Wilkes County, Georgia

Wilkes County is a located in the  of. As of, the population is 10,687. The 2005 Census Estimate shows a population of 10,457. The is. Wilkes county is commonly referred to by locals and people around the state as "Washington-Wilkes," as both the county and the county seat are viewed as one entity. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created February 5, 1777. Wilkes County was the last place that the lost gold of the Confederacy was seen which has become one of Georgia's most lingering and possibly lucrative mysteries.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,228 (474 ). 1,221 km² (471 sq mi) of it is land and 7 km² (3 sq mi) of it (0.55%) is water.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:US 78.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:US 378.svg|23px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 10.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 17.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 44.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 47.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 80.svg|20px]]

Adjacent Counties

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

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 10,687 people, 4,314 households, and 2,968 families residing in the county. The was 9/km² (23/sq mi). There were 5,022 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (11/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 55.12%, 43.05% or , 0.20% , 0.23% , 0.04% , 0.51% from , and 0.85% from two or more races. 1.98% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 4,314 households out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.10% were living together, 17.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,644, and the median income for a family was $36,219. Males had a median income of $27,355 versus $21,298 for females. The for the county was $15,020. About 13.00% of families and 17.50% of the population were below the, including 24.20% of those under age 18 and 19.90% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

 * , born in Wilkes County, bishop of the