Greene County, Georgia

right|thumb|Unidentified building near [[White Plains, Georgia|White Plains, Georgia, ca. 1941]]

Greene County is a county located in the east central portion & the Lake country region 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 , of which is land and (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)
(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)

Communities

Cities

Greensboro
Union Point
White Plains
Woodville

Towns

Siloam

Unincorporated communities

Bairdstown

Other

Scull Shoals, an extinct town on the Oconee River.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Greene 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)

|5,357

|5,816

|7,481

|8,771

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11,126

|47.03%

|49.32%

|51.93%

|54.84%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |58.82%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|5,875

|5,867

|6,356

|6,078

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,783

|51.58%

|49.75%

|44.12%

|38.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30.57%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|14

|13

|32

|38

|style='background: #ffffe6; |28

|0.12%

|0.11%

|0.22%

|0.24%

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

|Asian alone (NH)

|36

|54

|style='background: #ffffe6; |174

|0.07%

|0.01%

|0.25%

|0.34%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.92%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|10

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%

|Other race alone (NH)

|15

|style='background: #ffffe6; |58

|0.02%

|0.00%

|0.10%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|57

|135

|style='background: #ffffe6; |455

|0.40%

|0.84%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.41%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|135

|96

|420

|893

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,289

|1.19%

|0.81%

|2.92%

|5.58%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.81%

|Total

|11,391

|11,793

|14,406

|15,994

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,915

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 18,915 people, 7,874 households, and 4,975 families residing in the county. The median age was 51.6 years, with 18.8% under the age of 18 and 29.6% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.8 males age 18 and over. None of the residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 59.7% White, 30.7% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.7% from some other race, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.8% of the population.

Of the 7,874 households, 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 10,087 housing units, of which 21.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.3% were owner-occupied and 23.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.

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 due to the growth of white residents moving to Reynolds Lake Oconee.

As of the 2020s, Greene County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 64% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Greene County is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Greene County is part of District 24. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Greene County is part of District 124.

References

External links

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