Toombs County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,030. The county seat is Lyons and the largest city is Vidalia. The county was created on August 18, 1905.
Toombs County is part of the Vidalia micropolitan statistical area.
History
Toombs County was founded as the 144th county in Georgia by the State Legislature on August 18, 1905, and organized on October 9 of that year. The county was originally formed from portions of Tattnall and Montgomery Counties; a small piece of Emanuel County was added in 1907 to give Toombs County its present-day boundaries.
The county is named for Robert Toombs, a United States representative and senator.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.9%) is water.
The southern half of Toombs County, from south of Vidalia southeast to State Route 147, is located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the larger river basin by the same name. The northern half of the county, centered on Lyons, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Route 1
- 23px U.S. Route 280
- 20px State Route 4
- 20px State Route 15
- 20px State Route 29
- 20px State Route 30
- 20px State Route 56
- 20px State Route 86
- 23px State Route 130
- 23px State Route 147
- 23px State Route 152
- 23px State Route 178
- 23px State Route 292
- 23px State Route 297
- 23px State Route 298
Adjacent counties
- Emanuel County (north)
- Tattnall County (east)
- Appling County (south)
- Jeff Davis County (southwest)
- Montgomery County (west)
- Treutlen County (northwest)
- Candler County (northeast)
Communities
Cities
- Lyons (county seat)
- Santa Claus
- Vidalia
Census-designated place
- Ohoopee
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Toombs 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)
|16,656
|17,446
|17,226
|16,887
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,007
|73.73%
|72.47%
|66.08%
|62.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |59.22%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|5,668
|5,621
|6,237
|6,716
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,980
|25.09%
|23.35%
|23.93%
|24.67%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |25.82%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|26
|34
|44
|37
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31
|0.12%
|0.14%
|0.17%
|0.14%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|56
|139
|119
|199
|style='background: #ffffe6; |207
|0.25%
|0.58%
|0.46%
|0.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.77%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|0
|14
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6
|x
|x
|0.00%
|0.05%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|11
|8
|5
|42
|style='background: #ffffe6; |79
|0.05%
|0.03%
|0.02%
|0.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|126
|273
|style='background: #ffffe6; |676
|x
|x
|0.48%
|1.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.50%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|175
|824
|2,310
|3,055
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,044
|0.77%
|3.42%
|8.86%
|11.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.26%
|-
|Total
|22,592
|24,072
|26,067
|27,223
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27,030
|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 27,030 people, 10,505 households, and 6,537 families residing within its borders.
The median age was 39.0 years, 25.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older; for every 100 females there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.7 males age 18 and over. 50.3% of residents lived in urban areas while 49.7% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 61.3% White, 26.0% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.5% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.3% of the population. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Toombs County is part of District 156.
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Education
The Toombs County School District has five schools, including the Toombs County High School.
Notable people
- Mel Blount (football hall of famer and founder of Mel Blount Youth Home)
- Nick Eason (former NFL player and current NFL assistant defensive line coach)
- Craig Campbell (country music singer)
- Fred Stokes (former pro football player)
- Travares Tillman (professional football player)
- Don Collins (former professional baseball player)
- Paul Claxton (PGA tour professional golfer)
- Wally Moses (former professional baseball player)
- Algur H. Meadows (oilman, businessman)
- Iris Blitch (politician)
- Carl Simpson (former professional baseball player)
- Don Harris (journalist killed during Jonestown Massacre)
- Ben Utt (professional football player)
- Paul Anderson (strongest man)
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Toombs County, Georgia
- List of counties in Georgia
References
External links
- Welcome to the Georgia General Assembly . Home page. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- Toombs County Sheriff's Office