Pickens County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pickens County
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Pickens County Courthouse, Jasper
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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 |
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| State |  Georgia |
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| Founded | December 5, 1853 | ||
| Named for | Andrew Pickens | ||
| Seat | Jasper | ||
| Largest city | Jasper | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 233 sq mi (600 km2) | ||
| • Land | 232 sq mi (600 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (2 km2) 0.3%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 33,216 | ||
| • Density | 143/sq mi (55/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional districts | 9th, 14th | ||
Pickens County is a county located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,216. The county seat is Jasper. Pickens County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.
Contents
History
The Georgia General Assembly passed an act on December 5, 1853, to create Pickens County from portions of Cherokee and Gilmer Counties. Pickens received several more land additions from Cherokee (1869) and Gilmer Counties (1858 and 1863); however, several sections of Pickens County have also been transferred to other counties: Dawson County (1857), Gordon County (1860), and Cherokee County (1870).
Pickens County is named for American Revolutionary War General Andrew Pickens.
During the Civil War, Company D of the 1st Georgia Infantry Battalion of the Union Army was raised in Pickens County.
Most of Pickens County's early industry revolved around marble. Georgia Marble Company is located in Marble Hill near Tate. The Tate elementary school is built out of marble. The marble was also used to make the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. Most of the marble is white, but it is one of the few places in the world where pink marble is found. The marble is also used for tombstones for the United States military.
Pickens County has seen very rapid growth with the building of Georgia State Route 515, locally referred to as the "four-lane". Many new businesses and residents continue to move to Pickens County.
Pickens County is home the Georgia Marble Festival.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 233 square miles (600 km2), of which 232 square miles (600 km2) are land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.3%) is covered by water.
The county is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest point in Pickens County is the 3,288-ft summit of Mount Oglethorpe, the southernmost peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and for a number of years, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Other notable peaks in Pickens County include Sharp Top Mountain and Sharp Mountain. One of the best viewpoints of Sharp Top Mountain is from Grandview Lake Dam on Grandview Road.
The eastern half of Pickens County is located in the Etowah River subbasin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The western half of the county is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same larger ACT River Basin.
Adjacent counties
- Gilmer County - north
- Dawson County - east
- Cherokee County - south
- Bartow County - southwest
- Gordon County - west
Transportation
Major highways
Interstate 575
State Route 5
State Route 53
State Route 53 Business
State Route 108
State Route 136
State Route 136 Connector
State Route 372
State Route 417 (unsigned designation for I-575)
State Route 515
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 4,951 | — | |
| 1870 | 5,317 | 7.4% | |
| 1880 | 6,790 | 27.7% | |
| 1890 | 8,182 | 20.5% | |
| 1900 | 8,641 | 5.6% | |
| 1910 | 9,041 | 4.6% | |
| 1920 | 8,222 | −9.1% | |
| 1930 | 9,687 | 17.8% | |
| 1940 | 9,136 | −5.7% | |
| 1950 | 8,855 | −3.1% | |
| 1960 | 8,903 | 0.5% | |
| 1970 | 9,620 | 8.1% | |
| 1980 | 11,652 | 21.1% | |
| 1990 | 14,432 | 23.9% | |
| 2000 | 22,983 | 59.3% | |
| 2010 | 29,431 | 28.1% | |
| 2020 | 33,216 | 12.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 35,969 | 22.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 30,122 | 90.69% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 286 | 0.86% |
| Native American | 85 | 0.26% |
| Asian | 191 | 0.58% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,330 | 4.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,198 | 3.61% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 33,216 people, 11,868 households, and 8,539 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, 29,431 people, 11,291 households, and 8,423 families resided in the county. The population density was 126.8 inhabitants per square mile (49.0/km2). The 13,692 housing units averaged 59.0 per square mile (22.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% White, 1.1% African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.8% were American, 13.2% were English, 12.3% were Irish, and 10.0% were German.
Of the 11,291 households, 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.4% were not families, and 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 42.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,945 and for a family was $59,955. Males had a median income of $46,773 versus $34,394 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,892. About 8.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
- Jasper
- Nelson (partially in Cherokee County)
Town
Unincorporated communities
- Tate
- Marble Hill
- Blaine
- Hinton
Private communities
A significant portion of the county population resides in gated master-planned communities that function similar to a municipality, with HOA fees to provide many municipal-type services independently from the county government.
- Bent Tree
- Big Canoe (partially in Dawson County)
- The Preserve at Sharp Mountain
Notable residents
- Farish Carter Tate, U.S. congressman
- John Bozeman, frontiersman; co-founder of Bozeman, Montana
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Pickens (Georgia) para niños
