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Union County, Georgia facts for kids

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Union County
Old Union County Courthouse in Blairsville
Old Union County Courthouse in Blairsville
Map of Georgia highlighting Union 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 1832; 192 years ago (1832)
Seat Blairsville
Largest city Blairsville
Area
 • Total 329 sq mi (850 km2)
 • Land 322 sq mi (830 km2)
 • Water 7.1 sq mi (18 km2)  2.2%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
24,001
 • Density 66/sq mi (25/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 9th
Vanishing site of Kristi Cornwell

Union 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 21,356. The county seat is Blairsville. Its Sole commissioner is Lamar Paris, who has served since 2001.

History

Union County was carved from Cherokee County territory during the Georgia Land Lottery of 1832. Originally inhabited by Native Americans, the area became more desirable to white settlers with the discovery of gold in the 1820s.

The Union Party, a political group that supported removing the Indians and opening the area to white settlers, is the probable inspiration for the county’s name. Upon entering the town of Blairsville, Georgia, one can see a plaque crediting John Thomas (former Justice of the Inferior Court and serving Union County in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1833) for giving the county the name of Union. When asked to suggest a name, he is reported to have said, "Name it Union, for none but union-like men reside in it." Since the county was founded almost 30 years before the U.S. Civil War, Union County obviously was not named in sympathy for the North, as is sometimes thought. County residents, however, were largely pro-Union in the years leading up to the war, as was true of much of Georgia's mountainous north, and the county's delegates to the state convention of 1861 voted against secession. When the state seceded, most Union County residents supported the Confederacy, and the majority of its Civil War soldiers fought on the Confederate side, although a significant minority fought for the Union. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the county's memorial to its generations of war dead may be the only one in the South that specifically includes homage to Union soldiers and to American Indians who fought white settlement.

Union County is sometimes called "The Top of Georgia" because Brasstown Bald is partly in the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 329 square miles (850 km2), of which 322 square miles (830 km2) is land and 7.1 square miles (18 km2) (2.2%) is water. Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia, rises in southeast Union County, straddling the Towns County line. The central and northern portion of Union County is located in the Hiwassee River sub-basin of the Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee basin, while the southwestern portion of the county is located in the Ocoee River sub-basin of the same larger watershed. A very small portion of the county's southeastern corner is located in the Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, also listed as simply the Apalachicola Basin by USGS). This is also where the source of the Chattahoochee is found.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

  • US 19.svg U.S. Route 19
  • US 76.svg U.S. Route 76
  • US 129.svg U.S. Route 129
  • Georgia 2.svg State Route 2
  • Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
  • Georgia 60.svg State Route 60
  • Georgia 180.svg State Route 180
  • Georgia 325.svg State Route 325
  • Georgia 348.svg State Route 348
  • Georgia 515.svg State Route 515

Other roads

  • Blue Ridge Highway (Old US 76/Old SR 2)
  • Skeenah Gap Road
  • Town Creek School Road
  • Mulky Gap Road
  • Owltown Road
  • Spiva Bridge Way
  • Gumlog Road
  • Loving Road
  • Nottely Dam Road (Old SR 325). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
  • Pat Haralson Memorial Drive
  • Trackrock Gap Road

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 3,152
1850 7,234 129.5%
1860 4,413 −39.0%
1870 5,267 19.4%
1880 6,431 22.1%
1890 7,749 20.5%
1900 8,481 9.4%
1910 6,918 −18.4%
1920 6,455 −6.7%
1930 6,340 −1.8%
1940 7,680 21.1%
1950 7,318 −4.7%
1960 6,510 −11.0%
1970 6,811 4.6%
1980 9,390 37.9%
1990 11,993 27.7%
2000 17,289 44.2%
2010 21,356 23.5%
2018 (est.) 24,001 12.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,356 people, 9,116 households, and 6,382 families living in the county. The population density was 66.3 inhabitants per square mile (25.6/km2). There were 14,052 housing units at an average density of 43.6 per square mile (16.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.0% were English, 15.8% were Irish, 15.0% were "American", and 13.2% were German.

Of the 9,116 households, 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age was 50.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,298 and the median income for a family was $50,772. Males had a median income of $42,330 versus $29,176 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,182. About 9.5% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Union County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 22,646 91.94%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 126 0.51%
Native American 74 0.3%
Asian 100 0.41%
Other/Mixed 870 3.53%
Hispanic or Latino 816 3.31%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 24,632 people, 9,743 households, and 6,957 families residing in the county.

Cities and Communities

Incorporated Cities

Unincorporated Communities

  • Suches
  • Jones Creek (formerly known as Youngcane)
  • Choestoe
  • Ivy Log
  • Canal Lake
  • Dooley
  • Trackrock Gap
  • Owltown

See also

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

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