County in Georgia, United States
County in Georgia
Taliaferro County ( TOL -iv-ər ) is a county located in East central Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Georgia . As of the 2020 census , the population was 1,559,[ 2] down from the 2010 census when the population was 1,717,[ 3] making it the least populous county in Georgia and the second least populous county east of the Mississippi River (after Issaquena County, Mississippi ). The county seat is Crawfordville .[ 4]
History
Taliaferro County was formed by an act of the Georgia Legislature meeting in Milledgeville on December 24, 1825. It was formed by taking portions of five other counties: Wilkes , Greene , Hancock , Oglethorpe , and Warren Counties.[ 5]
The county was named for Colonel Benjamin Taliaferro of Virginia , who was an officer in the American Revolution .
The county is most famous for containing the birthplace and home of Alexander H. Stephens , who served as a U.S. congressman from Georgia in the antebellum South, as vice president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and as governor of Georgia after the war (dying in office). A state park near his home in Crawfordville bears his name.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 195 square miles (510 km2 ), of which 195 square miles (510 km2 ) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2 ) (0.4%) is water.[ 6] It is drained by tributaries of the Ogeechee and Little rivers.[ 7]
The northern half of Taliaferro County, north of Crawfordville , is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The southern half of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.[ 8]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Communities
Cities
Demographics
Historical population
Census Pop. Note %±
1830 4,934 — 1840 5,190 5.2% 1850 5,146 −0.8% 1860 4,583 −10.9% 1870 4,796 4.6% 1880 7,034 46.7% 1890 7,291 3.7% 1900 7,912 8.5% 1910 8,766 10.8% 1920 8,841 0.9% 1930 6,172 −30.2% 1940 6,278 1.7% 1950 4,515 −28.1% 1960 3,370 −25.4% 1970 2,423 −28.1% 1980 2,032 −16.1% 1990 1,915 −5.8% 2000 2,077 8.5% 2010 1,717 −17.3% 2020 1,559 −9.2% 2023 (est.) 1,609 [ 9] 3.2%
Taliaferro County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic )
Pop 2000[ 20]
Pop 2010[ 18]
Pop 2020[ 19]
% 2000
% 2010
% 2020
White alone (NH)
787
625
591
37.89%
36.40%
37.91%
Black or African American alone (NH)
1,251
1,024
833
60.23%
59.64%
53.43%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
1
2
4
0.05%
0.12%
0.26%
Asian alone (NH)
1
8
6
0.05%
0.47%
0.38%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)
0
0
0
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
Other race alone (NH)
6
0
2
0.29%
0.00%
0.13%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
12
23
54
0.58%
1.34%
3.46%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)
19
35
69
0.91%
2.04%
4.43%
Total
2,077
1,717
1,559
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
As of the 2020 United States census , there were 1,559 people, 593 households, and 399 families residing in the county.
Economy
Taliaferro county's main employer is the government,[ 21] primarily the Taliaferro County Sheriffs Department, which patrols I-20 and issues many traffic tickets per capita compared to other counties in the state. For instance, Fulton County , the largest county by population in Georgia, gains $16.98 per capita in traffic ticket revenue. By comparison, Taliaferro county gains $1,614.33 per capita, which is around a hundred times more.[ 22]
In popular culture
Several Hollywood films have been shot in Taliaferro County. Paris Trout (1991), starring Dennis Hopper and based on the novel by the same name by Pete Dexter , was primarily filmed in the county. Sweet Home Alabama (2002), starring Reese Witherspoon , was filmed in the county seat of Crawfordville.
Politics
Taliaferro County is one of the most reliably Democratic counties in Georgia, despite being mostly rural in nature, due to being majority African American. It has supported the Democratic candidate in every presidential election by wide margins except in 1972 , when Richard Nixon won by a landslide.
Notable people
United States presidential election results for Taliaferro County, Georgia[ 23]
Year
Republican
Democratic
Third party(ies)
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
2024
375
42.42%
507
57.35%
2
0.23%
2020
360
38.79%
561
60.45%
7
0.75%
2016
349
38.91%
545
60.76%
3
0.33%
2012
323
33.54%
636
66.04%
4
0.42%
2008
339
34.24%
643
64.95%
8
0.81%
2004
335
35.23%
612
64.35%
4
0.42%
2000
271
32.57%
556
66.83%
5
0.60%
1996
235
26.52%
615
69.41%
36
4.06%
1992
269
24.32%
755
68.26%
82
7.41%
1988
306
39.38%
469
60.36%
2
0.26%
1984
318
36.64%
550
63.36%
0
0.00%
1980
270
28.30%
670
70.23%
14
1.47%
1976
236
23.98%
748
76.02%
0
0.00%
1972
585
61.13%
372
38.87%
0
0.00%
1968
232
16.36%
678
47.81%
508
35.83%
1964
337
34.92%
628
65.08%
0
0.00%
1960
148
18.43%
655
81.57%
0
0.00%
1956
160
21.08%
599
78.92%
0
0.00%
1952
103
10.55%
873
89.45%
0
0.00%
1948
21
3.51%
504
84.14%
74
12.35%
1944
6
1.52%
389
98.48%
0
0.00%
1940
19
3.61%
507
96.39%
0
0.00%
1936
14
2.44%
552
96.34%
7
1.22%
1932
3
0.59%
503
99.41%
0
0.00%
1928
58
11.51%
446
88.49%
0
0.00%
1924
4
1.37%
228
77.82%
61
20.82%
1920
12
3.51%
330
96.49%
0
0.00%
1916
14
5.07%
255
92.39%
7
2.54%
1912
35
12.50%
225
80.36%
20
7.14%
See also
References
^ Caldwell, W. W.: "The Courthouse and the Depot ", pages 33-34. Mercer University Press, 2001
^ "Explore Census Data" . data.census.gov . Retrieved May 22, 2022 .
^ "State & County QuickFacts" . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014 .
^ "Find a County" . National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011 .
^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF) . Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 219. ISBN 0-915430-00-2 . Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990" . United States Census Bureau . February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011 .
^ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Taliaferro" . The American Cyclopædia .
^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience" . Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 19, 2015 .
^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024 .
^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade" . United States Census Bureau.
^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. 1880.
^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. 1910.
^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. 1930.
^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. 1940.
^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. 1950.
^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. 1980.
^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. 2000.
^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taliaferro County, Georgia" . United States Census Bureau .
^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taliaferro County, Georgia" . United States Census Bureau .
^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Taliaferro County, Georgia" . United States Census Bureau .
^ Boatright, Susan R. (November 2005). "Taliaferro County Community Profile" (PDF) . uga.edu . Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018 .
^ "Database: Georgia's biggest ticket traps" . myajc . Retrieved March 22, 2018 .
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections" . uselectionatlas.org . Retrieved March 22, 2018 .
External links
Places adjacent to Taliaferro County, Georgia
Central Savannah River Area of Georgia and South Carolina
International National Other
33°34′N 82°53′W / 33.57°N 82.88°W / 33.57; -82.88