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Appling County, Georgia facts for kids

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Appling County
Appling County Courthouse in Baxley
Appling County Courthouse in Baxley
Map of Georgia highlighting Appling County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Georgia
Founded December 15, 1818; 206 years ago (1818)
Named for Daniel Appling
Seat Baxley
Largest city Baxley
Area
 • Total 512 sq mi (1,330 km2)
 • Land 507 sq mi (1,310 km2)
 • Water 5.2 sq mi (13 km2)  1.0%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 18,444
 • Density 36.02/sq mi (13.909/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 12th

Appling County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,444. The county seat is Baxley.

History

Appling County is named for Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Appling, a soldier in the War of 1812. Appling County, the 42nd county created in Georgia, was established by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 15, 1818. The original county consisted of Creek lands ceded in the 1814 Treaty of Fort Jackson and the 1818 Treaty of the Creek Agency.

On December 15, 1824, Ware County was formed by the Georgia General Assembly from roughly the southern half of Appling land districts 4, 5, and 6, and all of land districts 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. On December 24, 1825, Appling County land district 6 was added to Telfair County by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. This created an ambiguity of the border between Telfair County and Ware County that was later solved by additional legislation.

On December 8, 1828, Holmesville, Georgia was declared the county seat by the General Assembly. Previously, court was held at residence of William Carter Jr. In 1836, the General Assembly appointed a seven-member commission to find a location for a more centrally located county seat than Holmesville, but were not able to come to a conclusion. The need for a more central county seat would remain a point of contention in county politics for several decades.

On December 18, 1857, the part of Appling County that was south of Lightsey's Ford on Big Creek downstream to the Little Satilla River was taken from Appling County for the creation of Pierce County.

At the time of the 1850 United States Census, Appling County had a white population of 2,520, a slave population of 404, and 25 free people of color. By the 1860 United States Census, the county had a white population of 3,442, a slave population of 740, and 3 free people of color.

On August 27, 1872, eastern sections of Appling land districts 3 and 4 were added to Wayne County. This area included Wayne County's current county seat Jesup, Georgia, which became the new county seat of Wayne County in 1873. Also in August 1872, the General Assembly called for an election in Appling County to determine a new county seat. The town of Baxley, Georgia was selected as the new county seat. In February 1873, the General Assembly mistakenly passed a law giving county commissioners to sell the public lands in Holmesville so the proceeds can go to the construction of a new courthouse in Holmesville. They amended the law a year later for the new courthouse location to read Baxley as it had originally been intended.

On August 18, 1905, Jeff Davis County was created from western portions of Appling County and eastern portions Coffee County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 square miles (1,330 km2), of which 507 square miles (1,310 km2) is land and 5.2 square miles (13 km2) (1.0%) is water.

The southern two-thirds of Appling County, south of a line from Graham to Baxley, then running due east from Baxley, is located in the Little Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The northern third of the county is located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the basin by the same name.

Major highways

  • US 1.svg U.S. Route 1
  • US 23.svg U.S. Route 23
  • US 341.svg U.S. Route 341
  • Georgia 4.svg State Route 4
  • Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
  • Georgia 19.svg State Route 19
  • Georgia 27.svg State Route 27
  • Georgia 121.svg State Route 121
  • Georgia 144.svg State Route 144
  • Georgia 169.svg State Route 169
  • Georgia 203.svg State Route 203

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 1,264
1830 1,468 16.1%
1840 2,052 39.8%
1850 2,949 43.7%
1860 4,190 42.1%
1870 5,086 21.4%
1880 5,276 3.7%
1890 8,676 64.4%
1900 12,336 42.2%
1910 12,318 −0.1%
1920 10,594 −14.0%
1930 13,314 25.7%
1940 14,497 8.9%
1950 14,003 −3.4%
1960 13,246 −5.4%
1970 12,726 −3.9%
1980 15,565 22.3%
1990 15,744 1.2%
2000 17,419 10.6%
2010 18,236 4.7%
2020 18,444 1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 18,236 people, 6,969 households, and 4,894 families living in the county. The population density was 36.0 inhabitants per square mile (13.9/km2). There were 8,512 housing units at an average density of 16.8 per square mile (6.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 73.4% white, 18.6% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 5.7% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.2% were American, 9.3% were Irish, and 8.7% were English.

Of the 6,969 households, 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.8% were non-families, and 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 38.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,155 and the median income for a family was $46,005. Males had a median income of $34,757 versus $23,829 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,977. About 16.6% of families and 22.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Appling County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 12,674 68.72%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 3,339 18.1%
Native American 33 0.18%
Asian 123 0.67%
Pacific Islander 1 0.01%
Other/Mixed 449 2.43%
Hispanic or Latino 1,825 9.89%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,444 people, 6,656 households, and 4,875 families residing in the county.

Communities

Education

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Appling para niños

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