Mitchell County, Georgia

Mitchell County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,755. The county seat is Camilla. Mitchell County was created on December 21, 1857.

Etymology

Sources conflict as to whether Mitchell County was named for David Brydie Mitchell, the 27th Governor of Georgia, or for Henry Mitchell, a general in the Revolutionary War. However, it is most likely that the county was named for General Henry Mitchell, as a marker outside of the Mitchell County Courthouse says, "However, the Georgia Laws of 1857 (pages 38-40), creating Mitchell County, say the county was named in honor of Gen. Henry Mitchell...."

History

Mitchell County was created out of Baker County on December 21, 1857. It is the state's 123rd county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.

The bulk of Mitchell County is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The county's southeastern corner, bordered by a line from Sale City southwest through Pelham, is located in the Lower Ochlockonee River sub-basin of the same Ochlockonee River basin.

Major highways

20px U.S. Route 19
20px State Route 3
20px State Route 37
20px State Route 37 Connector
20px State Route 65
20px State Route 93
20px State Route 97
23px State Route 111
23px State Route 112
23px State Route 262
23px State Route 270
23px State Route 300
23px State Route 311

Adjacent counties

Dougherty County (north)
Worth County (northeast)
Colquitt County (east)
Thomas County (southeast)
Grady County (south)
Decatur County (southwest)
Baker County (west)

Communities

Cities

Baconton
Camilla
Meigs (partly in Thomas County)
Pelham

Towns

Sale City

Unincorporated communities

Adelaide
Branchville
Cotton
DeWitt
Flint
Greenough
Greenwood
Hinsonton
Hopeful
Laney
Lester
Pebble City
Petty
Rogerville
Saco
Vada (partly in Decatur County)

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Mitchell 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)

|10,841

|10,338

|11,746

|10,894

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,106

|51.35%

|50.99%

|49.08%

|46.36%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |46.45%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|10,029

|9,611

|11,423

|11,185

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,054

|47.50%

|47.40%

|47.73%

|47.60%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |46.21%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|51

|41

|60

|style='background: #ffffe6; |37

|0.02%

|0.25%

|0.17%

|0.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.17%

|Asian alone (NH)

|22

|15

|61

|120

|style='background: #ffffe6; |108

|0.10%

|0.07%

|0.25%

|0.51%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.03%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|18

|style='background: #ffffe6; |41

|0.04%

|0.00%

|0.03%

|0.08%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|154

|189

|style='background: #ffffe6; |445

|0.64%

|0.80%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.05%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|210

|260

|491

|1,028

|style='background: #ffffe6; |964

|0.99%

|1.28%

|2.05%

|4.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.43%

|Total

|21,114

|20,275

|23,932

|23,498

|style='background: #ffffe6; |21,755

|100.00%

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 21,755 people, 8,156 households, and 5,454 families residing in the county. The median age was 42.3 years, with 21.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.0% of residents aged 65 years or older.

For every 100 females there were 103.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.2 males. 24.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 75.8% lived in rural areas.

Among the 8,156 households in the county, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 36.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Andersonville Theological Seminary has its headquarters based in Camilla. The seminary's headquarters consists of two administrative buildings. Most of the seminary's students take online classes to complete their degree programs, but in January 2020 the school started to provide on-site courses at their location in Camilla.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Mitchell County is a Republican stronghold, voting 58% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Mitchell County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Mitchell County is part of District 12. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Mitchell County is part of District 171.

Notable people

George Thornewell Smith - former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia and state court judge