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Bleckley County, Georgia facts for kids

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Bleckley County
Bleckley County Courthouse in Cochran
Map of Georgia highlighting Bleckley 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 1912; 112 years ago (1912)
Named for Logan Edwin Bleckley
Seat Cochran
Largest city Cochran
Area
 • Total 219 sq mi (570 km2)
 • Land 216 sq mi (560 km2)
 • Water 3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  1.5%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
12,873
 • Density 61/sq mi (24/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 8th

Bleckley County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,063. The county seat is Cochran.

History

The county was named for Logan Edwin Bleckley, a soldier and Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The state constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on July 30, 1912, and ratified November 5, 1912. Bleckley County was formerly home to Middle Georgia College, the oldest two-year public college in the nation. In 2013 it merged with Macon State College to become Middle Georgia State University.

After making similar news in Mississippi, Bleckley County High School made news on March 2010 for allowing a same-sex couple to attend its senior prom, after another same-sex couple in Mississippi were denied attendance at another senior prom.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 219 square miles (570 km2), of which 216 square miles (560 km2) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2) (1.5%) is water.

The eastern quarter of Bleckley County, roughly in a line from west of Danville running southeast, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The central quarter of the county, between Cochran and the previous line, is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The western half of the county, west of Cochran, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same larger Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

  • I-16.svg Interstate 16
  • US 23.svg U.S. Route 23
  • U.S. Route 23 Business
  • U.S. Route 129 Alternate
  • Georgia 26.svg State Route 26
  • Georgia 87.svg State Route 87
  • Georgia 87 Business.svg State Route 87 Business
  • Georgia 112.svg State Route 112
  • Georgia 126.svg State Route 126
  • Georgia 257.svg State Route 257
  • Georgia 278.svg State Route 278
  • Georgia 404.svg State Route 404 (unsigned designation of I-16)

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1920 10,532
1930 9,133 −13.3%
1940 9,655 5.7%
1950 9,218 −4.5%
1960 9,642 4.6%
1970 10,291 6.7%
1980 10,767 4.6%
1990 10,430 −3.1%
2000 11,666 11.9%
2010 13,063 12.0%
2019 (est.) 12,873 −1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2019

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,063 people, 4,660 households, and 3,248 families living in the county. The population density was 60.5 inhabitants per square mile (23.4/km2). There were 5,304 housing units at an average density of 24.6 per square mile (9.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 70.1% white, 27.3% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.8% were American, 7.9% were English, and 6.3% were Irish.

Of the 4,660 households, 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.3% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 35.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,661 and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $36,697 versus $26,691 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,960. About 18.0% of families and 19.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Bleckley County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 8,867 70.47%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 2,788 22.16%
Native American 11 0.09%
Asian 153 1.22%
Pacific Islander 8 0.06%
Other/Mixed 287 2.28%
Hispanic or Latino 469 3.73%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,583 people, 4,176 households, and 2,727 families residing in the county.

Communities

City

Town

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated community

Education

See also

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

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