Douglas County, Georgia

Douglas County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 92,174. The 2006 Census Estimate shows a population of 119,557. The is.

Douglas County is included in the -- [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]

Georgia Historical Marker Script
This county, created by Act of the, , is named for , the "Little Giant," a Vermonter who was Congressman from Illinois 1843 to '47, Senator from '47 to '61, and Democratic candidate for President in 1860 on the ticket with gov. , of Georgia, for Vice President. Among the first County Officers were: sheriff T.H. Sellman, Clerk of Superior Court A.L. Gorman, Ordinary Wm. Hindman, Tax Receiver Jno. M. James, Tax Collector M.D. Watkins, Treasurer C.P. Bower, Surveyor John M. Hughey.

Name
Formed soon after the end of the, Douglas County was originally named by the reconstruction legislature after , the Civil War-era abolitionist; however, the official honoree was later changed to , an  and the Democratic opponent of  in the presidential election of 1860.

County Seat
The Oct. 17, 1870 act creating Douglas County provided that on the first Monday in November 1870, voters of the new county would elect county officers and also by ballot would select the site of the county seat. In the election, some voters chose a site near the center of the county, but a larger number voted for several different named sites (which may have been different names for the settlement known as "Skinned Chestnut" or "Skin(t) Chestnut"--the early name of Douglasville). Thinking that the majority of voters had intended Skinned Chestnut, the courthouse commissioners chose this site as county seat and proceeded to sell lots and build a courthouse. However, a group of citizens filed suit against the commissioners. The case ultimately went to the, which ruled against the commissioners. However, both sides agreed to postpone further action until the route of the through Douglas County was determined. To clear up the matter, the General Assembly enacted legislation on Feb. 28, 1874, directing that an election be held on Apr. 7, 1874, to determine the location of the county seat--but with the provision that the site be located on the Georgia Western Railroad. In the election, voters confirmed Douglasville as the county seat. On Feb. 25, 1875, the General Assembly incorporated Douglasville.

Adjacent Counties

 * - northeast
 * - southeast
 * - west
 * - north

Area
According to the, the county has a total area of 519 (200 ). 516 km² (199 sq mi) of it is land and 2 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.48%) is water.

Bodies of Water

 * The borders the County to the East.
 * runs in the eastern side of the county in the Lithia Springs Area.
 * George Sparks Reservoir makes its home at Sweetwater Creek State Park.
 * The Dog River is a small, almost creek like river in the western side of Douglas county and travels south and eastward until it ends at the Dog River Reservoir in the Southern part of the county.
 * The Dog River Reservoir is Douglas County's main source of drinking water, and also a private lake for residents of the county.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:I-20.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 78.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 278.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 92.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 5.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 166.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 6.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 61.svg|20px]]

Secondary Major Routes

 * Lee Road: Runs through the eastern portion of the county in the area. The roads intersect I-20, begins at Fairburn Road (State Highway 92) to the south and terminates at Sweetwater Rd north of I-20.
 * Post Road: Runs through the western portion of Douglas County through the area. The Road begins at the southern border with Carroll County, and runs north, intersects I-20 and ends at Bankhead Highway (US Route 78).
 * Chapel Hill Road begins at I-20 and runs south to Dorsett Shoals Road and farther south, ending at SR 166.
 * Douglas Boulevard runs from Chapel Hill Rd. at I-20 to SR 5(Bill Arp Rd.), and from there to Bright Star Road. This road passes Douglasville's Arbor Place Mall.
 * Kings Highway runs south from SR 5 to Big A Road, and is host to many residential developments.
 * Pope Road runs south, southeast looping from the Midway area of Fairburn Rd.(SR 92) and ends at Annewakee Rd.
 * Annewakee Road runs south from Chapel Hill Rd. at Dorsett Shoals Rd. and ending at Fairburn Rd.(SR 92) and Pope Rd.
 * Dorsett Shoals Road runs west from Chapel Hill Rd. at Annewakee Rd. to SR 5.
 * (a future state route) runs from the end of South Fulton Parkway to S.R. 166 connecting southern Douglas County to Atlanta.

Parks

 * is host to the ruins of a Civil War-era mill destroyed in campaign through Georgia.
 * Hunter Park is located within the city limits of Douglasville, and it is home to the majority of the sports events held in Douglas County. It's home to the Douglas County Boys and Girls Club.
 * Deer Lick Park is located in the northeast corner of the county and is the third largest park in the county. It is also home to sporting events.
 * Woodrow Wilson Park and Lithia Springs Girls Ball Field are located in Lithia Springs next to Sweetwater Creek. The ball field has flooded during heavy rain storms.
 * Boundary Waters Aquatic Center Opened in July of 2005 in the Southeastern section of the County, and it is home to the Douglas County swim team, the Stingrays. The Center also provides aquatic therapy and swim lessons to the county's citizens for a low fee. Residents outside the county can use the center as well for a slightly higher fee.

Other parks in the county include:
 * Post Road Park
 * Clinton Nature Preserve
 * Bill Arp Park
 * Fairplay Park
 * Winston Park
 * Mount Carmel Ball Field
 * Dog River Park/Reservoir

Elevation
Douglas County's elevation above sea level ranges as low as 740 feet (at the ) to as high as 1,340 feet; one of the county's highest elevation points lies inside the city of Douglasville. Andy Mountain, between and Winston - west of Douglasville along Bankhead Highway, has the highest elevation in Douglas County, at 1,340 feet. Two other elevated summits are located in the county, known as Cedar Mountain (1,257 feet), and Pine Mountain (1,180 feet).

Douglas County sits in Georgia's region, which makes its elevation vary due to many rolling hills that Douglas County sits on near the tail end of the. There are no high mountain peaks in Douglas County, just a range of ridges, hills and valleys.

Known peaks in Douglas County
 * Andy Mountain - 1,340 feet
 * Cedar Mountain - 1,257 feet
 * Winston - 1,221 feet
 * Downtown Douglasville - 1,209 feet
 * Beulah - 1,184 feet
 * Pine Mountain - 1,180 feet
 * White City - 1,177 feet
 * Fairplay - 1,170 feet
 * Wellstar Douglas Hospital - 1,120 feet
 * Stewart Mill Landing - 1,105 feet
 * Bill Arp - 1,104 feet
 * Midway - 1,080 feet
 * Hannah - 1,077 feet
 * McWhorter - 1,067 feet
 * Lithia Springs - 1,043 feet
 * Villa Rica - 1,040 feet
 * Chapel Hill - 966 feet
 * Austell - 920 feet
 * Groovers Lake - 905 feet
 * Phillips Mill - 900 feet
 * Fouts Mill - 790 feet

Local Media
The Magazine serving Douglas County, Georgia is "The Post Magazine", a Christian magazine that circulates to homes & businesses throughout the county. The Post Magazine has a targeted distribution along with a subscription base for a concentrated readership in Douglas County.

The newspaper that serves the Douglas County area is the Douglas County Sentinel, a paper that circulates Tuesday-Sunday, with its largest publication on Sunday. The paper has been in circulation since.

The county also has a secondary paper that circulates on Wednesday, the , a paper that is run by the publisher of the Marietta Daily Journal. This paper is delivered free of charge.

The county also has a magazine called Chapel Hill News & Views that delivers to 40,000 homes and businesses ranging from Villa Rica to Lithia Springs and everywhere in between. It also includes a local yellow pages.

The  also serves readers of Douglas County, seven days a week, with its largest paper on Sunday.

Television
Douglas County is served by the Atlanta television market, but has a small information TV station on, DCTV 23. The station broadcasts board meetings and special events, classified job listings, and three original shows, Gesundheit, Douglas County Living, and Insights.

County Courthouse
Most Government offices in the county are located at the Douglas County Courthouse complex, about 1 mile south of the downtown area of Douglasville. The exception being the Douglas County Board of Education and the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce, the former located outside of Douglasville next to Hunter Park, the latter located in Downtown Douglasville.

The County Courthouse was constructed in 1997-98 and opened in 1998 after the county services needed a new courthouse for the ever growing and changing county. The services prior to the opening were scattered all over downtown Douglasville in 7-8 offices. The old Douglas County courthouse, built in 1956, remains in downtown and is now used as a museum and a satellite school for the University of West Georgia.

Douglas County is Governed by the Douglas County Board of Commissions and its Chairman, Tom Worthan (R), elected in 2004. The remaining commissioners are representatives from Douglas County's four districts.

In 2004, Douglas County voted in the majority for President, as well as the candidate for ,  (Republican).

Law Enforcement
Douglas County law enforcement is handled by the Douglas County Sheriffs Department, run by Sheriff Phil Miller elected in 2000. Inside Douglasville City Limits, law enforcement is handled by the Douglasville Police Department under Chief Joe Whisenant.

Schools
Douglas County is home to 19 Elementary Schools, 7 Middle Schools, 4 High Schools, Crossroads Night school, A Performance Learning Center and numerous private academies. Schools are run by the Douglas County School System.

Secondary Schools
Douglas County's 4 High Schools are:

Douglas County's 7 Middle Schools are:

Douglas County's 19 Elementary Schools are:

Technical School
Douglas County is home to a campus for the, whose main campus is located in. The school serves those seeking higher education in technical fields, as well as adult education and classes in Douglas County.

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 92,174 people, 32,822 households, and 24,911 families residing in the county. The was 179/km² (462/sq mi). There were 34,825 housing units at an average density of 67/km² (175/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 77.28%, 18.51% or , 0.35% , 1.17% , 0.02% , 1.22% from , and 1.44% from two or more races. 2.86% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 32,822 households out of which 38.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.10% were non-families. 18.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.60% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,108, and the median income for a family was $54,082. Males had a median income of $38,204 versus $28,475 for females. The for the county was $21,172. About 5.70% of families and 7.80% of the population were below the, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

 * (part, remainder is in )
 * (part, remainder is in )
 * (part, remainder is in )

Unincorporated Communities

 * (Unincorporated as of 2001.)
 * Beulah
 * Bill Arp
 * Chapel Hill
 * Cracker
 * Fairplay
 * Fouts Mill
 * Hannah
 * McWhorter
 * Midway
 * Phillips Mill
 * White City
 * Winston

Subdivision Names

 * Amber Forest
 * Anneewakee Falls
 * Anneewakee Trails
 * Applewood
 * Arbor Station
 * Ashton Heights
 * Autumn Glen
 * Bear Creek
 * Bomar Road
 * Brookmont
 * Brookfield Village
 * Carmel Chase
 * Cedar Terrace
 * Chapel Hills Golf and Country Club
 * Chestnut Log
 * Dorsett Shoals Road
 * Elk Run
 * Fairfield
 * Fairways
 * Greythorne
 * Hampton Chase
 * Holly Springs
 * Lake Monroe
 * Laurel Wood
 * Laura Lane
 * Leah Lane
 * Maroney Mill Road
 * Midway Station
 * Mirror Lake
 * Montage Manor
 * Nations Corner
 * Orchard Point
 * Oakridge
 * Peach Orchard
 * Pilgrim's Manor
 * Pope Road
 * Punkintown Road
 * Rosewood
 * River Pointe Overlook
 * Shadow Wood
 * Shallowford
 * Slater Mill
 * Slater Mill Plantation
 * Southern Pines
 * Stewarts Mill
 * Stonegate
 * Sumter West
 * Sweetwater Bluff
 * Timber Ridge
 * Tributary
 * The Village
 * Riverbanks
 * Warren Road
 * West Moreland
 * Woodlands
 * Weatherstone
 * Yancey Road
 * Yeager Road