Butts County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Butts County
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Butts County Courthouse in Jackson
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Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
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 Georgia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | 1825 |
| Named for | Samuel Butts |
| Seat | Jackson |
| Largest city | Jackson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 188 sq mi (490 km2) |
| • Land | 184 sq mi (480 km2) |
| • Water | 3.6 sq mi (9 km2) 1.9%% |
| Population | |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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24,936 |
| • Density | 128/sq mi (49/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 10th |
Butts County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,655. The county seat is Jackson. The county was created on December 24, 1825.
Butts County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
In 2010, the center of population of Georgia was located in the northeastern portion of the county.
Butts County has one radio station: WJGA FM 92.1 and one local newspaper, the Jackson Progress-Argus.
Contents
History
Butts County was formed on December 24, 1825 as the sixty-fourth county in Georgia from portions of Henry County and Monroe County. It was named by the Georgia General Assembly in honor of Samuel Butts, an officer who was killed in the Creek War in 1814. A year later, Jackson was created as the first city in the new county and became the county seat. Other towns followed, including Indian Springs (1837); Flovilla (1883); Jenkinsburg (1889); and Pepperton (1897). Indian Springs later disincorporated and Pepperton was merged with Jackson in 1966, leaving just three incorporated cities in Butts County. In recent years, Indian Springs has again become a tourist destination including many historic sites, shops, eating establishment and the famous Indian Springs Hotel as its centerpiece.
Much of Butts County and its cities were destroyed by the army of General William T. Sherman in its infamous March to the Sea during the American Civil War. Butts County struggled for decades afterwards to become economically stable again. The arrival of the first railroad train on May 5, 1882 started the resurgence and growth followed. In 1898, caught up in the post-reconstruction fervor that had infected most Georgia counties, Butts County erected a monumental courthouse as a sign of its new prosperity. This building is still in use as a courthouse to this day. The construction of the Lloyd Shoals dam in 1910 created Jackson Lake, a prime recreational lake located primarily in Butts County.
Progress milestones in Butts County include the first telephones in 1884; first waterworks in 1905; electric lights on February 19, 1907; and traffic lights in 1926.
In 2007, Butts County, along with the city of Flovilla were both designated as Georgia Signature Communities by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. This prestigious designation was given to a total of 12 communities in Georgia that year.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 188 square miles (490 km2), of which 184 square miles (480 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (1.9%) is water. The entirety of Butts County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.
Major highways
Interstate 75
U.S. Route 23
State Route 16
State Route 36
State Route 42
State Route 87
State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
Adjacent counties
- Newton County (north)
- Jasper County (east)
- Monroe County (south)
- Lamar County (southwest)
- Spalding County (west)
- Henry County (northwest)
Famous and notable places
1821 - The Indian Springs Hotel, now a museum, was the site of the signing of the treaty that ceded all Native American land in Butts County to the government. Today it is operated as a museum and had been carefully preserved by generations of historical society members. Indian Springs State Park surrounds the hotel and is the oldest State Park in the nation.
Jackson Lake, created by the damming of the Ocmulgee River in 1911, is now a recreational venue that attracts many visitors from all over middle and North Georgia.
1929 - Fresh Air Barbecue, the oldest functioning barbecue restaurant still in its original location in Georgia, was awarded the title of Georgia's Best Barbecue in 1984.
1966 - Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison, (formerly Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center, and often shortened to Georgia Diagnostic Prison.), is the largest employer in Butts County. The prison is a maximum security prison that also houses the death row inmates. Until recent years, it was the location of the electric chair until this was replaced by lethal injection.
1978 - Dauset Trails Nature Center was founded.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 4,944 | — | |
| 1840 | 5,308 | 7.4% | |
| 1850 | 6,488 | 22.2% | |
| 1860 | 6,455 | −0.5% | |
| 1870 | 6,941 | 7.5% | |
| 1880 | 8,311 | 19.7% | |
| 1890 | 10,565 | 27.1% | |
| 1900 | 12,805 | 21.2% | |
| 1910 | 13,624 | 6.4% | |
| 1920 | 12,327 | −9.5% | |
| 1930 | 9,345 | −24.2% | |
| 1940 | 9,182 | −1.7% | |
| 1950 | 9,079 | −1.1% | |
| 1960 | 8,976 | −1.1% | |
| 1970 | 10,560 | 17.6% | |
| 1980 | 13,665 | 29.4% | |
| 1990 | 15,326 | 12.2% | |
| 2000 | 19,522 | 27.4% | |
| 2010 | 23,655 | 21.2% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 24,936 | 5.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 23,655 people, 7,881 households, and 5,834 families living in the county. The population density was 128.3 inhabitants per square mile (49.5/km2). There were 9,357 housing units at an average density of 50.7 per square mile (19.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 69.9% white, 27.3% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.3% were American, 10.4% were Irish, 9.8% were English, and 6.8% were German.
Of the 7,881 households, 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.0% were non-families, and 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 38.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $52,257 and the median income for a family was $59,511. Males had a median income of $38,801 versus $31,310 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,963. About 9.0% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 16,628 | 65.38% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,808 | 26.77% |
| Native American | 39 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 102 | 0.4% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,045 | 4.11% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 803 | 3.16% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,434 people, 8,279 households, and 5,823 families residing in the county.
Communities
Education
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Butts para niños
