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Gordon County, Georgia facts for kids

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Gordon County
Gordon County Courthouse
Gordon County Courthouse
Map of Georgia highlighting Gordon 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 February 13, 1850; 174 years ago (1850)
Named for William Washington Gordon
Seat Calhoun
Largest city Calhoun
Area
 • Total 358 sq mi (930 km2)
 • Land 356 sq mi (920 km2)
 • Water 2.2 sq mi (6 km2)  0.6%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
57,685
 • Density 155/sq mi (60/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 14th

Gordon County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,186. The county seat is Calhoun. Gordon County comprises the Calhoun, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

History

Gordon County was created on February 13, 1850 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. The new county was formed from portions of Cass (later renamed Bartow) and Floyd counties. All lands that would become Gordon County were originally occupied by the Cherokee Indians—and, in fact, the area was home of New Echota, the last seat of the Cherokee Nation. Even while Cherokees remained on their homeland, the General Assembly enacted legislation in December 1830 that provided for surveying the Cherokee Nation in Georgia and dividing it into sections, districts, and land lots. Subsequently, the legislature identified this entire area as "Cherokee County" (even though it never functioned as a county). An act of December 3, 1832 divided the Cherokee lands into ten new counties—Cass (later renamed Bartow), Cherokee, Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, and Union. Cherokee lands were distributed to whites in a land lottery, but the legislature temporarily prohibited whites from taking possession of lots on which Cherokees still lived.

It was not until December 29, 1835 that Georgia had an official basis for claiming the unceded Cherokee lands that included the future location of Gordon County. In the Treaty of New Echota, a faction of the Cherokees agreed to give up all Cherokee claims to land in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina and move west in return for $5 million. Though a majority of Cherokees opposed the treaty and refused to leave, the U.S. and Georgia considered it binding. In 1838, U.S. Army troops rounded up the last of 15,000 Cherokees in Georgia and forced them to march west in what came to be known as the "Trail of Tears", making Gordon County the head of this loathsome trail.

Gordon County's original 1850 boundaries were changed numerous times between 1852 and 1877, during which time the legislature transferred portions of Cass (Bartow), Floyd, Murray, Pickens, and Walker counties to Gordon County, while transferring land from Gordon to Floyd and Murray counties.

Georgia's 94th county was named for William Washington Gordon (1796–1842), the first Georgian to graduate from West Point and first president of the Central of Georgia Railroad.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 358 square miles (930 km2), of which 356 square miles (920 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (0.6%) is water.

Mountains in Gordon County include Baugh Mountain and Horn Mountain.

The eastern half of Gordon County is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). Most of the western half of the county is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin of the same larger ACT River Basin, while a small northerly portion of the county, between Resaca and Industrial City, is in the Conasauga River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin.

Major highways

  • I-75.svg Interstate 75
  • US 41.svg U.S. Route 41
  • US 411.svg U.S. Route 411
  • Georgia 3.svg State Route 3
  • Georgia 53.svg State Route 53
  • Georgia 53 Spur.svg State Route 53 Spur
  • Georgia 61.svg State Route 61
  • Georgia 136.svg State Route 136
  • Georgia 136 Connector.svg State Route 136 Connector
  • Georgia 156.svg State Route 156
  • Georgia 225.svg State Route 225
  • Georgia 401.svg State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 5,984
1860 10,146 69.6%
1870 9,268 −8.7%
1880 11,171 20.5%
1890 12,758 14.2%
1900 14,119 10.7%
1910 15,861 12.3%
1920 17,736 11.8%
1930 16,846 −5.0%
1940 18,445 9.5%
1950 18,922 2.6%
1960 19,228 1.6%
1970 23,570 22.6%
1980 30,070 27.6%
1990 35,072 16.6%
2000 44,104 25.8%
2010 55,186 25.1%
2019 (est.) 57,963 5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 55,186 people, 19,715 households, and 14,653 families living in the county. The population density was 155.1 inhabitants per square mile (59.9/km2). There were 22,278 housing units at an average density of 62.6 per square mile (24.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 85.2% white, 3.6% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 7.7% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.6% were American, 9.8% were Irish, 6.9% were English, and 6.7% were German.

Of the 19,715 households, 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.7% were non-families, and 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,916 and the median income for a family was $47,964. Males had a median income of $37,358 versus $28,394 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,285. About 13.7% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Gordon County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White 43,317 75.28%
Black or African American 2,075 3.61%
Native American 122 0.21%
Asian 719 1.25%
Pacific Islander 15 0.03%
Other/Mixed 2,339 4.06%
Hispanic or Latino 8,957 15.57%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 57,544 people, 20,561 households, and 15,002 families residing in the county.

Culture

Gordon County was the home of the Georgia Yellow Hammers, an old-time music group from the 1920s. The Yellow Hammers, chiefly composed of Bill Chitwood, Clyde Evans, Bud Landress, Charles Ernest Moody, and Phil Reeve were one of the most important bands during the heyday of old-time music. They have left their mark on the community. The Calhoun High School (Calhoun, Georgia) Yellow Jackets football team play in Phil Reeve Stadium. Mr. Moody was the author of songs which are today Southern Gospel standards including "Drifting Too Far From the Shore" which has been covered and recorded by such artists as Jerry Garcia, Emmylou Harris, Phil Lesh, Hank Williams and many others.

Cities and communities

Downtown Calhoun, GA Jan 2017 2
Downtown Calhoun

Incorporated cities

Unincorporated communities

Recreational complexes

  • The Sonoraville Recreational Complex in Sonoraville, Georgia

Economy

In addition to service industries, the economy of Gordon County is rooted in manufacturing and both heavy and light industry. Mohawk Industries, a leading manufacturer of flooring, is headquartered in Gordon County. In addition, Shaw Industries, Beaulieu International Group, LG Chem, and Kobelco Construction Machinery America - a division of Kobe Steel - have significant presences in Gordon, County.

Education

Gordon County public schools

High schools

  • Sonoraville High School
  • Gordon Central High School

Middle schools

  • Redbud Middle School
  • Ashworth Middle School

Elementary schools

  • Fairmount Elementary School
  • Belwood Elementary School
  • W.L. Swain Elementary School
  • Max V. Tolbert Elementary School
  • Red Bud Elementary School
  • Sonoraville Elementary School

Private schools

  • Georgia-Cumberland Academy
  • John L. Coble Elementary School

Calhoun city schools

  • Calhoun Primary School - formerly known as Eastside Primary School
  • Calhoun Elementary School
  • Calhoun Middle School
  • Calhoun High School

See also

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

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