Upson County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,700. The county seat is Thomaston. The county was created on December 15, 1824.
Upson County comprises the Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs CSA.
History
Upson County was formed in 1824 and named after Stephen Upson, a state legislator.
Emancipation Day
On May 29, 1865, following the conclusion of the American Civil War, enslaved African Americans in the county were notified in Thomaston that they had been emancipated. By the following year, celebrations were held on that date, which continue to this day. Upson County boasts the lowest average summer humidity in the state.
The vast majority of Upson County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a tiny northeastern corner of the county, north of Yatesville, located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Route 19
- 20px U.S. Route 80
- 20px State Route 3
- 20px State Route 22
- 20px State Route 36
- 20px State Route 74
- 20px State Route 74 Alternate
Adjacent counties
- Lamar County - north
- Pike County - north
- Monroe County - east
- Crawford County - southeast
- Taylor County - south
- Talbot County - southwest
- Meriwether County - northwest
Communities
City
- Thomaston
Town
- Yatesville
Census-designated places
- Hannahs Mill
- Lincoln Park
- The Rock
- Salem
- Sunset Village
Unincorporated communities
- Atwater
- Crest
- Dog Crossing
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Upson 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)
|18,716
|18,833
|19,271
|18,522
|style='background: #ffffe6; |18,009
|71.99%
|71.61%
|69.83%
|68.21%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |65.01%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|7,083
|7,266
|7,675
|7,544
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,851
|27.24%
|27.63%
|27.81%
|27.78%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28.34%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|15
|34
|67
|61
|style='background: #ffffe6; |63
|0.06%
|0.13%
|0.24%
|0.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|40
|63
|102
|124
|style='background: #ffffe6; |151
|0.15%
|0.24%
|0.37%
|0.46%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.55%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|6
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|x
|x
|0.02%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|4
|6
|11
|19
|style='background: #ffffe6; |106
|0.02%
|0.02%
|0.04%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.38%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|138
|292
|style='background: #ffffe6; |886
|x
|x
|0.50%
|1.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.20%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|140
|98
|327
|588
|style='background: #ffffe6; |633
|0.54%
|0.37%
|1.18%
|2.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.29%
|-
|Total
|25,998
|26,300
|27,597
|27,153
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27,700
|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 27,700, 11,173 households, and 6,100 families residing in the county. The median age was 42.7 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.0 males age 18 and over. 53.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 46.7% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 65.5% White, 28.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.3% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.3% of the population. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Upson County is part of District 134.
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Education
The Thomaston-Upson County School District has four schools, including the Upson-Lee High School.
Notable people
- James L. Bentley
- C.C. Crews
- Martha Hudson
- John Brown Gordon
- Coy Bowles
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Upson County, Georgia
- List of counties in Georgia