Butts County, Georgia

Butts County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,434, up from 23,655 in 2010. The county seat is Jackson. The county was created on December 24, 1825.

Butts County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA. In 2010, the center of population of Georgia was located in the northeastern portion of the county.

History

Butts County was formed on December 24, 1825, as the sixty-fourth county in Georgia from portions of Henry County and Monroe County. It was named by the Georgia General Assembly in honor of Samuel Butts, an officer who was killed in the Creek War in 1814. A year later, Jackson was created as the first city in the new county and became the county seat. Other towns followed, including Indian Springs (1837); Flovilla (1883); Jenkinsburg (1889); and Pepperton (1897). Indian Springs later disincorporated and Pepperton was merged with Jackson in 1966, leaving just three incorporated cities in Butts County. In recent years, Indian Springs has again become a tourist destination including many historic sites, shops, eating establishment and the famous Indian Springs Hotel as its centerpiece.

Much of Butts County and its cities were destroyed by the army of General William T. Sherman in its March to the Sea during the American Civil War. Butts County struggled for decades afterwards to become economically stable again. The arrival of the first railroad train on May 5, 1882, started the resurgence and growth followed. In 1898, caught up in the post-reconstruction fervor that had infected most Georgia counties, Butts County erected a monumental courthouse designed by Bruce & Morgan. This building was used as a courthouse until 2019; following renovations, it is now a museum and visitor center. The construction of the Lloyd Shoals dam in 1910 created Jackson Lake, a recreational lake located primarily in Butts County.

Progress milestones in Butts County include the first telephones in 1884; first waterworks in 1905; electric lights on February 19, 1907; and traffic lights in 1926.

In 2007, Butts County, along with the city of Flovilla, were both designated as Georgia Signature Communities by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. This prestigious designation was given to a total of 12 communities in Georgia that year.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water. The entirety of Butts County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

25px Interstate 75
25px U.S. Route 23
25px State Route 16
25px State Route 36
25px State Route 42
20px State Route 87
25px State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)

Adjacent counties

Newton County (north)
Jasper County (east)
Monroe County (south)
Lamar County (southwest)
Spalding County (west)
Henry County (northwest)

Communities

Cities

Flovilla
Jackson
Jenkinsburg

Unincorporated communities

Stark
Worthville

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Butts 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)

|8,211

|9,711

|13,366

|16,200

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,628

|60.09%

|63.36%

|68.47%

|68.48%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |65.38%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|5,226

|5,421

|5,601

|6,431

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,808

|38.24%

|35.37%

|28.69%

|27.19%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |26.77%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|21

|38

|72

|52

|style='background: #ffffe6; |39

|0.15%

|0.25%

|0.37%

|0.22%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15%

|Asian alone (NH)

|13

|43

|50

|100

|style='background: #ffffe6; |102

|0.10%

|0.28%

|0.26%

|0.42%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.40%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9

|0.02%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%

|Other race alone (NH)

|19

|style='background: #ffffe6; |164

|0.02%

|0.00%

|0.03%

|0.08%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.64%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|146

|253

|style='background: #ffffe6; |881

|0.75%

|1.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.46%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|191

|113

|277

|597

|style='background: #ffffe6; |803

|1.40%

|0.74%

|1.42%

|2.52%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.16%

|Total

|13,665

|15,326

|19,522

|23,655

|style='background: #ffffe6; |25,434

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 25,434. Of the residents, 19.9% were under the age of 18 and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females there were 115.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 119.3 males. 22.4% of residents lived in urban areas and 77.6% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 66.1% White, 26.9% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population. In addition to the many buildings of the downtown that are visible in various scenes, the exterior of the Butts County Courthouse is featured, standing in for the Hawkins library.

The fact that Butts County serves as the filming location for key events in the show has already led fans there after just two seasons. Other shows which have filmed in the area include The Originals, a television show, and a recent remake of Endless Love by Universal Studios. Beginning October 18, 2024, Butts County Sheriff's Office began being featured in the Reelz live television program "On Patrol: Live."

Government and infrastructure

County government

Butts County is governed by a Board of Commissioners composed of one commissioner from each of the county's five electoral districts. The commission members serve four year, staggered terms. The Board is presided over by the chairman, elected annually from the members of the commission to chair the meetings of the Board. The Board employs a County Administrator, Deputy County Administrator, County Clerk and nine department managers to oversee the daily affairs of the government.

There are four Constitutional Officers and three Elected Officials who are elected at-large by the voters of the county. The Constitutional Officers include the Sheriff; Tax Commissioner; Probate Judge and Clerk of the Superior Court. Elected officials include the Magistrate Judge; Coroner and County Surveyor. Other services are provided by departments headed by appointees of the Board of Commissioners.

In 2008, a movement began to create an elected, at-large chairman position to serve as presiding officer over the Board of Commissioners. This movement lost ground in 2009 and has not been revisited.

State representation

thumb|[[Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison]]

The Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison of the Georgia Department of Corrections is a maximum security prison in unincorporated Butts County. It is home to Georgia's death row for men and Georgia's execution facility. The prison is also home to maximum security general population (non-death row).

Politics

As of the 2020s, Butts County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 72% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Butts County is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Butts County is part of District 25. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Butts County is part of District 118.

Education

All parts of the county are in the Butts County School District.

References

External links

Butts County Board of Commissioners Official Site
Butts County Historical Society
Butts County historical marker