Decatur County, Georgia

Decatur County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,367. The county seat is Bainbridge.

Decatur County comprises the Bainbridge, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which is included in the Tallahassee—Bainbridge, FL-GA Combined Statistical Area.

History

The county was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 8, 1823, from a portion of Early County. Three other counties were created from land that was originally part of Decatur County.

In 1825, a portion of Decatur was used in the creation of Thomas County. In 1905, another portion of Decatur was used in the creation of part of Grady County. In 1920, the western portion of Decatur County was used to form Seminole County in its entirety.

Decatur County is named for United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur, a hero of the War of 1812.

Geography

thumb|left|The welcome sign for Decatur County on [[Georgia State Route 97|State Route 97]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.2%) is water.

The bulk of Decatur County, from northeast to southwest, and centered on Bainbridge, is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). Almost all of the county's western border is located in the Spring Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The southwestern portion of Decatur County, centered on Attapulgus, and bordered on the west by State Route 302, is located on the Lower Ochlockonee River sub-basin of the larger Ochlockonee River basin. Finally, the county's southwestern corner, west of State Route 302, is located in the Apalachicola River sub-basin of the same larger ACF River basin.

Major highways

20px U.S. Route 27
20px 20px U.S. Route 27 Business
20px U.S. Route 84
20px 20px U.S. Route 84 Business
20px State Route 1
20px State Route 1 Business
20px State Route 38
20px State Route 97
20px State Route 97 Spur
25px State Route 241
20px State Route 253
20px State Route 253 Spur
25px State Route 262
20px State Route 285
20px State Route 302
20px State Route 302 Spur
25px State Route 309
25px State Route 310
25px State Route 311

Adjacent counties

Miller County - north
Mitchell County - northeast
Baker County - northeast
Grady County - east
Gadsden County, Florida - south
Seminole County - west

Communities

Cities

Attapulgus
Bainbridge
Climax

Town

Brinson

Census-Designated Place

Faceville

Unincorporated communities

Amsterdam
Ausmac
Cyrene
Eldorendo
Fowlstown
Vada

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Decatur 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)

|15,389

|15,012

|15,800

|14,615

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,280

|60.36%

|58.85%

|55.95%

|52.49%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |48.63%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|9,818

|9,917

|11,227

|11,366

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,200

|38.51%

|38.87%

|39.76%

|40.82%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |41.54%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|24

|61

|59

|57

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64

|0.09%

|0.24%

|0.21%

|0.20%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%

|Asian alone (NH)

|38

|40

|86

|138

|style='background: #ffffe6; |183

|0.15%

|0.16%

|0.30%

|0.50%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.62%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%

|Other race alone (NH)

|33

|style='background: #ffffe6; |64

|0.00%

|0.04%

|0.01%

|0.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|156

|226

|style='background: #ffffe6; |649

|0.55%

|0.81%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.21%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|226

|472

|905

|1,404

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,911

|0.89%

|1.85%

|3.20%

|5.04%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.51%

|Total

|25,495

|25,511

|28,240

|27,842

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29,367

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,367 people and 7,113 families residing in the county. The median age was 40.0 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.3 males age 18 and over. 47.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 52.8% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 49.6% White, 41.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.1% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Decatur County is part of District 171.

References

;General

;Specific

The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Decatur County

External links

Decatur County historical marker
Amsterdam historical marker
Cyrene historical marker