List of counties in Georgia (U.S facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Counties of Georgia |
|
---|---|
Location | State of Georgia |
Number | 159 |
Populations | 1,680 (Taliaferro) – 1,010,562 (Fulton) |
Areas | 121 square miles (310 km2) (Clarke) – 903 square miles (2,340 km2) (Ware) |
Government | County government |
Subdivisions | Cities, towns, unincorporated communities, census designated place |
The U.S. State of Georgia is divided into 159 counties, more than any other state except for Texas, which has 254 counties. Under the Georgia State Constitution, all of its counties are granted home rule to deal with problems that are purely local in nature. Also, eight consolidated city-counties have been established in Georgia: Athens–Clarke County, Augusta–Richmond County, Columbus–Muscogee County, Georgetown–Quitman County, Statenville–Echols County, Macon–Bibb County, Cusseta–Chattahoochee County, and Preston-Webster County.
Contents
History
From 1732 until 1758, the minor civil divisions were districts and towns. In 1758, the Province of Georgia was divided into eight parishes, and another four parishes were partitioned in 1765; in 1777, the original eight counties of the state were created. These were Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Richmond and Wilkes, all created on February 5, 1777.
Georgia has the second largest number of counties of any state in the United States, following Texas, which has 254 counties. One traditional reasoning for the creation and location of so many counties in Georgia was that a country farmer, rancher, or lumberman should be able to travel to the legal county seat town or city, and then back home, in one day on horseback or via wagon. However, about 25 counties in Georgia were created in the first quarter of the 20th century, after the use of the railroad, automobile, truck, and bus had become possible. 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 amendments attempting to establish a limit on the number of counties in the state. The most recent such amendment, ratified in 1945, limited the number to 159 counties, although there had been 161 counties from 1924 to 1931. In a very rare consolidation of counties, both Campbell County and Milton County were annexed into Fulton County in 1932 as a financial move during the Great Depression, since those two county governments were nearly bankrupt.
Fulton County contains Atlanta, and it was thought that tax revenues from Atlanta and its suburbs would help to support the rural areas of the discarded counties, which had very little tax income of their own—mostly from property taxes on farms and forests, which did not amount to much.
Georgia is the only state which still allows sole commissioner county government. Currently only nine of the state's 159 counties operate under that system.
Changed names of counties in Georgia
A few counties in Georgia have had their names changed. Jasper County was originally named "Randolph County". Later, the present-day Randolph County was founded. Webster County was once named "Kinchafoonee County", and the former Cass County was renamed Bartow County.
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 were all dissolved in 1777 with the establishment of the charter counties.
- Campbell (1828 – 1932): Formed from Carroll and Coweta in 1828, half northwest of Chattahoochee River became Douglas in 1870, remainder was merged into southwest Fulton in 1932.
- Milton (1857 – 1932): Formed from northeast Cobb, southeast Cherokee, and southwest Forsyth in 1857 (and later northern DeKalb), was merged into north Fulton in 1932.
There was a previous Walton County in Georgia, which was actually located in what is now western North Carolina. A brief skirmish, the so-called Walton War, was fought between North Carolina and Georgia in 1810, before Georgia relinquished its claim on that area after the 1811 survey of Ellicott Rock.
Fictional counties
Film
- Deliverance (1972) is set in a North Georgia county marked on the sheriff's car as Aintry.
- Diggstown (1992) takes place in the fictional Olivera County.
- Ghost Fever (1987) takes place in the county of Greendale, likely inspired by Greene County.
Television
- The Dukes of Hazzard (1979 - 1985) takes place in Hazzard County, Georgia.
- The Following's (2013 – 2015) season one episode, "Let Me Go", mentions moving Joe Carroll to the Jesup County Federal Correctional Facility. Although there is an existing town named Jesup, it is located in Wayne County.
- The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (1979 - 1981) takes place in Orly County, Georgia.
- Rectify (2013–present), the SundanceTV original series, takes place in Paulie County, Georgia.
- Squidbillies (2005 – present), an animated Adult Swim series about anthropomorphic cephalopods, is set in rural Dougal County (a possible reference to Douglas County) in the hills of North Georgia.
- The Walking Dead (2010 – present) names three fictional counties in Georgia: King, Linden, and Mert County.
Theatre
- The Foreigner (1983), a play by Larry Shue, takes place in Tilghman County, Georgia.
Counties listing
County |
FIPS code | County seat | Established | Origin | Etymology | Density |
Population | Area | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appling County | 001 | Baxley | 1818 | Land ceded by the Creek Indians in the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814 and the Treaty of the Creek Agency in 1818 | Colonel Daniel Appling (1787 – 1818), a hero of the War of 1812 | 36.09 | 18,368 | ( 1,318 km2) |
509 sq mi|
Atkinson County | 003 | Pearson | 1917 | Clinch and Coffee Counties | William Yates Atkinson (1854 – 99), governor of Georgia (1894 – 98) and speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives | 24.51 | 8,284 | ( 875 km2) |
338 sq mi|
Bacon County | 005 | Alma | 1914 | Appling, Pierce and Ware Counties | Augustus Octavius Bacon (1839 – 1914), U.S. Senator (1895 – 1914); President pro tempore of the United States Senate | 39.29 | 11,198 | ( 738 km2) |
285 sq mi|
Baker County | 007 | Newton | 1825 | Early County | Colonel John Baker (died 1792), a hero of the American Revolutionary War | 9.81 | 3,366 | ( 888 km2) |
343 sq mi|
Baldwin County | 009 | Milledgeville | 1803 | Creek cessions of 1802 and 1805 | Abraham Baldwin (1754 – 1807), a Founding Father; U.S. Senator (1799 – 1807); one of the Georgia delegates who signed the U.S. Constitution | 179.72 | 46,367 | ( 668 km2) |
258 sq mi|
Banks County | 011 | Homer | 1859 | Franklin and Habersham Counties | Dr. Richard Banks (1784 – 1850), local physician noted for treating natives with smallpox | 78.27 | 18,316 | ( 606 km2) |
234 sq mi|
Barrow County | 013 | Winder | 1914 | Gwinnett, Jackson and Walton counties | "Uncle Dave" David Crenshaw Barrow Jr. (1852 – 1929), chancellor of the University of Georgia (1906 – 29) | 433.14 | 70,169 | ( 420 km2) |
162 sq mi|
Bartow County | 015 | Cartersville | 1832 | Created from a portion of Cherokee County in 1832 and originally called Cass County after General Lewis Cass | General Francis S. Bartow (1816 – 61), Confederate political leader; first Confederate general killed in the American Civil War | 218.83 | 100,661 | ( 1,191 km2) |
460 sq mi|
Ben Hill County | 017 | Fitzgerald | 1906 | Irwin and Wilcox counties | Benjamin Harvey Hill (1823 – 82), U.S. Senator (1877 – 82) | 69.60 | 17,538 | ( 653 km2) |
252 sq mi|
Berrien County | 019 | Nashville | 1856 | Coffee, Irwin, and Lowndes counties | John MacPherson Berrien (1781 – 1856), U.S. Senator; U.S. Attorney General | 42.13 | 19,041 | ( 1,171 km2) |
452 sq mi|
Bibb County | 021 | Macon | 1822 | portions of Houston, Jones, Monroe, and Twiggs counties | Dr. William Wyatt Bibb (1780 – 1820), first Governor of Alabama; U.S. Senator | 625.85 | 156,462 | ( 647 km2) |
250 sq mi|
Bleckley County | 023 | Cochran | 1912 | Pulaski County | Logan Edwin Bleckley (1827 – 1907), Georgia State Supreme Court Chief Justice | 59.51 | 12,913 | ( 562 km2) |
217 sq mi|
Brantley County | 025 | Nahunta | 1920 | Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne counties | William Gordon Brantley (1860 – 1934), U.S. Congressman | 41.86 | 18,587 | ( 1,150 km2) |
444 sq mi|
Brooks County | 027 | Quitman | 1858 | Lowndes and Thomas counties | Captain Preston S. Brooks (1819 – 57), a hero of the Mexican–American War; Congressman from South Carolina | 31.18 | 15,403 | ( 1,279 km2) |
494 sq mi|
Bryan County | 029 | Pembroke | 1793 | Chatham County | Jonathan Bryan (1708 – 88), colonial settler; famous state representative | 72.88 | 32,214 | ( 1,145 km2) |
442 sq mi|
Bulloch County | 031 | Statesboro | 1796 | Bryan and Screven Counties | Archibald Bulloch (1729 – 77), Revolutionary War soldier; Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives; acting governor of Georgia (1775 – 77) | 106.43 | 72,694 | ( 1,769 km2) |
683 sq mi|
Burke County | 033 | Waynesboro | 1777 | Originally organized as St George Parish | Edmund Burke (1729 – 97), British political philosopher and Member of Parliament who was sympathetic to the cause of US independence | 27.83 | 23,125 | ( 2,152 km2) |
831 sq mi|
Butts County | 035 | Jackson | 1825 | Henry and Monroe counties | Captain Samuel Butts (1777 – 1814), a hero of the Creek War | 125.80 | 23,524 | ( 484 km2) |
187 sq mi|
Calhoun County | 037 | Morgan | 1854 | Early and Baker counties | John C. Calhoun (1782 – 1850), U.S. Congressman; U.S. Senator; Vice President of the United States from South Carolina | 23.23 | 6,504 | ( 725 km2) |
280 sq mi|
Camden County | 039 | Woodbine | 1777 | St Mary and St Thomas Parishes | Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden (1714 – 94), Lord Chancellor of Great Britain who was sympathetic to the cause of the Revolution | 81.59 | 51,402 | ( 1,632 km2) |
630 sq mi|
Candler County | 043 | Metter | 1914 | Bulloch, Emanuel and Tattnall counties | Allen Daniel Candler (1834 – 1910), state legislator; U.S. Congressman; Governor of Georgia (1898 – 1902) | 45.01 | 11,117 | ( 640 km2) |
247 sq mi|
Carroll County | 045 | Carrollton | 1826 | Created by the state legislature from lands ceded by the Creek Indians in 1825 in the Treaty of Indian Springs | Charles Carroll (1737 – 1832), the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence | 223.61 | 111,580 | ( 1,292 km2) |
499 sq mi|
Catoosa County | 047 | Ringgold | 1853 | Walker and Whitfield counties | Chief Catoosa, a Cherokee chief | 401.52 | 65,046 | ( 420 km2) |
162 sq mi|
Charlton County | 049 | Folkston | 1854 | Camden County | Robert Milledge Charlton (1807 – 54), jurist; U.S. Senator (1852 – 54); mayor of Savannah | 17.02 | 13,295 | ( 2,023 km2) |
781 sq mi|
Chatham County | 051 | Savannah | 1777 | Christ Church and St Philip Parishes | William Pitt, Earl of Chatham (1708 – 78), British Prime Minister sympathetic to the Revolutionary cause | 628.26 | 276,434 | ( 1,140 km2) |
440 sq mi|
Chattahoochee County | 053 | Cusseta | 1854 | Muscogee and Marion counties | Chattahoochee River, which forms the county's (and the state's) western border | 52.36 | 13,037 | ( 645 km2) |
249 sq mi|
Chattooga County | 055 | Summerville | 1838 | Walker and Floyd counties | Chattooga River | 81.93 | 25,725 | ( 813 km2) |
314 sq mi|
Cherokee County | 057 | Canton | 1831 | Cherokee Cession of 1831 | Cherokee Nation, which controlled this part of the state autonomously until 1831 | 521.97 | 221,315 | ( 1,098 km2) |
424 sq mi|
Clarke County | 059 | Athens | 1801 | Jackson County | Elijah Clarke (1733 – 99), a Revolutionary War hero | 993.93 | 120,266 | ( 313 km2) |
121 sq mi|
Clay County | 061 | Fort Gaines | 1854 | Randolph and Early counties | Henry Clay (1777 – 1852), Secretary of State; Speaker of the House of Representatives; U.S. Senator from Kentucky | 15.98 | 3,116 | ( 505 km2) |
195 sq mi|
Clayton County | 063 | Jonesboro | 1858 | Fayette and Henry counties | Augustin Smith Clayton (1783 – 1839), a local jurist and U.S. Congressman | 1,859.36 | 265,888 | ( 370 km2) |
143 sq mi|
Clinch County | 065 | Homerville | 1850 | Lowndes and Ware counties | General Duncan Lamont Clinch (1784 – 1849), a hero of the War of 1812 and the Seminole War; U.S. Congressman | 8.30 | 6,718 | ( 2,095 km2) |
809 sq mi|
Cobb County | 067 | Marietta | 1832 | Cherokee County | Colonel Thomas Willis Cobb (1784 – 1835), a hero of the War of 1812; U.S. Congressman | 2,080.71 | 707,442 | ( 881 km2) |
340 sq mi|
Coffee County | 069 | Douglas | 1854 | Clinch, Irwin, Telfair and Ware counties | General John E. Coffee (1782 – 1836), a hero of the War of 1812 | 72.07 | 43,170 | ( 1,551 km2) |
599 sq mi|
Colquitt County | 071 | Moultrie | 1856 | Thomas and Lowndes counties | Walter Terry Colquitt (1799 – 1855), Methodist pastor; U.S. Senator | 83.58 | 46,137 | ( 1,430 km2) |
552 sq mi|
Columbia County | 073 | Appling (de jure) and Evans (de facto) | 1790 | Richmond County | Christopher Columbus (1446 – 1506), explorer | 453.89 | 131,627 | ( 751 km2) |
290 sq mi|
Cook County | 075 | Adel | 1918 | Berrien County | General Philip Cook (1817 – 94), Confederate general; secretary of state | 73.90 | 16,923 | ( 593 km2) |
229 sq mi|
Coweta County | 077 | Newnan | 1826 | Created on Creek lands ceded in 1825 in the treaty of Indian Springs and Creek Cessions of 1826 | Coweta tribe of the Creek Nation and their village near Columbus | 295.55 | 130,929 | ( 1,147 km2) |
443 sq mi|
Crawford County | 079 | Knoxville | 1822 | Houston County | William Harris Crawford (1772 – 1834), U.S. Senator; ambassador to France; Secretary of the Treasury | 38.77 | 12,600 | ( 842 km2) |
325 sq mi|
Crisp County | 081 | Cordele | 1905 | Dooly County | Charles Frederick Crisp (1845 – 96), Speaker of the House of Representatives | 86.15 | 23,606 | ( 710 km2) |
274 sq mi|
Dade County | 083 | Trenton | 1837 | Walker County | Major Francis L. Dade (1793 – 1835), a hero of the Seminole War | 94.77 | 16,490 | ( 451 km2) |
174 sq mi|
Dawson County | 085 | Dawsonville | 1857 | Gilmer and Lumpkin counties | William Crosby Dawson (1798 – 1857), U.S. Senator (1849 – 55); state legislator | 206.27 | 22,422 | ( 546 km2) |
211 sq mi|
Decatur County | 087 | Bainbridge | 1823 | Early County | Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779 – 1820), a naval hero of the actions against the Barbary Pirates in the early 19th century | 46.08 | 27,509 | ( 1,546 km2) |
597 sq mi|
DeKalb County | 089 | Decatur | 1822 | Henry, Gwinnett, and Fayette counties | "Baron" Johann DeKalb (1721 – 80) a German who accompanied Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, and was inspector general of the Colonial Army | 2,638.39 | 707,089 | ( 694 km2) |
268 sq mi|
Dodge County | 091 | Eastman | 1870 | Montgomery, Pulaski and Telfair counties | William Earle Dodge (1805 – 1883), temperance leader; businessman from New York; a co-founder of Phelps, Dodge, and Company, a mining and metals company | 42.57 | 21,329 | ( 1,298 km2) |
501 sq mi|
Dooly County | 093 | Vienna | 1821 | Creek Cession of 1821 | Colonel John Dooly (1740 – 80), a hero of the American Revolution | 36.43 | 14,318 | ( 1,018 km2) |
393 sq mi|
Dougherty County | 095 | Albany | 1853 | Baker County | Charles Dougherty (1801 – 53), judge from Athens, Georgia | 286.37 | 94,501 | ( 855 km2) |
330 sq mi|
Douglas County | 097 | Douglasville | 1870 | Campbell and Carroll counties | Stephen Arnold Douglas (1813 – 61), an Illinois Democratic Congressman who ran against Abraham Lincoln in the United States presidential election, 1860 and lost | 673.22 | 133,971 | ( 515 km2) |
199 sq mi|
Early County | 099 | Blakely | 1818 | Creek Cession of 1814 | Peter Early (1773 – 1817), tenth governor of Georgia | 20.73 | 10,594 | ( 1,323 km2) |
511 sq mi|
Echols County | 101 | Statenville | 1858 | Clinch and Lowndes Counties | General Robert M. Echols (1798 – 1847), a state legislator and a hero of the Mexican-American War | 9.87 | 3,988 | ( 1,046 km2) |
404 sq mi|
Effingham County | 103 | Springfield | 1777 | St Mathew and St Philip Parishes | Thomas Howard, Earl of Effingham (1746–1791), who was sympathetic with the independence movement | 111.03 | 53,293 | ( 1,243 km2) |
480 sq mi|
Elbert County | 105 | Elberton | 1790 | Wilkes County | Samuel Elbert (1740 – 88), a general in the Revolutionary War; became the governor of Georgia in 1785 | 53.34 | 19,684 | ( 956 km2) |
369 sq mi|
Emanuel County | 107 | Swainsboro | 1812 | Bulloch and Montgomery Counties | Colonel David Emanuel (1744 – 1808), became the governor of Georgia in 1801 | 33.38 | 22,898 | ( 1,777 km2) |
686 sq mi|
Evans County | 109 | Claxton | 1914 | Bulloch and Tattnall County | General Clement Anselm Evans (1832 – 1911), a hero of the American Civil War; the commander in chief of the United Confederate Veterans | 57.78 | 10,689 | ( 479 km2) |
185 sq mi|
Fannin County | 111 | Blue Ridge | 1854 | Gilmer and Union Counties | Colonel James Walker Fannin Jr. (1809 – 36), a hero of the Texas Revolution | 60.86 | 23,492 | ( 1,000 km2) |
386 sq mi|
Fayette County | 113 | Fayetteville | 1821 | Creek Cession of 1821 | Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette (1757 – 1834), a French hero of the Revolutionary War | 545.81 | 107,524 | ( 510 km2) |
197 sq mi|
Floyd County | 115 | Rome | 1832 | Cherokee County | General John Floyd (1769 – 1839), soldier, U.S. Congressman | 187.48 | 96,177 | ( 1,329 km2) |
513 sq mi|
Forsyth County | 117 | Cumming | 1832 | Cherokee County | John Forsyth (1780 – 1841), Secretary of State under President Martin Van Buren | 831.54 | 187,928 | ( 585 km2) |
226 sq mi|
Franklin County | 119 | Carnesville | 1784 | Cherokee and Creek Cessions of 1783 | Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), writer, inventor, publisher, and a Founding Father of the United States | 83.25 | 21,894 | ( 681 km2) |
263 sq mi|
Fulton County | 121 | Atlanta | 1853 | DeKalb County + the former Campbell and Milton Counties and a portion of Cobb County | Robert Fulton, an engineer and the inventor of the steamboat. | 1,848.34 | 977,773 | ( 1,370 km2) |
529 sq mi|
Gilmer County | 123 | Ellijay | 1832 | Cherokee County | George Rockingham Gilmer (1780 – 1859), 16th governor of Georgia | 66.02 | 28,190 | ( 1,106 km2) |
427 sq mi|
Glascock County | 125 | Gibson | 1857 | Warren County | General Thomas Glascock (1780 – 1841), a hero of the War of 1812 and the Seminole War of 1817; U.S. Congressman | 21.82 | 3,142 | ( 373 km2) |
144 sq mi|
Glynn County | 127 | Brunswick | 1777 | St David and St Patrick Parishes | John Glynn (1722 – 79), British Member of Parliament and Serjeant-at-law, who was sympathetic with the cause of American independence | 192.00 | 81,022 | ( 1,093 km2) |
422 sq mi|
Gordon County | 129 | Calhoun | 1850 | Cass (now Bartow) and Floyd Counties | William Washington Gordon (1796–1842), first president of the Central of Georgia Railroad | 157.09 | 55,766 | ( 919 km2) |
355 sq mi|
Grady County | 131 | Cairo | 1905 | Decatur and Thomas Counties | Henry Woodfin Grady (1850 – 89), orator; managing editor of the Atlanta Constitution | 55.55 | 25,440 | ( 1,186 km2) |
458 sq mi|
Greene County | 133 | Greensboro | 1786 | Washington County | General Nathanael Greene (1742 – 86), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 41.47 | 16,092 | ( 1,005 km2) |
388 sq mi|
Gwinnett County | 135 | Lawrenceville | 1818 | Cherokee Cession of 1817 and Creek Cession of 1818 | Button Gwinnett (1735–1777), one of Georgia's delegates to the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence | 1,944.68 | 842,046 | ( 1,121 km2) |
433 sq mi|
Habersham County | 137 | Clarkesville | 1818 | Cherokee Cessions of 1817 and 1819 | Colonel Joseph Habersham (1751 – 1815), a hero of the Revolutionary War; U.S. Postmaster General in the Cabinet of George Washington | 156.55 | 43,520 | ( 720 km2) |
278 sq mi|
Hall County | 139 | Gainesville | 1818 | Cherokee Cessions of 1817 and 1819 | Dr. Lyman Hall (1724 – 90), one of Georgia's delegates to the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence; became the governor of Georgia in 1783 | 470.60 | 185,416 | ( 1,020 km2) |
394 sq mi|
Hancock County | 141 | Sparta | 1793 | Greene and Washington counties | John Hancock (1737 – 93), President of the Continental Congress; first signer of the Declaration of Independence | 19.02 | 8,996 | ( 1,225 km2) |
473 sq mi|
Haralson County | 143 | Buchanan | 1856 | Carroll and Polk Counties | General Hugh Anderson Haralson (1805 – 54), U.S. Congressman | 100.71 | 28,400 | ( 730 km2) |
282 sq mi|
Harris County | 145 | Hamilton | 1827 | Muscogee and Troup counties | Charles Harris (1772 – 1827), prominent attorney from Savannah | 70.15 | 32,550 | ( 1,202 km2) |
464 sq mi|
Hart County | 147 | Hartwell | 1853 | Elbert and Franklin counties | Nancy Morgan Hart (1735 – 1830), a heroine of the Revolutionary War | 110.00 | 25,518 | ( 601 km2) |
232 sq mi|
Heard County | 149 | Franklin | 1830 | Carroll, Coweta and Troup Counties | Stephen Heard (1740 – 1815), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 39.30 | 11,633 | ( 767 km2) |
296 sq mi|
Henry County | 151 | McDonough | 1821 | Creek Cession of 1821 | Patrick Henry (1736 – 99), prominent lawyer, orator, and a Founding Father of the United States | 647.22 | 209,053 | ( 837 km2) |
323 sq mi|
Houston County | 153 | Perry | 1821 | Creek Cession of 1821 | John Houstoun (1744–1796), member of the Continental Congress; became governor of Georgia in 1778 | 387.63 | 146,136 | ( 976 km2) |
377 sq mi|
Irwin County | 155 | Ocilla | 1818 | Creek Cessions of 1814 and 1818 | Jared Irwin (1751 – 1818), the governor who rescinded the Yazoo Act in 1796 | 26.89 | 9,600 | ( 925 km2) |
357 sq mi|
Jackson County | 157 | Jefferson | 1796 | Franklin County | General James Jackson (1757 – 1806), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 177.11 | 60,571 | ( 886 km2) |
342 sq mi|
Jasper County | 159 | Monticello | 1807 | Baldwin (FKA Randolph County 1807 – 12) | Sergeant William Jasper (1750–1779), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 36.84 | 13,630 | ( 958 km2) |
370 sq mi|
Jeff Davis County | 161 | Hazlehurst | 1905 | Appling and Coffee counties | Jefferson Davis (1808 – 89), the first and only President of the Confederate States of America | 45.51 | 15,156 | ( 862 km2) |
333 sq mi|
Jefferson County | 163 | Louisville | 1796 | Burke and Warren Counties | Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826), third President of the United States | 31.12 | 16,432 | ( 1,368 km2) |
528 sq mi|
Jenkins County | 165 | Millen | 1905 | Bulloch, Burke, Emanuel, and Screven Counties | Charles Jones Jenkins (1805 – 83), governor of Georgia, who was the author of the famous Georgia Platform of 1850 | 26.32 | 9,213 | ( 906 km2) |
350 sq mi|
Johnson County | 167 | Wrightsville | 1858 | Emanuel, Laurens and Washington counties | Herschel Vespasian Johnson (1812 – 80), U.S. Senator; Governor of Georgia | 32.56 | 9,897 | ( 787 km2) |
304 sq mi|
Jones County | 169 | Gray | 1807 | Baldwin County | James Jones (1769 – 1801), U.S. Congressman | 72.53 | 28,577 | ( 1,020 km2) |
394 sq mi|
Lamar County | 171 | Barnesville | 1920 | Monroe and Pike Counties | Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (1825 – 93), U.S. Senator; Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court | 97.61 | 18,057 | ( 479 km2) |
185 sq mi
{{Countyrow|N=13|Num=173| Name=Lanier| Seat=Lakeland| Data2=1920| Data3=Berrien, Clinch and Lowndes Countries |Data4=Sidney Lanier (1842–1881), attorney, linguist, mathematician, |
Laurens County | 175 | Dublin | 1807 | Wilkinson County | Colonel John Laurens (1754 – 82), aide to George Washington during the Revolutionary War | 59.09 | 48,041 | ( 2,106 km2) |
813 sq mi|
Lee County | 177 | Leesburg | 1826 | Creek Cessions of 1826 | General Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 80.75 | 28,746 | ( 922 km2) |
356 sq mi|
Liberty County | 179 | Hinesville | 1777 | St Andrew, St James, and St John Parishes | Named in honor of the noted patriotism of the citizens of Midway in their support of the cause of colonial independence | 126.15 | 65,471 | ( 1,344 km2) |
519 sq mi|
Lincoln County | 181 | Lincolnton | 1796 | Wilkes County | General Benjamin Lincoln (1733 – 1810), a hero of the Revolutionary War; was later assigned to the suppression of Shays' Rebellion | 36.67 | 7,737 | ( 546 km2) |
211 sq mi|
Long County | 183 | Ludowici | 1920 | Liberty County | Dr. Crawford Williamson Long (1815 – 78), in 1842 the first man to use diethyl ether as an anesthetic for dental surgery | 40.02 | 16,048 | ( 1,039 km2) |
401 sq mi|
Lowndes County | 185 | Valdosta | 1825 | Irwin County | William Jones Lowndes (1782 – 1822), prominent figure in the affairs of South Carolina throughout the formative years of the United States | 227.29 | 114,552 | ( 1,305 km2) |
504 sq mi|
Lumpkin County | 187 | Dahlonega | 1832 | Cherokee, Habersham, and Hall Counties | Wilson Lumpkin (1783 – 1870), Governor of Georgia; U.S. Senator | 107.79 | 30,611 | ( 736 km2) |
284 sq mi|
Macon County | 193 | Oglethorpe | 1837 | Houston and Marion Counties | General Nathaniel Macon (1758 – 1837), Speaker of the House of Representatives; U.S. Senator | 35.39 | 14,263 | ( 1,044 km2) |
403 sq mi|
Madison County | 195 | Danielsville | 1811 | Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Jackson and Oglethorpe Counties | James Madison (1751 – 1836), fourth President of the United States; chief writer of the U.S. Constitution | 98.32 | 27,922 | ( 736 km2) |
284 sq mi|
Marion County | 197 | Buena Vista | 1827 | Lee and Muscogee Counties | General Francis Marion (1732 – 95), the "Swamp Fox"; a hero of the Revolutionary War | 23.74 | 8,711 | ( 951 km2) |
367 sq mi|
McDuffie County | 189 | Thomson | 1870 | Columbia and Warren | George McDuffie (1790 – 1851), orator and governor of South Carolina | 83.32 | 21,663 | ( 673 km2) |
260 sq mi|
McIntosh County | 191 | Darien | 1793 | Liberty County | General Lachlan McIntosh (1727 – 1806), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 31.89 | 13,839 | ( 1,124 km2) |
434 sq mi|
Meriwether County | 199 | Greenville | 1827 | Formed from Troup County | General David Meriwether (1755 – 1822), a hero of the Revolutionary War; U.S. Congressman | 42.29 | 21,273 | ( 1,303 km2) |
503 sq mi|
Miller County | 201 | Colquitt | 1856 | Baker and Early Counties | Andrew Jackson Miller (1806 – 56), president of the Medical College of Georgia | 21.09 | 5,969 | ( 733 km2) |
283 sq mi|
Mitchell County | 205 | Camilla | 1857 | Baker County | Gen. Henry Mitchell (1760 – 1839), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 45.20 | 23,144 | ( 1,326 km2) |
512 sq mi|
Monroe County | 207 | Forsyth | 1821 | Creek Cession of 1821 | James Monroe (1758 – 1831), the fifth President of the United States and the creator of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 | 67.27 | 26,637 | ( 1,026 km2) |
396 sq mi|
Montgomery County | 209 | Mount Vernon | 1793 | Washington County | General Richard Montgomery (1738 – 75), hero of the Revolutionary War | 36.38 | 8,913 | ( 635 km2) |
245 sq mi|
Morgan County | 211 | Madison | 1807 | Baldwin County | General Daniel Morgan (1736 – 1802), a hero of the Revolutionary War; U.S. Congressman | 51.09 | 17,881 | ( 906 km2) |
350 sq mi|
Murray County | 213 | Chatsworth | 1832 | Cherokee County | Thomas W. Murray (1790 – 1832), famous state legislator | 114.51 | 39,392 | ( 891 km2) |
344 sq mi|
Muscogee County | 215 | Columbus | 1826 | Creek Cession of 1826 | Muskogee ethnic group, to which the Creek and Seminole Nations belong | 918.58 | 198,413 | ( 559 km2) |
216 sq mi|
Newton County | 217 | Covington | 1821 | Henry, Jasper, and Walton Counties | Sergeant John Newton (1755 – 80), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 367.77 | 101,505 | ( 715 km2) |
276 sq mi|
Oconee County | 219 | Watkinsville | 1875 | Clarke County | Oconee River, which forms its eastern boundary | 180.74 | 33,619 | ( 482 km2) |
186 sq mi|
Oglethorpe County | 221 | Lexington | 1793 | Wilkes County | General James Edward Oglethorpe (1696 – 1785), the founder of the Colony of Georgia | 33.15 | 14,618 | ( 1,142 km2) |
441 sq mi|
Paulding County | 223 | Dallas | 1832 | Cherokee County | John Paulding (1759 – 1818), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 461.15 | 144,800 | ( 813 km2) |
314 sq mi|
Peach County | 225 | Fort Valley | 1924 | Houston and Macon Counties | Its location in Central Georgia is one of the richest peach-producing regions in the country. | 182.93 | 27,622 | ( 391 km2) |
151 sq mi|
Pickens County | 227 | Jasper | 1853 | Cherokee and Gilmer counties | General Andrew Pickens (1739 – 1817), a hero of the Revolutionary War; U.S. Congressman | 126.16 | 29,268 | ( 601 km2) |
232 sq mi|
Pierce County | 229 | Blackshear | 1857 | Appling and Ware Counties | Franklin Pierce (1804–1869), fourteenth President of the United States | 54.94 | 18,844 | ( 888 km2) |
343 sq mi|
Pike County | 231 | Zebulon | 1822 | Monroe County | General Zebulon Pike (1779 – 1813), explorer and a hero of the War of 1812 | 81.70 | 17,810 | ( 565 km2) |
218 sq mi|
Polk County | 233 | Cedartown | 1851 | Floyd and Paulding Counties | James Knox Polk (1795 – 1849), eleventh President of the United States | 132.44 | 41,188 | ( 805 km2) |
311 sq mi|
Pulaski County | 235 | Hawkinsville | 1808 | Laurens County | Count Kazimierz Pułaski of Poland (1748 – 79), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 47.45 | 11,720 | ( 640 km2) |
247 sq mi|
Putnam County | 237 | Eatonton | 1807 | Baldwin County | General Israel Putnam (1718 – 90), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 61.62 | 21,198 | ( 891 km2) |
344 sq mi|
Quitman County | 239 | Georgetown | 1858 | Randolph and Stewart counties | General John Anthony Quitman (1799 – 1858), a hero of the Mexican-American War | 15.82 | 2,404 | ( 394 km2) |
152 sq mi|
Rabun County | 241 | Clayton | 1819 | Cherokee Cession of 1819 | William Rabun (1771 – 1819), Governor of Georgia (1817 – 19) | 43.93 | 16,297 | ( 961 km2) |
371 sq mi|
Randolph County | 243 | Cuthbert | 1828 | Lee County | John Randolph of Roanoke (1773 – 1833), U.S. Congressman | 17.08 | 7,327 | ( 1,111 km2) |
429 sq mi|
Richmond County | 245 | Augusta | 1777 | St Paul Parish | Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond (1735 – 1806), who was sympathetic to the cause of colonial independence | 625.27 | 202,587 | ( 839 km2) |
324 sq mi|
Rockdale County | 247 | Conyers | 1870 | Henry and Newton counties | Rockdale Church, which was so named for the subterranean bed of granite that underlies this region of the state | 655.11 | 85,820 | ( 339 km2) |
131 sq mi|
Schley County | 249 | Ellaville | 1857 | Marion and Sumter counties | William Schley (1786 – 1858), governor of Georgia (1835 – 37) | 29.70 | 4,990 | ( 435 km2) |
168 sq mi|
Screven County | 251 | Sylvania | 1793 | Burke and Effingham Counties | General James Screven (1744–1778), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 21.92 | 14,202 | ( 1,678 km2) |
648 sq mi|
Seminole County | 253 | Donalsonville | 1920 | Decatur and Early Counties | Seminole Nation | 37.59 | 8,947 | ( 616 km2) |
238 sq mi|
Spalding County | 255 | Griffin | 1851 | Fayette, Henry, and Pike County | Thomas Spalding (1774 – 1851), U.S. Congressman, state legislator, and agriculturalist | 322.55 | 63,865 | ( 513 km2) |
198 sq mi|
Stephens County | 257 | Toccoa | 1905 | Franklin and Habersham Counties | Alexander Stephens (1812 – 83), U.S. Congressman; Governor of Georgia; first and only Vice President of the Confederate States of America | 144.64 | 25,891 | ( 464 km2) |
179 sq mi|
Stewart County | 259 | Lumpkin | 1830 | Randolph County | General Daniel Stewart (1759 – 1829), a hero of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 | 13.16 | 6,042 | ( 1,189 km2) |
459 sq mi|
Sumter County | 261 | Americus | 1831 | Lee County | General Thomas Sumter (1734 – 1832), the "Fighting Gamecock," a hero of the Revolutionary War | 65.06 | 31,554 | ( 1,256 km2) |
485 sq mi|
Talbot County | 263 | Talbotton | 1827 | Muscogee County | Matthew Talbot (1762 – 1827), served in the Georgia State Senate for 15 years, including two years as the President of the Senate, and Governor of Georgia for two weeks in 1819 | 16.58 | 6,517 | ( 1,018 km2) |
393 sq mi|
Taliaferro County | 265 | Crawfordville | 1825 | Greene, Hancock, Oglethorpe, Warren, and Wilkes Counties | Colonel Benjamin Taliaferro (1750 – 1821), U.S. Congressman; a hero of the Revolutionary War | 8.62 | 1,680 | ( 505 km2) |
195 sq mi|
Tattnall County | 267 | Reidsville | 1801 | Montgomery County | Josiah Tattnall (1764 – 1803), U.S. Senator; Governor of Georgia | 52.45 | 25,384 | ( 1,254 km2) |
484 sq mi|
Taylor County | 269 | Butler | 1852 | Macon, Marion and Talbot Counties | Zachary Taylor (1784 – 1850), the twelfth President of the United States | 22.28 | 8,420 | ( 979 km2) |
378 sq mi|
Telfair County | 271 | McRae | 1807 | Wilkinson County | Edward Telfair (1735 – 1807), the second Governor of Georgia following the establishment of the United States | 37.07 | 16,349 | ( 1,142 km2) |
441 sq mi|
Terrell County | 273 | Dawson | 1856 | Lee and Randolph Counties | Dr. William Terrell (1778 – 1855), U.S. Congressman | 26.92 | 9,045 | ( 870 km2) |
336 sq mi|
Thomas County | 275 | Thomasville | 1825 | Decatur and Irwin Counties | General Jett Thomas (1776 – 1817), a hero of the War of 1812 | 81.61 | 44,724 | ( 1,419 km2) |
548 sq mi|
Tift County | 277 | Tifton | 1905 | Berrien, Irwin and Worth Counties | Colonel Nelson Tift (1810 – 91), a captain in the Confederate States Navy; U.S. Congressman | 154.96 | 41,064 | ( 686 km2) |
265 sq mi|
Toombs County | 279 | Lyons | 1905 | Emanuel, Tattnall, and Montgomery Counties | General Robert Toombs (1810 – 85), U.S. Senator; Confederate States Secretary of State | 74.43 | 27,315 | ( 951 km2) |
367 sq mi|
Towns County | 281 | Hiawassee | 1856 | Rabun and Union Counties | George Washington Towns (1801 – 54), governor of Georgia during the antebellum period | 63.22 | 10,495 | ( 430 km2) |
166 sq mi|
Treutlen County | 283 | Soperton | 1918 | Emanuel and Montgomery Counties | John A. Treutlen (1726 – 82), the first elected Governor of Georgia (1777 – 78) | 33.68 | 6,769 | ( 521 km2) |
201 sq mi|
Troup County | 285 | LaGrange | 1826 | Creek Cession of 1826 | George M. Troup (1780 – 1856), Governor of Georgia (1823 – 27); U.S. Senator | 165.38 | 68,468 | ( 1,072 km2) |
414 sq mi|
Turner County | 287 | Ashburn | 1905 | Dooly, Irwin, Wilcox and Worth Counties | Captain Henry Gray Turner (1839 – 1904), U.S. Congressman; a hero of the War between the States | 29.41 | 8,410 | ( 741 km2) |
286 sq mi|
Twiggs County | 289 | Jeffersonville | 1809 | Wilkinson County | General John Twiggs (1750 – 1816), a hero of the Revolutionary War; Governor of Georgia | 23.46 | 8,447 | ( 932 km2) |
360 sq mi|
Union County | 291 | Blairsville | 1832 | Cherokee County | Federal union of the states | 66.41 | 21,451 | ( 837 km2) |
323 sq mi|
Upson County | 293 | Thomaston | 1824 | Crawford and Pike Counties | Stephen Upson (1786 – 1824), state legislator | 81.69 | 26,630 | ( 844 km2) |
326 sq mi|
Walker County | 295 | Lafayette | 1833 | Murray County | Major Freeman Walker (1780 – 1827), U.S. Senator (1819 – 1821) | 152.68 | 68,094 | ( 1,155 km2) |
446 sq mi|
Walton County | 297 | Monroe | 1818 | Creek Cession of 1818 | George Walton (1749 – 1804), one of Georgia's delegates to the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence | 257.07 | 84,575 | ( 852 km2) |
329 sq mi|
Ware County | 299 | Waycross | 1824 | Appling County | Nicholas Ware (1769 – 1824), U.S. Senator (1821 – 24) | 39.67 | 35,821 | ( 2,339 km2) |
903 sq mi|
Warren County | 301 | Warrenton | 1793 | Columbia, Hancock, Richmond, and Wilkes Counties | General Joseph Warren (1741 – 75), a hero of the Revolutionary War | 19.50 | 5,578 | ( 741 km2) |
286 sq mi|
Washington County | 303 | Sandersville | 1784 | Creek Cession of 1783 | George Washington (1732 – 99), the first President of the United States, although named after him as a general | 30.70 | 20,879 | ( 1,761 km2) |
680 sq mi|
Wayne County | 305 | Jesup | 1803 | Creek Cession of 1802 | General Anthony Wayne (1745 – 96), known as "Mad Anthony Wayne"; U.S. Congressman; a hero of the Revolutionary War and the Northwest Indian War | 46.98 | 30,305 | ( 1,671 km2) |
645 sq mi|
Webster County | 307 | Preston | 1853 | Stewart County (Formally Kinchafoonee) | Daniel Webster (1782 – 1852), U.S. Secretary of State; supported Henry Clay's Compromise of 1850 | 13.30 | 2,793 | ( 544 km2) |
210 sq mi|
Wheeler County | 309 | Alamo | 1912 | Montgomery County | General Joseph Wheeler (1836 – 1906), U.S. Congressman; a hero of the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War | 26.47 | 7,888 | ( 772 km2) |
298 sq mi|
White County | 311 | Cleveland | 1857 | Habersham County | Colonel John White, a hero of the Revolutionary War | 113.87 | 27,556 | ( 627 km2) |
242 sq mi|
Whitfield County | 313 | Dalton | 1851 | Murray County | George Whitefield (1714 – 70), pastor; established the Bethesda Orphanage near Savannah | 356.41 | 103,359 | ( 751 km2) |
290 sq mi|
Wilcox County | 315 | Abbeville | 1857 | Dooly, Irwin, and Pulaski counties | General Mark Wilcox (1800 – 50), a noted soldier and state legislator | 23.86 | 9,068 | ( 984 km2) |
380 sq mi|
Wilkes County | 317 | Washington | 1777 | Cherokee and Creek Cessions of 1773 | John Wilkes (1727 – 97), a British Member of Parliament who sympathized with the cause of American independence | 21.39 | 10,076 | ( 1,220 km2) |
471 sq mi|
Wilkinson County | 319 | Irwinton | 1803 | Creek Cessions of 1802 and 1805 | General James Wilkinson (1757 – 1825), veteran of the Revolutionary War and of the War of 1812; Senior Officer of the U.S. Army; turned out to be an agent of the Spanish government | 21.43 | 9,577 | ( 1,158 km2) |
447 sq mi|
Worth County | 321 | Sylvester | 1853 | Dooly and Irwin Counties | General William J. Worth (1794 – 1849), a hero of the Mexican-American War | 38.14 | 21,741 | ( 1,476 km2) |
570 sq mi