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Pickens County, Georgia

Coordinates: 34°28′N 84°28′W / 34.46°N 84.46°W / 34.46; -84.46
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Pickens County
County
Pickens County Courthouse, Jasper
Pickens County Courthouse, Jasper
Flag of Pickens County
Flag
Official seal of Pickens County
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Pickens County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°28′N 84°28′W / 34.46°N 84.46°W / 34.46; -84.46
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 5, 1853; 171 years ago (1853)
Named forAndrew Pickens
SeatJasper
Largest cityJasper
Area
 • Total233 sq mi (600 km2)
 • Land232 sq mi (600 km2)
 • Water0.7 sq mi (2 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total33,216
 • Density143/sq mi (55/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts9th, 14th
Websitepickenscountyga.gov

Pickens County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,216.[1] The county seat is Jasper.[2] Pickens County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.

History

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The Georgia General Assembly passed an act on December 5, 1853, to create Pickens County from portions of Cherokee and Gilmer Counties.[3] Pickens received several more land additions from Cherokee (1869) and Gilmer Counties (1858 and 1863); however, several sections of Pickens County have also been transferred to other counties: Dawson County (1857), Gordon County (1860), and Cherokee County (1870).

Pickens County is named for American Revolutionary War General Andrew Pickens.[4]

During the Civil War, Company D of the 1st Georgia Infantry Battalion of the Union Army was raised in Pickens County.

Most of Pickens County's early industry revolved around marble. Georgia Marble Company is located in Marble Hill near Tate. The Tate elementary school is built out of marble. The marble was also used to make the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. Most of the marble is white, but it is one of the few places in the world where pink marble is found. The marble is also used for tombstones for the United States military.

Pickens County has seen very rapid growth with the building of Georgia State Route 515, locally referred to as the "four-lane". Many new businesses and residents continue to move to Pickens County.[citation needed]

Pickens County is home the Georgia Marble Festival.

Geography

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Sharp Top Mountain, viewed from Grandview Lake Dam

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 233 square miles (600 km2), of which 232 square miles (600 km2) are land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.3%) is covered by water.[5]

The county is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest point in Pickens County is the 3,288-ft summit of Mount Oglethorpe, the southernmost peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and for a number of years, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Other notable peaks in Pickens County include Sharp Top Mountain and Sharp Mountain. One of the best viewpoints of Sharp Top Mountain is from Grandview Lake Dam on Grandview Road.

The eastern half of Pickens County is located in the Etowah River subbasin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The western half of the county is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same larger ACT River Basin.[6]

Adjacent counties

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Communities

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Cities

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Town

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Unincorporated communities

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Private communities

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A significant portion of the county population resides in gated master-planned communities that function similar to a municipality, with HOA fees to provide many municipal-type services independently from the county government.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18604,951—
18705,3177.4%
18806,79027.7%
18908,18220.5%
19008,6415.6%
19109,0414.6%
19208,222−9.1%
19309,68717.8%
19409,136−5.7%
19508,855−3.1%
19608,9030.5%
19709,6208.1%
198011,65221.1%
199014,43223.9%
200022,98359.3%
201029,43128.1%
202033,21612.9%
2024 (est.)37,113[8]11.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1880[10] 1890-1910[11]
1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13]
1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15]
1980-2000[16] 2010[17]
Pickens County racial composition as of 2020[18]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 31,468 94.11%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 176 0.53%
Native American 65 0.19%
Asian 103 0.31%
Pacific Islander 20 0.06%
Other/Mixed 1,521 4.55%
Hispanic or Latino 1,198 3.61%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 33,216 people, 11,868 households, and 8,539 families residing in the county.

Politics

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Politically, Pickens County is an outlier in Georgia, one of the few ancestrally Republican counties of the state, due to Unionist sentiment in the county during the American Civil War.

United States presidential election results for Pickens County, Georgia[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 14,110 82.17% 2,824 16.45% 238 1.39%
2016 11,651 82.51% 1,979 14.02% 490 3.47%
2012 10,547 83.03% 1,975 15.55% 180 1.42%
2008 10,004 78.08% 2,595 20.25% 214 1.67%
2004 8,115 76.28% 2,444 22.97% 80 0.75%
2000 5,488 66.92% 2,489 30.35% 224 2.73%
1996 3,041 46.31% 2,693 41.01% 832 12.67%
1992 2,332 40.57% 2,359 41.04% 1,057 18.39%
1988 3,021 67.52% 1,430 31.96% 23 0.51%
1984 2,801 67.82% 1,329 32.18% 0 0.00%
1980 1,612 39.54% 2,358 57.84% 107 2.62%
1976 973 27.45% 2,571 72.55% 0 0.00%
1972 2,101 80.16% 520 19.84% 0 0.00%
1968 1,659 44.50% 677 18.16% 1,392 37.34%
1964 1,955 50.32% 1,930 49.68% 0 0.00%
1960 1,943 56.88% 1,473 43.12% 0 0.00%
1956 2,341 65.45% 1,236 34.55% 0 0.00%
1952 1,328 50.30% 1,312 49.70% 0 0.00%
1948 1,258 46.22% 1,239 45.52% 225 8.27%
1944 795 50.48% 780 49.52% 0 0.00%
1940 884 43.76% 1,124 55.64% 12 0.59%
1936 1,053 46.27% 1,223 53.73% 0 0.00%
1932 743 33.54% 1,472 66.46% 0 0.00%
1928 1,319 70.84% 543 29.16% 0 0.00%
1924 1,149 60.25% 754 39.54% 4 0.21%
1920 830 65.51% 437 34.49% 0 0.00%
1916 344 27.28% 497 39.41% 420 33.31%
1912 190 20.41% 324 34.80% 417 44.79%

Transportation

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Major highways

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Education

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Main article: Pickens County School District (Georgia)

Notable residents

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See also

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References

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General
  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Pickens County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Pickens County". Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  4. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 175. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  7. ^ "Bent Tree | North Georgia Mountains Real Estate Properties | 18-Hole Golf Course, Year-Round Tennis, and 110-Acre Lake | Buildable Real Estate Lots for Sale in Bent Tree. | Bent Tree Community". www.benttree.com.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  11. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  12. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  13. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  14. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  15. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  16. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  17. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
Specific

The weekly newspaper for Pickens County is the Pickens Progress, a family-owned newspaper published since 1887 in Jasper.

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Media related to Pickens County, Georgia at Wikimedia Commons

34°28′N 84°28′W / 34.46°N 84.46°W / 34.46; -84.46

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