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Hancock County, Georgia facts for kids

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Hancock County
Hancock County Courthouse and Confederate Monument in Sparta
Hancock County Courthouse and Confederate Monument in Sparta
Map of Georgia highlighting Hancock 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 17, 1793; 230 years ago (1793-12-17)
Named for John Hancock
Seat Sparta
Largest city Sparta
Area
 • Total 479 sq mi (1,240 km2)
 • Land 472 sq mi (1,220 km2)
 • Water 6.8 sq mi (18 km2)  1.4%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
8,348
 • Density 20/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 10th
Thomas Cheely House, County Road S-1098, Shoals vicinity (Hancock County, Georgia)
Thomas Cheely House, ca. 1825

Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,429. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a Founding Father of the American Revolution.

Hancock County is included in the Milledgeville, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Before the Civil War, Hancock County's economy was based on growing cotton, and like most cotton-growing areas of the South, it had a large slave population, making up 61% of the total county population in the 1850 Census. Nevertheless, the county's representatives at the Georgia Secession Convention all voted against seceding.

Race relations

In August 2015, the majority-white Hancock County Board of Elections sent deputy sheriffs to the homes of more than 180 African-Americans residing in the county seat of Sparta (making up 20% of the city's total registered voters) to inform them they would lose their voting rights unless they appeared in court to prove their residency. A total of 53 voters were initially removed the voting rolls, but a federal judge overturned the Board's actions.

According to the 2010 census estimate, the racial makeup of the city was 83.70% African American, 15.20% White, 0.46% from two or more races, 0.33% Asian, and 0.13% Native American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 479 square miles (1,240 km2), of which 472 square miles (1,220 km2) is land and 6.8 square miles (18 km2) (1.4%) is water.

The western portion of Hancock County, which is defined by a line running southeast from White Plains to the intersection of State Route 22 and Springfield Road, then running southwest along State Route 22, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The southern portion of the county, defined by a triangle made of State Route 22 and State Route 15, with Sparta at its apex, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of Hancock County is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.

Major highways

  • I-20.svg Interstate 20
  • Georgia 248.svg State Route 248
  • Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
  • Georgia 16.svg State Route 16
  • Georgia 22.svg State Route 22
  • Georgia 77.svg State Route 77

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1800 14,456
1810 13,330 −7.8%
1820 12,734 −4.5%
1830 11,820 −7.2%
1840 9,659 −18.3%
1850 11,578 19.9%
1860 12,044 4.0%
1870 11,317 −6.0%
1880 16,989 50.1%
1890 17,149 0.9%
1900 18,277 6.6%
1910 19,189 5.0%
1920 18,357 −4.3%
1930 13,070 −28.8%
1940 12,764 −2.3%
1950 11,052 −13.4%
1960 9,979 −9.7%
1970 9,019 −9.6%
1980 9,466 5.0%
1990 8,908 −5.9%
2000 10,076 13.1%
2010 9,429 −6.4%
2018 (est.) 8,348 −11.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 9,429 people, 3,341 households, and 2,183 families living in the county. The population density was 20.0 inhabitants per square mile (7.7/km2). There were 5,360 housing units at an average density of 11.4 per square mile (4.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 74.1% black or African American, 24.4% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, and 25.1% were American.

Of the 3,341 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 23.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.7% were non-families, and 31.3% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 43.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,283 and the median family income was $27,168. Males had a median income of $26,837 versus $21,223 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,925. About 26.7% of families and 26.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.3% of those under age 18 and 21.7% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Hancock County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 2,413 27.62%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 6,025 68.98%
Native American 23 0.26%
Asian 37 0.42%
Pacific Islander 1 0.01%
Other/Mixed 173 1.98%
Hispanic or Latino 63 0.72%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,735 people, 2,974 households, and 1,755 families residing in the county.

Communities

Notable people

  • James Abercrombie, (1795–1861), born in Hancock County, later member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama.
  • Amanda America Dickson, (November 20, 1849 – June 11, 1893), born in Hancock County. Daughter of Julia Frances Lewis Dickson, an enslaved person, and David Dickson, a white planter, she inherited her father's wealth and withstood court challenges to become the wealthiest African-American woman in the country.
  • Charles Lincoln Harper, (1877-1855), born in Hancock County. First principal of Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta Georgia, the first public high school for black students in the state of Georgia.
  • William Henry Harrison, also known as Bill Thomas before emancipation, was a freedman and politician, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives elected during Reconstruction.
  • Camilla and Zack Hubert, two formerly enslaved persons, established a homestead in the county. The Huberts were among the first African-American landowners in central Georgia and played influential roles in the area. The couple raised twelve children, who all attended historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). All seven of the Huberts' sons graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. The four oldest daughters graduated from Spelman College, also in Atlanta. The youngest Hubert daughter Mabel graduated from Jackson State College in Jackson, Mississippi. Her older brother Zachary Taylor Hubert (1878-1958) had been installed as president in 1915.
  • Horace Grant, twin brother of Harvey Grant and a former NBA basketball player, won four championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Grant graduated from Hancock Central High School.
  • Harvey Grant, twin brother of Horace Grant and a former NBA basketball player with the Washington Bullets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Philadelphia 76ers. Grant graduated from Hancock Central High School.
  • Thomas Jackson, Thomas "Tommy" Jackson, often known as "Hurricane" Jackson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1961. In July 1957, he defeated Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight championship.
  • Biddy Mason (August 15, 1818 – January 16, 1891), an enslaved African-American woman, sued in a freedom suit in California, a free state. She gained freedom and became a landowner, humanitarian and philanthropist. She was a founding member of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church (1872), in Los Angeles, California.
  • Hiram George Runnels, (December 15, 1796 – December 17, 1857) born in Hancock County, Ga., became a politician and served as Governor of Mississippi.
  • William Terrell, (1778 – July 4, 1855), politician and member of Georgia House of Representatives. His house still stands in Sparta today.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Hancock (Georgia) para niños

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