Madison County, Georgia

Madison County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,120. The county seat is Danielsville. The county was created on December 5, 1811. The county's largest city is Comer with a population of 1,200. Madison County was included in the Athens–Clarke County metropolitan area, which is included in the Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs CSA.

History

Madison County was organized by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia on December 11, 1811. It was named for James Madison, who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. It was the 38th county formed in Georgia, and began to function as a county in 1812. Madison County was formed from the counties of Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Jackson, Oglethorpe.

Early agriculture in Madison County was devoted to food crops and livestock (cattle, hogs, and sheep), which were sufficient to feed the population. Just after the Civil War ended, the demand for a cash crop led to major reliance on cotton. The soils of Madison County were heavily damaged by this cotton monoculture. From the 1930s on, agriculture became more diverse. Today, agribusiness dominates the local economy, with poultry production particularly important.

Madison and Oglethorpe counties share Watson Mill Bridge State Park, the site of the longest covered bridge in Georgia. The bridge, which is over 100 years old, spans 229 feet of the South Fork of the Broad River. There are also facilities for camping, hiking trails, picnicking, and fishing in the park.

The Madison County Courthouse, one of the most ornate in Georgia, was built in 1901 for the sum of $18,314. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. New Hope Presbyterian Church, established in 1788, is the third oldest church in Georgia.

Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn, a decorated veteran of World War II and a United States Army Reserve officer, was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan on July 11, 1964, nine days after passage of the Civil Rights Act, on a Broad River bridge on the Georgia State Route 172 in Madison County.

Postal history

In 1879, there were only four post offices in Madison County: Danielsville, Fort Lamar, Madison Springs and Paoli. In 1889, Madison county had post offices at Carlton, Danielsville, Dowdy, Fort Lamar, Gholston (Gholston's Stand), Hix, Ila, Madison Springs, Medicus, Paoli and Planter.

By 1900, additional post offices had been opened in Alvin, Berea, Boggs, Carruth, Comer, Fiveforks (now Comer), Jeptha, Larkin, Monitor, Neese, Pocataligo and Sorrells, while the offices in Gholston and Medicus had been closed. By 1910, most of these post offices had closed; the only remaining ones were in Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Danielsville and Hull.

By 1920, the office in Ila had reopened. The county would retain these six post offices

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.

The vast majority of Madison County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, with just a very small portion of the county's western edge located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties

Franklin County, Georgia – north
Hart County, Georgia – northeast
Elbert County, Georgia – east
Oglethorpe County, Georgia – south
Clarke County, Georgia – southwest
Jackson County, Georgia – west
Banks County, Georgia – northwest

Major highways

20px U.S. Route 29
20px State Route 8
20px State Route 22
20px [[Georgia State Route 72|State

Route 72 Business]]

20px [[Georgia State Route 72|State

Route 72 Bypass]]

20px [[Georgia State Route 72|State

Route 72 Spur]]

20px State Route 98
23px State Route 106
23px State Route 172
23px State Route 174
23px State Route 191
23px State Route 281

Communities

Cities

Carlton
Colbert
Comer
Danielsville
Hull
Ila

Unincorporated communities

Alvin
Dogsboro
Fort Lamar
Hix
Neese
Paoli
Planter
Pocataligo
Sanford
Shiloh

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Madison 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)

|15,679

|18,945

|22,713

|24,106

|style='background: #ffffe6; |23,549

|88.35%

|90.00%

|88.27%

|85.73%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |78.18%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|1,900

|1,845

|2,165

|2,320

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,753

|10.71%

|8.76%

|8.41%

|8.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.14%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|18

|26

|44

|63

|style='background: #ffffe6; |44

|0.10%

|0.12%

|0.17%

|0.22%

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

|Asian alone (NH)

|10

|52

|70

|173

|style='background: #ffffe6; |521

|0.06%

|0.25%

|0.27%

|0.62%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.73%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4

|0.02%

|0.00%

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

|Other race alone (NH)

|28

|32

|style='background: #ffffe6; |106

|0.02%

|0.00%

|0.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|197

|287

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,187

|0.77%

|1.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.94%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|136

|182

|507

|1,139

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,956

|0.77%

|0.86%

|1.97%

|4.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.49%

|Total

|17,747

|21,050

|25,730

|28,120

|style='background: #ffffe6; |30,120

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 30,120 people, 11,267 households, and 8,153 families residing in the county.

The median age was 40.9 years; 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 11,267 households in the county, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Madison County is represented by District 33 and District 123.

Education

Madison County public education is served by the Madison County School District. The Madison County Board of Education oversees and operates the public charter school system in the School District. Madison County Board of Education operates 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school and 1 career academy.

The Madison County Board of Education is overseen by 5 elected board members, from 5 districts in the county. The Board appoints a School Superintendent who works at the pleasure of the Board as a whole.

The district has 290 full-time teachers and over 4,621 students.

Public Schools

Colbert Elementary School
Comer Elementary School
Danielsville Elementary School
Hull-Sanford Elementary School
Ila Elementary School
Madison County Middle School (MCMS), Home of the Mustangs
Madison County High School (MCHS), Home of the Red Raiders
Broad River College and Career Academy

Private schools

Union Christian Academy, Hull
The Busy Box Pre-School, Hull
The Learning Train Pre-School, Colbert
Building Blocks Pre-School, Hull

Notable people

Allen Daniel Jr. – major general, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, state senator, namesake of Danielsville
Josh Fields – Major League baseball player
Crawford W. Long – the man who first used ether in surgery
Ralph Hudgens – Georgia insurance and safety fire commissioner
Jake Westbrook – former Major League baseball player