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Newton County, Georgia facts for kids

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Newton County
The Newton County courthouse in Covington in 1969
The Newton County courthouse in Covington in 1969
Map of Georgia highlighting Newton County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Georgia
Founded December 24, 1821; 203 years ago (1821)
Named for John Newton
Seat Covington
Largest city Covington
Area
 • Total 279 sq mi (720 km2)
 • Land 272 sq mi (700 km2)
 • Water 7.0 sq mi (18 km2)  2.5%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
109,541
 • Density 382/sq mi (147/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 4th, 10th

Newton County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 99,958. The county seat is Covington.

Newton County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Newton county is named after Sgt. John Newton, who served under Gen. Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox", in the American Revolutionary War. It was created on December 24, 1821. During the American Civil War, the county provided the Lamar Infantry, which was a part of Cobb's Legion. Georgia is one of many states which have a Newton County and a Jasper County that border each other.

In late 1978, the first five episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard were filmed in and around Covington, Georgia. The TV series In The Heat of the Night was filmed in Covington from 1988 to 1995. Also, in Remember the Titans, there were many scenes shot on "The Square" and the final football scene was shot at Homer Sharp Stadium, which is located near downtown Covington. Currently part of the new series The Vampire Diaries is being fiimed on "The Square". Additionally, major films including My Cousin Vinny, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives and Halloween II, Rob Zombie's sequel to his 2007 film Halloween, were also filmed near and around "The Square" in downtown Covington.

Newton county claims to be the birthplace of Georgia 4-H. Actually, the Girls Canning and Boys Corn Clubs in 1904 by G.C. Adams was renamed the 4-H Club in 1906, after the original 4-H Club that opened in Iowa in 1905.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 279 square miles (720 km2), of which 272 square miles (700 km2) is land and 7.0 square miles (18 km2) (2.5%) is water.

The majority of Newton County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small eastern portion of the county, from southwest of Social Circle to southwest of Newborn, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

  • I-20.svg Interstate 20
  • US 278.svg U.S. Route 278
  • Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
  • Georgia 12.svg State Route 12
  • Georgia 20.svg State Route 20
  • Georgia 36.svg State Route 36
  • Georgia 81.svg State Route 81
  • Georgia 138.svg State Route 138
  • Georgia 142.svg State Route 142
  • Georgia 162.svg State Route 162
  • Georgia 162 Connector.svg State Route 162 Connector
  • Georgia 212.svg State Route 212
  • Georgia 402.svg State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1830 11,155
1840 11,628 4.2%
1850 13,296 14.3%
1860 14,320 7.7%
1870 14,615 2.1%
1880 13,623 −6.8%
1890 14,310 5.0%
1900 16,734 16.9%
1910 18,449 10.2%
1920 21,680 17.5%
1930 17,290 −20.2%
1940 18,576 7.4%
1950 20,185 8.7%
1960 20,999 4.0%
1970 26,282 25.2%
1980 34,489 31.2%
1990 41,808 21.2%
2000 62,001 48.3%
2010 99,958 61.2%
2018 (est.) 109,541 9.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 99,958 people, 34,390 households, and 26,165 families living in the county. The population density was 367.3 inhabitants per square mile (141.8/km2). There were 38,342 housing units at an average density of 140.9 per square mile (54.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 53.8% white, 40.9% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 13.4% were American, 9.2% were Irish, 8.0% were English, and 7.5% were German.

Of the 34,390 households, 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.9% were non-families, and 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.27. The median age was 34.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $52,361 and the median income for a family was $56,519. Males had a median income of $44,504 versus $33,133 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,583. About 10.8% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Newton County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 46,746 41.56%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 52,246 46.45%
Native American 175 0.16%
Asian 1,044 0.93%
Pacific Islander 114 0.1%
Other/Mixed 4,994 4.44%
Hispanic or Latino 7,164 6.37%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 112,483 people, 37,867 households, and 28,095 families residing in the county.

Communities

Education

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Newton (Georgia) para niños

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