Oconee County is a county located in the East Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,799. The county seat is Watkinsville.

Oconee County is included in the Athens-Clarke County metropolitan area.

History

The county's name derives from the Oconee, a Muskogean people of central Georgia. The name exists in several variations, including Ocone, Oconi, Ocony, and Ekwoni. Oconee County was created from the southwestern part of Clarke County in 1875 by the Georgia General Assembly. The new county was created to satisfy southwestern Clarke County residents' demand for their own county after the county seat was moved from Watkinsville to Athens by the General Assembly in 1872. It is named for the river flowing along part of its eastern border.

The county was ranked as the third-best rural county to live in by Progressive Farmer magazine in 2006.

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 county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

The entirety of Oconee County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties

  • Clarke County (north)
  • Oglethorpe County (east)
  • Greene County (southeast)
  • Morgan County (south)
  • Walton County (west)Southwest
  • Barrow County (northwest)

National protected area

  • Oconee National Forest (part)

Communities

Towns

  • Bishop
  • Bogart
  • North High Shoals
  • Watkinsville

Unincorporated community

  • Elder
  • Farmington
  • Salem

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

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

|+Oconee 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)

|11,056

|16,015

|23,112

|28,306

|style='background: #ffffe6; |33,886

|88.97%

|90.90%

|88.13%

|86.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |81.07%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|1,255

|1,309

|1,653

|1,610

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,897

|10.10%

|7.43%

|6.30%

|4.91%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.54%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|8

|33

|40

|31

|style='background: #ffffe6; |31

|0.06%

|0.19%

|0.15%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|13

|80

|373

|1,016

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,066

|0.10%

|0.45%

|1.42%

|3.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.94%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|11

|4

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|x

|x

|0.04%

|0.01%

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

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|5

|3

|14

|35

|style='background: #ffffe6; |171

|0.04%

|0.02%

|0.05%

|0.11%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|189

|370

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,401

|x

|x

|0.72%

|1.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.35%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|90

|178

|833

|1,436

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,347

|0.72%

|1.01%

|3.18%

|4.38%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.61%

|-

|Total

|12,427

|17,618

|26,225

|32,808

|style='background: #ffffe6; |41,799

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

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

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 41,799, and the census counted 10,727 families residing in the county.

The median age was 39.7 years, 27.7% of residents were under the age of 18, and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.8 males age 18 and over. 45.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 54.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 14,360 households in the county, of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 19.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

The chairman of the board is the county's chief executive officer who, in consultation with the commissioners, appoints officers and staff as needed to administer the responsibilities of the board.

The current members of the Board are:

Primary law enforcement services in the portion of the county outside the City of Watkinsville are provided by the sheriff's office. (Law enforcement within the Watkinsville City Limits is the jurisdiction of the Watkinsville Police Department.) The office of Sheriff is an elected position; since 2020, the office has been held by James Hale.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Oconee County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 67% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Oconee County is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Oconee County is part of District 46. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Oconee County is part of districts 120 and 121.

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Education

Oconee County School District

The Oconee County School District provides education for grades pre-school to twelve and consists of six elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools. The district has 361 full-time teachers and over 5,615 students.

Private schools

There are currently three private schools located in the county. They are:

  • Westminster Christian Academy
  • Prince Avenue Christian School
  • Athens Academy

Colleges and universities

The University of North Georgia maintains a satellite campus near Watkinsville. It was a Gainesville State College campus until the 2012 merger of Gainesville State College with North Georgia College and State University.

The College of Athens (CoA) is a private Christian college that was established in 2012 near Watkinsville. CoA currently offers certificates, undergraduate, and graduate degrees in nine various major areas.

Media

There is one weekly-published newspaper in Oconee County: The Oconee Enterprise.

Cox Media Group also operates a radio broadcast facility on Tower Place in northeast Oconee County. Four radio stations are operated from this facility:

  • WNGC 106.1 FM
  • WGMG 102.1 FM (Magic 102.1)
  • WPUP 100.1 FM (Power 100.1)
  • <nowiki>WRFC 960 AM</nowiki> (The Ref)

Transportation

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Route 29
  • 20px U.S. Route 78
  • 20px<br />20px U.S. Route 78 Business
  • 25px U.S. Route 129
  • 25px<br />25px U.S. Route 129 Business
  • 25px U.S. Route 441
  • 25px<br />25px U.S. Route 441 Business
  • 20px State Route 8
  • 20px State Route 10
  • 20px State Route 10 Loop
  • 20px State Route 15
  • 20px State Route 24
  • 20px State Route 24 Business
  • 20px State Route 53
  • 25px State Route 186
  • 25px State Route 316
  • 25px State Route 422

Pedestrians and cycling

The city has limited walkability options available. However, since 2017 plans are being discussed to develop a multi-use trail network.

Notable people

  • Nathan Crawford Barnett, member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Secretary of State for more than 30 years.
  • Phil Campbell, farmer
  • Adam Frazier, Baltimore Orioles second baseman
  • Gavin Adcock, country music singer
  • John Wes Townley, former NASCAR Driver
  • Joe Scelfo, college football coach

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Oconee County, Georgia
  • List of counties in Georgia

References

  • Oconee County Tourism Official Website