Jenkins County is a county located in the southeastern area of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,674. The county seat is Millen. Historic Magnolia Springs State Park is located between Millen and Perkins.
History
Jenkins County was created on August 17, 1905, from portions of Bulloch, Burke, Emanuel and Screven counties, and named after the 44th Governor of Georgia, Charles Jones Jenkins. The effort was spearheaded by Robert Gray Daniel (d. May 14, 1934), a director of the local Millen Bank, a 40-year member of the board of education and scion of the county's Daniel family who had large mercantile and farming enterprises.
During the Red Summer of 1919, there was a race riot on April 13, 1919 in Jenkins County, in which white mobs attacked the black community. Prosperous and respected local farmer Joe Ruffin, whose family had historically been slaves working the plantations of the Daniel family, was almost impoverished by the costs of his legal defense and vindication.
For a number of years, the largest employer in the county was Jockey International which employed manual and skilled laborers until reducing then closing operations in September 2007. MI Windows and Doors had a long presence in the county at its manufacturing plant, closing in December 2007.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.5%) is water.
Most of the southern portion of Jenkins County, from southwest of Millen to west of Hiltonia, is located in the Lower Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, with the exception of very small parts of the southwestern corner of the county, north and east of Garfield, which are located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the same Ogeechee River basin. The northwestern portion of Jenkins County is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, with just the northeastern corner of the county located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Route 25
- 20px State Route 17
- 20px State Route 17 Bypass
- 20px State Route 21
- 20px State Route 23
- 20px State Route 67
- 23px State Route 121
- 23px State Route 555 (Savannah River Parkway)
- 23px State Route 565 (Savannah River Parkway)
Adjacent counties
- Burke County (north)
- Screven County (east)
- Bulloch County (south)
- Emanuel County (west)
Communities
City
- Millen
Census-designated place
- Perkins
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Jenkins County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!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)
|5,154
|4,802
|4,766
|4,508
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,611
|58.30%
|58.23%
|55.58%
|54.05%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |53.16%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|3,543
|3,411
|3,437
|3,353
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,536
|40.07%
|41.36%
|40.08%
|40.20%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |40.77%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|1
|5
|10
|22
|style='background: #ffffe6; |29
|0.01%
|0.06%
|0.12%
|0.26%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.33%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|6
|16
|18
|36
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12
|0.07%
|0.19%
|0.21%
|0.43%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|4
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5
|x
|x
|0.05%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.06%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|1
|0
|4
|7
|style='background: #ffffe6; |30
|0.01%
|0.00%
|0.05%
|0.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|49
|79
|style='background: #ffffe6; |148
|x
|x
|0.57%
|0.95%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.71%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|136
|13
|287
|334
|style='background: #ffffe6; |303
|1.54%
|0.16%
|3.35%
|4.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.49%
|-
|Total
|8,841
|8,247
|8,575
|8,340
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,674
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
The county reached its peak population in 1920.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,674. The median age was 42.5 years. 19.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 121.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 123.1 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 53.9% White, 40.9% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.5% of the population. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Jenkins County is part of District 126.
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Education
The Jenkins County School District has three schools, including the Jenkins County High School.
Notable people
- Farmer Brady, baseball player
- Max Burns, politician and academic
- Russell Davis III, football player
- Nathan Deal, politician
- Linda Schrenko, superintendent
- Courtney Smith, football player
- Melvin E. Thompson, educator and politician
- Bennie Ward, physicist
- Kountry Wayne, comedian
See also
- Camp Lawton (Georgia)
- Central Savannah River Area
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Jenkins County, Georgia
- List of counties in Georgia