Berrien County, Georgia

Berrien County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,160. The county seat is Nashville. The county was created February 25, 1856, out of portions of Coffee, Irwin and Lowndes counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. It is named after Georgia senator John M. Berrien.

History

Establishment

The citizens of the area of Lowndes County and Irwin County that would become Berrien County had to travel long distances to get the county courthouse at Franklinville, Georgia and later Troupville, Georgia for those in Lowndes County, and Irwinville, Georgia for those in Irwin County. By at least June 1853, citizens had petitioned to form a new county. The 1853 attempt of a new county failed. By 1856, a renewed attempt at the creation of a new county was successful.

World War I

Berrien County lost a disproportionate number of men in World War I in part because companies at that time were organized by militia districts at home. Eight weeks before the Armistice, 25 Berrien County men were among the 200 recently enlisted soldiers who perished at sea off the coast of Scotland. Many of the bodies were returned to the soldiers' hometowns for burial, and the names of the dead were engraved on a memorial located on the courthouse grounds in Nashville. The memorial was the first in a series of pressed copper sculptures by artist E. M. Viquesney entitled The Spirit of the American Doughboy.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water.

The western portion of Berrien County, from just north of U.S. Route 82 and roughly west of U.S. Route 129 heading south, is located in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

20px U.S. Route 82
25px U.S. Route 129
20px State Route 11
20px State Route 37
20px State Route 64
20px State Route 76
25px State Route 125
25px State Route 135
20px State Route 158
20px State Route 168
25px State Route 520

Adjacent counties

Irwin County - north
Coffee County - northeast
Atkinson County - east
Lanier County - southeast
Lowndes County - south
Cook County - west
Tift County - northwest

Communities

Cities

Nashville
Ray City

Towns

Alapaha
Enigma

Unincorporated communities

Allenville
Bannockburn
Cottle
Gladys
Glory
New Lois
Utopia
Weber

Extinct communities

Avera Mill
Baker's Sawmill
Brewer's Mill
Flat Creek Mills
Rowetown
White Station

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Berrien County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 1980

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|11,719

|12,178

|13,761

|16,050

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,396

|86.65%

|86.05%

|84.76%

|83.22%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |79.27%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|1,649

|1,642

|1,843

|2,040

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,934

|12.19%

|11.60%

|11.35%

|10.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.65%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|10

|27

|42

|44

|style='background: #ffffe6; |22

|0.07%

|0.19%

|0.26%

|0.23%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.12%

|Asian alone (NH)

|20

|29

|47

|82

|style='background: #ffffe6; |80

|0.15%

|0.20%

|0.29%

|0.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.44%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|13

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10

|0.08%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%

|Other race alone (NH)

|15

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |62

|0.11%

|0.00%

|0.09%

|0.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.34%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|131

|174

|style='background: #ffffe6; |611

|0.81%

|0.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.36%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|112

|277

|384

|885

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,045

|0.83%

|1.96%

|2.37%

|4.59%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.75%

|Total

|13,525

|14,153

|16,235

|19,286

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,160

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 18,160 and 5,055 families. Of the residents, 24.6% were under the age of 18 and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.9 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males. 26.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 73.3% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% White, 10.8% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.8% of the population. Approximately 51% of its population made less than $50,000 a year; 30% from $50,000-100,000; 17% from $100,000-200,000; and 2% more than $200,000 annually. Of the county, 23.2% lived at or below the poverty line, and an estimated 30% of children under 18 years of age were at or below the poverty line. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $108,300.

Religion

The Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted the largest religion in the area is Christianity. The largest Christian groups within the county are Baptists and non or interdenominational Protestants, followed by Methodists and Pentecostals. Within Berrien County, the largest single Christian denomination as of 2020 has been the Southern Baptist Convention.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Berrien County is a Republican stronghold, voting 84.8% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Berrien County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Austin Scott. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Berrien County is part of District 13. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Berrien County is part of District 170, currently represented by Jaclyn Ford.