Oconee County, Georgia

Oconee County, Georgia
Oconee County Courthouse in Watkinsville
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1875
Seat	Watkinsville
Largest city	Watkinsville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	186.14 sq mi (482 km²) 185.70 sq mi (481 km²) 0.44 sq mi (1 km²),
PopulationEst.  - (2007)  - Density	31,367 141/sq mi (55/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Oconee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on February 25, 1875. As of the 2000 census, the population was 26,225. Census estimates for 2007 show a population of 31,367.^[1] The county seat is Watkinsville.^[2]

Oconee County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Progressive Farmer rated Oconee County as third best in the list of 2006 "Best Places to Live" in the U.S., one of two places to place in the top ten two years running.

History

Oconee County was created from the southwestern part of Clarke County in 1875 by the Georgia General Assembly. The new county was created to satisfy southwestern Clarke County residents' demand for their own county after the county seat was moved from Watkinsville to Athens by the General Assembly in 1872. It is named for the river flowing along part of its eastern border, whose name in turn comes from a Native American word meaning "spring of the hills."

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 186.14 square miles (482.1 km²), of which 185.70 square miles (481.0 km²) (or 99.76%) is land and 0.44 square miles (1.1 km²) (or 0.24%) is water.^[3]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 29
• U.S. Highway 78
• U.S. Route 78 Business (Athens, Georgia)
• U.S. Highway 129
• U.S. Highway 441
• Georgia State Route 8
• Georgia State Route 10
• Georgia State Route 10 Loop/Georgia State Route 422
• Georgia State Route 15
• Georgia State Route 24
• Georgia State Route 53
• Georgia State Route 186
• Georgia State Route 316

Adjacent counties

• Clarke County (north)
• Oglethorpe County (east)
• Greene County (southeast)
• Morgan County (south)
• Walton County (west)
• Barrow County (northwest)

National protected area

• Oconee National Forest (part)
• Ebenezer Falls
• Mt. Ruby

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 26,225 people, 9,051 households, and 7,322 families residing in the county. The population density was 55/km² (141/mi²). There were 9,528 housing units at an average density of 20/km² (51/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.58% White, 6.42% Black or African American, 1.43% Asian, 0.18% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 3.18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,051 households out of which 44.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.80% were married couples living together, 9.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.10% were non-families. 15.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the county the population was spread out with 30.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,211, and the median income for a family was $61,502. Males had a median income of $41,223 versus $27,271 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,153. About 4.90% of families and 6.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.40% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Oconee County is governed by a four-member Board of Commissioners, which holds legislative power. The Board is led by a separately-elected Chairman, who holds executive power. The Board is vested with budget and taxing authority, ordinance making authority, and control of county property, roads and facilities. The chairman and all members of the board are elected from at-large districts (called "posts") to staggered terms of four years.^[5]

The Chairman of the Board is currently the only full-time elected official and is the county's Chief Executive Officer who, in consultation with the Commissioners, appoints officers and staff as needed to administer the responsibilities of the Board.^[5]

The current members of the Board are:

• Chairman: Melvin Davis
• Post 1: Jim Luke
• Post 2: John Daniell
• Post 3: Margaret Hale
• Post 4: Chuck Horton

The judicial branch of government is administered through the Georgia court system.

Education

Oconee County School District

The Oconee County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of six elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools.^[6] The district has 361 full-time teachers and over 5,615 students.^[7]

Private Education

There are currently three private schools located in Oconee County. They are:

• Athens Academy
• Westminster Christian Academy
• Prince Avenue Christian School

Colleges and Universities

Gainesville State College maintains a satellite campus near Watkinsville.

Cities and towns

• Bishop
• Bogart
• North High Shoals
• Watkinsville

Residents of Note

• R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe and former drummer Bill Berry
• Country Music Star and Pro Golfer Colt Ford
• Country Music Star John Berry
• Zaxby's founders Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley
• University of Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt
• Former University of Georgia Athletic Director Damon Evans

See also

State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Oconee County, Georgia

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Oconee County BOC website
6. ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 24, 2010.
7. ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 24, 2010.

External links

• The Official Oconee County Tourism Website
• The Oconee Leader
• Oconee County Georgia's Official Government Website
• Oconee County School System
• Best Places to Live in 2006 from the Progressive Farmer website
• Oconee County News
• Oconee County Business Directory

Coordinates: 33°50′N 83°26′W / 33.84°N 83.44°W / 33.84; -83.44