Taylor County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taylor County
|
|
|---|---|
Taylor County Courthouse in Butler
|
|
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
|
|
 Georgia's location within the U.S. |
|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | January 15, 1852 |
| Named for | Zachary Taylor |
| Seat | Butler |
| Largest city | Butler |
| Area | |
| • Total | 380 sq mi (1,000 km2) |
| • Land | 377 sq mi (980 km2) |
| • Water | 3.0 sq mi (8 km2) 0.8%% |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(2018)
|
8,039 |
| • Density | 24/sq mi (9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
Taylor County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,906. The county seat and largest city is Butler.
Contents
History
Taylor County was created on January 15, 1852, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly from portions of Macon, Marion and Talbot counties.
The County is named for Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States.
The land for building the courthouse was purchased from Andrew McCants, John T. Gray, John Sturdivant, John L. Parker, and a Mr. Covington. (from a meeting minutes March 8, 1852)
Militia districts in the county included Prattsburg 737, Hall 743, Reynolds 741, Butler 757, Cedar Creek 1071, and Whitewater 853.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 380 square miles (980 km2), of which 377 square miles (980 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.8%) is water.
Taylor County is dissected by the Fall Line geological formation. The upper half of the county is located in the Piedmont region and consists of gently rolling hills and clay-based soils. The lower half of the county is located in the Upper Atlantic Coastal Plain and is markedly flatter and the soil more sandy. The Flint River marks the entirety of the county's northeastern border.
The county is driven by a largely agricultural economy. Peaches, strawberries, pecans, peanuts, watermelons, and cotton are the most commonly raised crops. Lumbering is also important to the local economy. The county is heavily forested in most areas due in part to the many large plantation pine farms. There are also many desirable hardwood forests, especially along the Flint River basin and tributary streams. The southwestern portion of the county is covered with large sandhills that have given rise to several stable sand mining operations.
The county supports a very healthy population of animals, including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern cottontail, raccoon, coyote, bobcat, nine-banded armadillo, Virginia opossum, red-tailed hawk, and the federally endangered Florida gopher tortoise. Taylor County is home to five of North America's venomous snakes (eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, Carolina pigmy rattlesnake, eastern coral snake, water moccasin, and copperhead), representing every North American family of venomous snake.
The dominant tree species are southern red oak, post oak, longleaf pine, loblolly pine, sweetgum, and red maple. Taylor County contains the largest stands of Atlantic white cedar in the state of Georgia. These stands can be found along much of Whitewater and Little Whitewater creeks and are at the heart of a growing movement to conserve these unique plant communities for posterity.
The vast majority of Taylor County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with the exception of a tiny corner of the county just north of Georgia, which is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.
Major highways
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 80
State Route 3
State Route 22
State Route 90
State Route 96
State Route 127
State Route 128
State Route 137
State Route 208
State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway) (future)
Adjacent counties
- Upson County (north)
- Crawford County (northeast)
- Peach County (east)
- Macon County (southeast)
- Schley County (south)
- Marion County (southwest)
- Talbot County (northwest)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 5,998 | — | |
| 1870 | 7,143 | 19.1% | |
| 1880 | 8,597 | 20.4% | |
| 1890 | 8,666 | 0.8% | |
| 1900 | 9,846 | 13.6% | |
| 1910 | 10,839 | 10.1% | |
| 1920 | 11,473 | 5.8% | |
| 1930 | 10,617 | −7.5% | |
| 1940 | 10,768 | 1.4% | |
| 1950 | 9,113 | −15.4% | |
| 1960 | 8,311 | −8.8% | |
| 1970 | 7,865 | −5.4% | |
| 1980 | 7,902 | 0.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,642 | −3.3% | |
| 2000 | 8,815 | 15.3% | |
| 2010 | 8,906 | 1.0% | |
| 2018 (est.) | 8,039 | −9.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 |
|||
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 8,906 people, 3,522 households, and 2,342 families living in the county. The population density was 23.6 inhabitants per square mile (9.1/km2). There were 4,563 housing units at an average density of 12.1 per square mile (4.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 58.5% white, 39.3% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.3% were American, 10.9% were English, and 8.4% were Irish.
Of the 3,522 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 19.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 39.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,237 and the median income for a family was $35,819. Males had a median income of $40,995 versus $25,919 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,693. About 25.9% of families and 33.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.9% of those under age 18 and 30.7% of those age 65 or over.
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,584 | 58.65% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,807 | 35.91% |
| Native American | 27 | 0.35% |
| Asian | 29 | 0.37% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 199 | 2.55% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 168 | 2.15% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,816 people, 3,473 households, and 2,208 families residing in the county.
Communities
City
Town
Census-designated place
Other unincorporated communities
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Taylor (Georgia) para niños
