Jackson County, Georgia

Jackson County, Georgia
Jackson County courthouse in Jefferson, Georgia
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1796
Seat	Jefferson
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	343.00 sq mi (888 km²) 342.36 sq mi (887 km²) 0.64 sq mi (2 km²), 0.19%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	41,589 122/sq mi (47/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Website	www.jacksoncountygov.com

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population in 2000 was 41,589. Explosive growth is evident with a population of 63,544 in the 2009 Census estimates.^[1] The county seat is Jefferson.^[2]

History

On February 11, 1796, Jackson County was split off from part of Franklin County, Georgia. The new county was named in honor of Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel, Congressman, Senator and Governor James Jackson. The county originally covered an area of approximately 1,800 square miles (4,662.0 km²), with Clarkesboro as its first county seat.

In 1801, the Georgia General Assembly granted 40,000 acres (160 km²) of land in Jackson County for a state college. Franklin College (now University of Georgia) began classes the same year, and the city of Athens was developed around the school. Also the same year, a new county was developed around the new college town, and Jackson lost territory to the new Clarke. The county seat was moved to an old Indian village called Thomocoggan, a location with ample water supply from Curry Creek and four large springs. In 1804, the city was renamed Jefferson, after Thomas Jefferson.

Jackson lost more territory in 1811 in the creation of Madison County, in 1818 in the creation of Walton, Gwinnett, and Hall counties, in 1858 in the creation of Banks County, and in 1914 in the creation of Barrow County.

The first county courthouse, a log and wooden frame building with an attached jail, was built on south side of the public square; a second, larger, two-story brick courthouse with a separate jailhouse was built in 1817. In 1880, a third was built on a hill north of the square. This courthouse was the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the United States until 2004, when the current courthouse was constructed north of Jefferson.

Law and government

Jackson County Board of Commissioners

Commission post	Office holder
Chairman	Hunter Bicknell
District 1 - central Jackson	Tom Crow
District 2 - north Jackson	Chas Hardy
District 3 - west Jackson	Bruce Yates
District 4 - east Jackson	Dwain Smith

[2]

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 343.00 square miles (888.4 km²), of which 342.36 square miles (886.7 km²) (or 99.81%) is land and 0.64 square miles (1.7 km²) (or 0.19%) is water.^[3]

Rivers and creeks

• North Oconee River
  • Sandy Creek (Georgia)
  • Curry Creek
• Middle Oconee River
  • Pond Fork
  • Allen Creek
• Mulberry River

Major highways

• Interstate 85
• U.S. Route 441
• U.S. Route 129
• State Route 11
• State Route 15
• State Route 82
• State Route 98
• State Route 124
• State Route 330
• State Route 332
• State Route 334
• State Route 335
• State Route 346

Adjacent counties

• Banks County, Georgia - north
• Madison County, Georgia - east
• Clarke County, Georgia - southeast
• Oconee County, Georgia - south
• Gwinnett County, Georgia - southwest
• Barrow County, Georgia - west
• Hall County, Georgia - northwest

National Historic Places

• Braselton Historic District
• Commerce Commercial Historic District
• Governor L. G. Hardman House (Commerce)
• Hillcrest-Allen Clinic and Hospital (Hoschton)
• Holder Plantation (Jefferson)
• Hoschton Depot
• Old Jackson County Courthouse (Jefferson)
• Jefferson Historic District
• Oak Avenue Historic District(Jefferson)
• Paradise Cemetery (Jefferson)
• Seaborn M. Shankle House (Commerce)
• Shields-Etheridge Farm
• Talmo Historic District
• Williamson-Maley-Turner Farm (Jefferson)

Parks and cultural institutions

• Crawford W. Long Museum (Jefferson) - official site
• Hurricane Shoals Park - official site

Attractions

• Atlanta Dragway (Commerce) - official site
• Mayfield Dairy Visitors Center (Braselton) - official site
• Chateau Elan (Braselton) - official site
• Sandy Creek Golf Course (Commerce) - official site
• Tanger Outlet Center (Commerce) - official site
• Traditions of Braselton (Braselton) - official site

Notable festivals and parades

• Daisy Festival - May (first full weekend) (Nicholson)
• Mule Days - May (Shields-Etheridge Farm)
• Annual City Lights Festival - mid-June (Commerce)
• Celebrate Braselton - July 4 (Braselton)
• Art in the Park - mid-September (Hurricane Shoals)
• Annual Fall Festival - September (last weekend) (Hoschton)
• Jefferson High School and Jefferson Middle School Band Concerts - Throughout the year (Jefferson)
• Jackson County Comprehensive High School, East Jackson Comprehensive High School, East Jackson Middle, and West Jackson Middle School Band Concerts - Throughout the year

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 41,589 people, 15,057 households, and 11,488 families residing in the county. The population density was 122 people per square mile (47/km²). There were 16,226 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.00% White, 7.78% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 1.07% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. 3.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,057 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.50% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 31.80% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,349, and the median income for a family was $46,211. Males had a median income of $34,063 versus $22,774 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,808. About 9.90% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Arcade
• Braselton
• Commerce (formerly Harmony Grove)
• Hoschton
• Jefferson
• Maysville
• Nicholson (formerly Cooper)
• Pendergrass
• Talmo

Unincorporated communities

• Apple Valley
• Attica
• Brockton
• Center (incorporated until 1999)
• Clarksboro
• Constantine
• Dry Pond
• Ednaville
• Fairview
• Grove Level
• Holders
• Holly Springs
• Red Stone
• Sells
• Stoneham
• Thompsons Mills
• Thurmack
• Thyatira
• Wilsons Church

School Systems

• Jefferson City School District
• Jackson County School District
• Commerce City School District

See also

State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jackson 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. 

Coordinates: 34°08′N 83°34′W / 34.13°N 83.56°W / 34.13; -83.56