Union County, Georgia

Union County is a located in the  of. As of, the population is 17,289. The 2005 Census Estimate shows a population of 19,782. The is. It is currently a.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 852 (329 ). 835 km² (323 sq mi) of it is land and 17 km² (6 sq mi) of it (1.97%) is water. The highest point in the county is the 4,458 foot summit of, the sixth-highest peak in Georgia.

State Highways

 * [[Image:US 19.svg|20px]] . Overlaps with U.S. 129 and S.R. 11
 * [[Image:US 76.svg|20px]] . Overlaps with S.R. 2 and S.R. 515
 * [[image:US 129.svg|23px]] . Overlaps with U.S. 19 and S.R. 11
 * [[Image:Georgia 60.svg|20px]]
 * [[image:Georgia 2.svg|20px]] . Overlaps U.S. 76 and S.R. 515
 * [[image:Georgia 11.svg|20px]] . Overlaps U.S. 19 and U.S. 129
 * [[image:Georgia 325.svg|23px]] . Also known as.
 * [[Image:Georgia 515.svg|23px]] . Overlaps U.S. 76 and S.R. 2

Secondary Highways

 * (Old /Old )
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
 * (Old ). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.

Adjacent Counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (southeast)
 * (south)
 * (west)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 17,289 people, 7,159 households, and 5,211 families residing in the county. The was 21/km² (54/sq mi). There were 10,001 housing units at an average density of 12/km² (31/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.94%, 0.58% or , 0.25% , 0.23% , 0.02% , 0.24% from , and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 7,159 households out of which 24.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.90% were living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.00% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 28.20% from 45 to 64, and 21.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,893, and the median income for a family was $39,776. Males had a median income of $29,127 versus $20,871 for females. The for the county was $18,845. About 9.30% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 15.90% of those age 65 or over.

History of Name
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 1820’s.

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. Since it was founded almost 30 years before the Civil War, Union County obviously wasn’t named in sympathy for the North as is sometimes mistaken.

Interestingly, though, prior to the Civil War the county’s residents were largely pro-Union and the county delegates to the state convention of 1861 voted against secession. When the state seceded, however, the majority of Union County residents supported the Confederacy, though some fought and died for the Union.