Greene County, Georgia

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Greene County, Georgia
Greene County courthouse in Greensboro
Location in the state of Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1786 (1786)
Named for	Nathanael Greene
Seat	Greensboro
Largest city	Greensboro
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	406 sq mi (1,052 km²) 387 sq mi (1,002 km²) 19 sq mi (49 km²), 4.6%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	18,915 49/sq mi (19/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	http://www.greenecountyga.gov/

Unidentified building near White Plains, Georgia, ca. 1941

Greene County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,915. The county seat is Greensboro. The county was created on February 3, 1786, and is named for Nathanael Greene, an American Revolutionary War major general.

History

Greene County was formed on February 3, 1786, from land given by Washington County. It was named in honor of General Nathanael Greene, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 square miles (1,050 km²), of which 387 square miles (1,000 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (4.6%) is water.

The majority of Greene County, west of a line between Woodville, Union Point, and White Plains, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northern half of the remainder of the county is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, while the southern half is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.

Major highways

• Interstate 20
• U.S. Route 278
• State Route 12
• State Route 15
• State Route 44
• State Route 77
• State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)

Adjacent counties

• Oglethorpe County (north)
• Taliaferro County (east)
• Hancock County (southeast)
• Putnam County (southwest)
• Morgan County (west)
• Oconee County (northwest)

National protected area

• Oconee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	5,405		—
1800	10,761		99.1%
1810	11,679		8.5%
1820	13,589		16.4%
1830	12,549		−7.7%
1840	11,690		−6.8%
1850	13,068		11.8%
1860	12,652		−3.2%
1870	12,454		−1.6%
1880	17,547		40.9%
1890	17,051		−2.8%
1900	16,542		−3.0%
1910	18,512		11.9%
1920	18,972		2.5%
1930	12,616		−33.5%
1940	13,709		8.7%
1950	12,843		−6.3%
1960	11,193		−12.8%
1970	10,212		−8.8%
1980	11,391		11.5%
1990	11,793		3.5%
2000	14,406		22.2%
2010	15,994		11.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 14,406 people, 5,477 households and 4,042 families living in the county. The population density was 37 per square mile (14/km²). There were 6,653 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 52.95% White, 44.45% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.49% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 2.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,477 households, of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.00% were married couples living together, 18.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 23.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.02.

25.10% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.50 males.

The median household income was $33,479 and the median family incomewas $39,794. Males had a median income of $31,295 versus $20,232 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,389. About 16.00% of families and 22.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.80% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 15,994 people, 6,519 households, and 4,677 families living in the county. The population density was 41.3 inhabitants per square mile (15.9 /km²). There were 8,688 housing units at an average density of 22.4 per square mile (8.6 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.6% white, 38.2% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.1% were American, 7.6% were English, and 6.1% were German.

Of the 6,519 households, 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.3% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 46.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,513 and the median income for a family was $42,307. Males had a median income of $32,245 versus $24,622 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,943. About 17.8% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 15.6% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Greene County racial composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	11,126	58.82%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	5,783	30.57%
Native American	28	0.15%
Asian	174	0.92%
Pacific Islander	2	0.01%
Other/Mixed	513	2.71%
Hispanic or Latino	1,289	6.81%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,915 people, 7,132 households, and 4,975 families residing in the county.

Education

The county supports the Greene County School Board, Lake Oconee Academy and Nathanael Greene Academy.

Role in passage of the Georgia Indigent Defense Act

In 2001, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Benham convened a committee to investigate indigent defense in the state of Georgia. An avalanche of complaints about the state of public defense in Greene County, along with a number of lawsuits filed by Stephen Bright and the Southern Center for Human Rights, contributed to the formation of this commission. The commission discovered during its investigation that indigent defendants in Greene County were routinely pleaded guilty by judges without the presence of counsel and sometimes without even being present in court to make their pleas, violations of the Sixth Amendment. Excessive bail, e.g. $50,000 for loitering, was often set as well, a violation of the Eighth Amendment. After two years of investigation, the committee's recommendations led to the passage of the Georgia Indigent Defense Act.

Communities

• Greensboro
• Scull Shoals
• Siloam
• Union Point
• White Plains
• Woodville

Politics

Prior to 2000, the only time Greene County failed to back a Democratic Party candidate in a presidential election was in 1972, when Richard Nixon won every county in Georgia and all but 130 counties nationwide. From 2000 onward, it has been consistently Republican.

United States presidential election results for Greene County, Georgia

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,066	62.83%	4,087	36.34%	94	0.84%
2016	5,490	61.55%	3,199	35.87%	230	2.58%
2012	5,071	60.90%	3,201	38.44%	55	0.66%
2008	4,532	57.21%	3,339	42.15%	50	0.63%
2004	4,069	59.17%	2,774	40.34%	34	0.49%
2000	2,980	57.34%	2,137	41.12%	80	1.54%
1996	1,702	42.39%	2,115	52.68%	198	4.93%
1992	1,307	32.21%	2,259	55.67%	492	12.12%
1988	1,432	43.93%	1,818	55.77%	10	0.31%
1984	1,599	44.53%	1,992	55.47%	0	0.00%
1980	961	26.90%	2,571	71.96%	41	1.15%
1976	652	20.46%	2,534	79.54%	0	0.00%
1972	1,679	64.63%	919	35.37%	0	0.00%
1968	652	18.58%	1,635	46.58%	1,223	34.84%
1964	1,093	28.83%	2,698	71.17%	0	0.00%
1960	328	14.22%	1,979	85.78%	0	0.00%
1956	541	21.19%	2,012	78.81%	0	0.00%
1952	397	14.60%	2,323	85.40%	0	0.00%
1948	92	5.79%	1,213	76.29%	285	17.92%
1944	144	10.33%	1,246	89.38%	4	0.29%
1940	148	8.93%	1,497	90.29%	13	0.78%
1936	86	5.96%	1,348	93.35%	10	0.69%
1932	52	5.35%	918	94.44%	2	0.21%
1928	245	28.10%	627	71.90%	0	0.00%
1924	77	9.86%	558	71.45%	146	18.69%
1920	178	20.72%	681	79.28%	0	0.00%
1916	53	6.01%	676	76.64%	153	17.35%
1912	10	1.46%	525	76.64%	150	21.90%
1908	428	40.07%	412	38.58%	228	21.35%
1904	201	22.09%	451	49.56%	258	28.35%
1900	303	37.18%	493	60.49%	19	2.33%
1896	910	58.60%	575	37.03%	68	4.38%
1892	777	38.03%	684	33.48%	582	28.49%
1888	714	46.58%	803	52.38%	16	1.04%
1884	832	52.43%	755	47.57%	0	0.00%
1880	202	21.11%	755	78.89%	0	0.00%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Greene County, Georgia

External links

• Greene County historical marker
• Old Greene County "Gaol" historical marker