – to the east
Wheeler County – to the south
Dodge County – to the southwest
Bleckley County – to the west
Wilkinson County – to the northwest
Twiggs County – to the northwest

Communities

Laurens County has several towns and cities where people live.

Cities

Towns

Montrose

Rentz

Unincorporated communities

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or towns.

Alcorns
Alligood
Baston
Brewton
Catlin
Cedar Grove
Chappells Mill
Condor
Five Points
Five Points
Garretta
Harlow
Haskins Crossing
Holly Hills
Kewanee
Laurens Hill
Lollie
Lovett
Lowery
Midway
Minter
Moores
Nameless
Old Condor
Rockledge
Shewmake
Spring Hill
Tuckers Crossroad
Tweed
Vincent
Whipples Crossing

Ghost towns

These are places that used to be towns but are now empty.

Bender

Population Data

The population of Laurens County has changed over many years. This information comes from the U.S. Decennial Census, which counts people every ten years.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	2,210	—
1820	5,436	146.0%
1830	5,589	2.8%
1840	5,585	−0.1%
1850	6,442	15.3%
1860	6,998	8.6%
1870	7,834	11.9%
1880	10,053	28.3%
1890	13,747	36.7%
1900	25,908	88.5%
1910	35,501	37.0%
1920	39,605	11.6%
1930	32,693	−17.5%
1940	33,606	2.8%
1950	33,123	−1.4%
1960	32,313	−2.4%
1970	32,738	1.3%
1980	36,990	13.0%
1990	39,988	8.1%
2000	44,874	12.2%
2010	48,434	7.9%
2020	49,570	2.3%
2023 (est.)	49,941	3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020

2020 Census Information

The 2020 United States census counted 49,570 people living in Laurens County. There were 17,142 households and 11,549 families. The table below shows the different groups of people living in the county.

**Laurens County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	28,199	28,920	27,881	62.84%	59.71%	56.25%
Black or African American alone (NH)	15,417	17,268	18,219	34.36%	35.65%	36.75%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	80	87	80	0.18%	0.18%	0.16%
Asian alone (NH)	361	478	507	0.80%	0.99%	1.02%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	12	4	14	0.03%	0.01%	0.03%
Other race alone (NH)	44	41	141	0.10%	0.08%	0.28%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	232	493	1,304	0.52%	1.02%	2.63%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	529	1,143	1,424	1.18%	2.36%	2.87%
Total	44,874	48,434	49,570	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Education

The Laurens County School District is in charge of all the public schools in the county. They make sure students get a good education.

Notable people

Many interesting people have come from Laurens County:

Eugenia Tucker Fitzgerald: She started the very first secret society for women at a girls' college.
Karl Slover: He was one of the oldest living Munchkins from the famous movie Wizard of Oz (1939 film).
Demaryius Thomas: A well-known wide receiver who played for the Denver Broncos in American football.
Anthony Johnson: A skilled mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Laurens County, Georgia facts for kids

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