Decatur County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 28,240. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 28,544 The county seat is Bainbridge, Georgia.

History

The County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 8, 1823, from a portion of Early County. Three other counties were created from land that was originally part of Decatur County.

In 1825, a portion of Decatur was used in the creation of Thomas County. In 1905, another portion of Decatur was used in the creation of part of Grady County. In 1920, the western portion of Decatur County was used to form Seminole County in its entirety.

Decatur County is named for United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur, a hero of the War of 1812.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 623 square miles (1,614 km²), of which, 597 square miles (1,546 km²) of it is land and 26 square miles (68 km²) of it (4.23%) is water. The county Decatur, should not be confused with the City of Decatur, which is in DeKalb County.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 27
• U.S. Route 84
• State Route 1
• State Route 38
• State Route 97
• State Route 241
• State Route 262
• State Route 309
• State Route 310
• State Route 311

Adjacent counties

• Miller County, Georgia - north
• Mitchell County, Georgia - northeast
• Baker County, Georgia - northeast
• Grady County, Georgia - east
• Gadsden County, Florida - south
• Seminole County, Georgia - west

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,240 people, 10,380 households, and 7,546 families residing in the county. The population density was 47 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 11,968 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 57.10% White, 39.91% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.64% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 3.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,380 households out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.00% were married couples living together, 19.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.50% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,820, and the median income for a family was $32,635. Males had a median income of $27,180 versus $20,745 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,063. About 19.20% of families and 22.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.00% of those under age 18 and 19.20% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Attapulgus
• Bainbridge
• Brinson
• Climax

Unincorporated communities

• Amsterdam
• Ausmac
• Bethany
• Cyrene
• Eldorendo
• Faceville
• Fowlstown
• Hannatown
• Hanover
• Jinks
• Laingkat
• Lynn
• Mount Pleasant
• Otisco
• Parker Courthouse
• Recovery
• Smith's Landing
• Vada
• West Bainbridge

References

• The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Decatur County