Johnson County is a county located along the Oconee River in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,189. The county seat is Wrightsville. Johnson County is part of the Dublin, Georgia, micropolitan statistical area.
History
Johnson County was created by the Georgia legislature on December 11, 1858, from parts of Emanuel, Laurens, and Washington counties. Johnson County was named for Georgia governor, senator, and U.S. vice-presidential candidate Herschel Vespasian Johnson.
In 1919, a deputy driving Jim Waters, a black prisoner accused of rape, out of the county was stopped by a group of 150 men at a bridge over the Ohoopee River. The men tied Waters to a tree and shot him numerous times. The case was closed without any investigation.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.
The vast majority of Johnson County is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. Tiny portions of the northeastern borders of the county are located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, while the western corner of Johnson County is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Route 80
- 23px U.S. Route 221
- 23px U.S. Route 319
- 20px State Route 15
- 20px State Route 26
- 20px State Route 31
- 20px State Route 57
- 20px State Route 78
- 20px State Route 86
- 20px State Route 171
Adjacent counties
- Washington County - north
- Jefferson County - northeast
- Emanuel County - east
- Treutlen County - south
- Laurens County - southwest
- Wilkinson County - west
Communities
Cities
- Adrian (partly in Emanuel County)
- Kite
- Wrightsville (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
- Meeks
- Donovan
- New Home (Johnson County)
- Tom
- Scott