Taliaferro County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taliaferro County
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Taliaferro County Courthouse (built 1902), Crawfordville
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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 |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 24, 1825 |
| Named for | Benjamin Taliaferro |
| Seat | Crawfordville |
| Largest city | Crawfordville |
| Area | |
| • Total | 195 sq mi (510 km2) |
| • Land | 195 sq mi (510 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (2 km2) 0.4%% |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(2018)
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1,608 |
| • Density | 8.8/sq mi (3.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 10th |
Taliaferro County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,717, making it the least populous county in Georgia and the second-least populous county east of the Mississippi River (after Issaquena County, Mississippi). The county seat is Crawfordville.
Contents
History
Taliaferro County was formed by an act of the Georgia Legislature meeting in Milledgeville on December 24, 1825. It was formed by taking portions of five other counties: Wilkes, Greene, Hancock, Oglethorpe, and Warren Counties.
The county was named for Colonel Benjamin Taliaferro of Virginia, who was an officer in the American Revolution.
The county is most famous for containing the birthplace and home of Alexander H. Stephens, who served as a U.S. congressman from Georgia in the antebellum South, as vice president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and as governor of Georgia after the war (dying in office). A state park near his home in Crawfordville, Georgia bears his name.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 195 square miles (510 km2), of which 195 square miles (510 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.4%) is water. It is drained by tributaries of the Ogeechee and Little rivers.
The northern half of Taliaferro County, north of Crawfordville, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The southern half of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.
Major highways
Interstate 20
U.S. Route 278
State Route 12
State Route 22
State Route 44
State Route 47
State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)
Adjacent counties
- Wilkes County - north
- Oglethorpe County - north
- Warren County - southeast
- Hancock County - south
- Greene County - west
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 4,934 | — | |
| 1840 | 5,190 | 5.2% | |
| 1850 | 5,146 | −0.8% | |
| 1860 | 4,583 | −10.9% | |
| 1870 | 4,796 | 4.6% | |
| 1880 | 7,034 | 46.7% | |
| 1890 | 7,291 | 3.7% | |
| 1900 | 7,912 | 8.5% | |
| 1910 | 8,766 | 10.8% | |
| 1920 | 8,841 | 0.9% | |
| 1930 | 6,172 | −30.2% | |
| 1940 | 6,278 | 1.7% | |
| 1950 | 4,515 | −28.1% | |
| 1960 | 3,370 | −25.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,423 | −28.1% | |
| 1980 | 2,032 | −16.1% | |
| 1990 | 1,915 | −5.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,077 | 8.5% | |
| 2010 | 1,717 | −17.3% | |
| 2018 (est.) | 1,608 | −6.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,717 people, 759 households, and 480 families living in the county. The population density was 8.8 inhabitants per square mile (3.4/km2). There were 1,015 housing units at an average density of 5.2 per square mile (2.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 59.6% black or African American, 37.3% white, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population.
Of the 759 households, 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.6% were married couples living together, 22.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.8% were non-families, and 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 45.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $22,188 and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $29,435 versus $20,227 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,955. About 30.1% of families and 34.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 60.6% of those under age 18 and 24.9% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
In popular culture
Several Hollywood films have been shot in Taliaferro County. Paris Trout 1991, starring Dennis Hopper and based on the novel by the same name by Pete Dexter, was primarily filmed in the county. More recently, the film Sweet Home Alabama, starring Reese Witherspoon, was filmed in the county seat of Crawfordville.
Economy
Taliaferro county's main employer is the government, primarily the Taliaferro County Sheriffs Department, which patrols I-20 and issues many traffic tickets per capita compared to other counties in the state. For instance, Fulton County, the largest county by population in Georgia, gains $16.98 per capita in traffic ticket revenue. By comparison, Taliaferro county gains $1,614.33 per capita, which is around a hundred times more.
Notable people
- Romulus Moore
- Maude Andrews Ohl (1862–1943), journalist, poet, novelist
- Alexander H. Stephens
