Rockdale County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rockdale County
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Rockdale County Courthouse in Conyers
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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 | October 18, 1870 | ||
| Named for | Rockdale Baptist Church | ||
| Seat | Conyers | ||
| Largest city | Conyers | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 132 sq mi (340 km2) | ||
| • Land | 130 sq mi (300 km2) | ||
| • Water | 2.3 sq mi (6 km2) 1.7%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 93,570 | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 4th | ||
Rockdale County is a county located in the North Central portion in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,570 up from 85,215 in 2010. The county seat is Conyers.
Rockdale County is included in Metro Atlanta.
Contents
History
Rockdale County was created on October 18, 1870 and received its name from Rockdale Baptist Church (est. 1846), which was named after the granite strata that rests under the county's red clay top soil. A bill introduced by John F. Hardin and John Harris carved Rockdale out of the northern portion of Newton County; parts of Rockdale County also came from neighboring Henry, Walton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties. Conyers, Rockdale's only incorporated town and urban center, became the county seat.
Prior to Rockdale becoming a county, the land had been inhabited by the Creek and Cherokee; the boundary between the two native nations, the Hightower Trail, ran directly through the area. Burial remains have been discovered in the Honey Creek and Hi-Roc areas. Whites began migrating to the area in the early 19th century and initial white settlers suffered from Indian raids. Early white settlements developed along Big Haynes Creek in the northern part of the county, the Yellow River in the middle portion of the county, and Honey Creek in the south.
Communities formed around grist mills and newly formed churches such as Haralson Mill, Costleys Mill, Dial Mill, Zacharys Mill, McElroys Mill, Union Grove Baptist Church, Ebenezer Methodist Church, Philadelphia Methodist Church, Salem Baptist Church, Smyrna Presbyterian Church, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Bethel Christian Church, Honey Creek Baptist Church, and Whites Chapel Methodist Church. Other communities included Magnet and Zingara. These settlers were largely subsistence farmers.
During the American Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman marched the Union Army north of Conyers on his way to Covington from Lithonia. Seizure and destruction of property accompanied his army's march through the area. Many of the residents of Conyers, fearing Sherman would raze the city, fled to nearby Social Circle in Walton County, since Conyers was an important stop on the Georgia Railroad, but Conyers remained unscathed by the war.
The city is a fine example of residential and commercial architecture of the 19th century. According to a historical marker on U.S. Highway 278 west of Conyers, Major General Joseph Wheeler of the Confederate States Army and part of his staff were captured by Union troops pursuing Jefferson Davis on May 9, 1865. Wheeler was later released in Athens only to be recaptured again. He was wounded three times and had his horse shot out from under him sixteen times.
During Reconstruction, Conyers and Rockdale County experienced tremendous growth. According to the local newspaper, The Weekly Farmer, the population of Conyers increased from 300 to 2,000. The number of stores, businesses, schools, and churches of the county rapidly multiplied as well. Parts of the county were infamous for moonshining and the county became dry in 1882, prohibiting the sale and manufacture of liquor except by a licensed pharmacist as prescribed by a physician. The economy of the county was still based primarily on agriculture into the early 20th century.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 132 square miles (340 km2), of which 130 square miles (340 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) (1.7%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Georgia by area, ahead of Clarke County.
The entirety of Rockdale County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.
Adjacent counties
- Newton County – Southeast
- Henry County – southwest
- DeKalb County – west
- Walton County – northeast
- Gwinnett County – north
Communities
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 6,838 | — | |
| 1890 | 6,813 | −0.4% | |
| 1900 | 7,515 | 10.3% | |
| 1910 | 8,916 | 18.6% | |
| 1920 | 9,521 | 6.8% | |
| 1930 | 7,247 | −23.9% | |
| 1940 | 7,724 | 6.6% | |
| 1950 | 8,464 | 9.6% | |
| 1960 | 10,572 | 24.9% | |
| 1970 | 18,152 | 71.7% | |
| 1980 | 36,747 | 102.4% | |
| 1990 | 54,091 | 47.2% | |
| 2000 | 70,111 | 29.6% | |
| 2010 | 85,215 | 21.5% | |
| 2020 | 93,570 | 9.8% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 95,987 | 12.6% | |
| 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) | 50,967 | 34,826 | 24,500 | 72.69% | 40.87% | 26.18% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 12,670 | 38,996 | 53,785 | 18.07% | 45.76% | 57.48% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 166 | 179 | 168 | 0.24% | 0.21% | 0.18% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,339 | 1,498 | 1,532 | 1.91% | 1.76% | 1.64% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 36 | 52 | 72 | 0.05% | 0.06% | 0.08% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 100 | 230 | 617 | 0.14% | 0.27% | 0.66% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 651 | 1,371 | 3,356 | 0.93% | 1.61% | 3.59% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 4,182 | 8,063 | 9,540 | 5.96% | 9.46% | 10.20% |
| Total | 70,111 | 85,215 | 93,570 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 93,570 people, 32,792 households, and 23,533 families residing in the county.
In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $53,599, and the median income for a family was $60,065. Males had a median income of $41,087 versus $29,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,300. About 5.70% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Recreation
- Georgia International Horse Park
- Black Shoals Lake and Covered Bridge
- Old Towne Conyers Historic District
- Monastery of the Holy Spirit
- Salem Campground
- Smyrna Campground
- Milstead Historic Mill Village
- Panola Mountain State Park
- Rockdale Baptist Church
- Georgia Revolution FC
Transportation
Major highways
I-20
US 278
SR 12
SR 20
SR 138
SR 162
SR 212
SR 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)
The county features an interchange of I-20 and SR 20. In order to ease potential motorist confusion, the concurrency of SR 20 & 138 is usually called just "138".
Pedestrians and cycling
- Arabia Mountain Path
- Conyers Trail
- Deer Run Trial
- Rockdale River Trail
- S River Trail
Notable people
- Jill Arrington, ESPN college football reporter
- Billy Buckner, former Major League Baseball player
- Pop-punk band Cartel's Will Pugh, Joseph Pepper, Jeff Lett, Nic Hudson, & Kevin Sanders
- David Elder, former Major League Baseball player
- Dakota Fanning, actress
- Elle Fanning, actress
- Holly Hunter, actress
- John Mark Karr, JonBenét Ramsey's falsely claimed murderer
- Clint Mathis, World Cup soccer player
- Jack McBrayer, actor
- Kevin Ware, current college basketball player
- E.R. Shipp - Pulitzer Prize recipient
- Grady Jarrett - NFL player
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Rockdale (Georgia) para niños
