McIntosh County, Georgia

McIntosh County, Georgia
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1793
Seat	Darien
Largest city	Darien
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	574.53 sq mi (1,488 km²) 433.45 sq mi (1,123 km²) 141.08 sq mi (365 km²), 24.56%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	14,333 25/sq mi (10/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Brunswick, Georgia, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of McIntosh, Glynn, and Brantley counties. As of 2010, the population is 14,333. The county seat is Darien.^[1]

History

McIntosh County was split off from Liberty County in 1793. The new county was named McIntosh for its most famous family, which included Lachlan McIntosh, who was a general in the Continental Army. The McIntosh clan in Darien dates back to 1736.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 574.53 square miles (1,488.0 km²), of which 433.45 square miles (1,122.6 km²) (or 75.44%) is land and 141.08 square miles (365.4 km²) (or 24.56%) is water.^[2]

Major highways

• Interstate 95
• U.S. Highway 17
• Georgia State Route 57
• Georgia State Route 99
• Georgia State Route 131
• Georgia State Route 251

Traffic Signals

Mcintosh County is noteworthy for being the only county in its area having no cycled traffic lights. There are two flashing lights in the county, however. One is at the intersection of US-17 and First Street in Darien, and the other is at the four-way stop intersection of US-17 and GA-99 in Eulonia. There have been discussions in Darien of placing a traffic signal at the intersection of GA-251 and US-17, as well as at the Interstate 95 exit ramps on GA-251, as traffic flow has increased in Darien in recent years. However, no definite plans have been made in regards to potential future traffic signals.

Adjacent counties

• Liberty County (north)
• Glynn County (south)
• Wayne County (west)
• Long County (northwest)

National protected areas

• Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge
• Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
• Wolf Island National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

Two of the dozens of historical markers in the county.

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 14,333 people, 4,202 households, and 3,012 families residing in the county. The population density was 10/km² (25/mi²). As of the 2000 census, there were 5,735 housing units at an average density of 5/km² (13/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 61.34% White, 36.81% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 0.91% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,202 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.00% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,102, and the median income for a family was $34,363. Males had a median income of $29,782 versus $19,598 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,253. About 15.70% of families and 18.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.10% of those under age 18 and 16.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Darien

Unincorporated communities

• Crescent
• Eulonia
• Townsend
• Valona

Islands

• Sapelo Island

Civil rights

Despite its large number of black residents, McIntosh County politics continued to be dominated by whites well into the 1970s, even following the federal civil rights legislation of the decade previous. In September 1975, the Georgia Legal Services Program, on behalf of local NAACP members, filed suit in US District Court, alleging that women and blacks were systematically excluded from grand juries responsible for appointing members to the McIntosh County Board of Education. The following May, plaintiffs and county officials reached an agreement providing for random jury selection.

In 1977, the NAACP filed separate suits against McIntosh County and the City of Darien, alleging improper districting for county and city commission seats. The county settled out of court, agreeing to redraw its commission boundaries to include a black-majority district. The NAACP lost its suit against the city, but this decision was remanded and reversed in 1979 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Praying for Sheetrock: A Work of Nonfiction (ISBN 0-201-55048-2) by Melissa Fay Greene narrates the events surrounding the civil rights movement in McIntosh County, particularly the demise of white Sheriff Thomas H. Poppell and the 1978 election of black rights activist Thurnell Alston to the county commission.

Famous residents

McIntosh County is home to

• the McIntosh County Shouters, a traditional performance group of the Gullah ethnic group, based in the town of Eulonia. They perform the ring shout, an African tradition of counterclockwise movement performed to singing, chanting and percussive accompaniment utilizing the hands and feet, that has been passed down from African ancestors from generation to generation.
• Arthur Conley (January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003) soul singer.

See also

State of Georgia portal

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

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• McIntosh County website
• History of McIntosh County
• Historical Markers in McIntosh County
• McIntosh County Shouters

Coordinates: 31°29′N 81°22′W / 31.48°N 81.37°W / 31.48; -81.37