County in Georgia
| Upson County | |
|---|---|
| County | |
.JPG) Upson County Courthouse in Thomaston | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
 Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 32°53′N 84°18′W / 32.88°N 84.3°W / 32.88; -84.3 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 15, 1824; 201 years ago (1824) |
| Named for | Stephen Upson |
| Seat | Thomaston |
| Largest city | Thomaston |
| Area | |
| • Total | 328 sq mi (850 km) |
| • Land | 323 sq mi (840 km) |
| • Water | 4.1 sq mi (11 km) 1.3% |
| Population | |
| • Total | 27,700 |
| • Density | 86/sq mi (33/km) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | www |
Upson County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,700. The county seat is Thomaston. The county was created on December 15, 1824.
Upson County comprises the Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs CSA.
History
Upson County was formed in 1824 and named after Stephen Upson, a state legislator.
Emancipation Day
On May 29, 1865, following the conclusion of the American Civil War, enslaved African Americans in the county were notified in Thomaston that they had been emancipated. By the following year, celebrations were held on that date, which continue to this day. It is considered one of the largest Emancipation Day celebrations in Georgia and one of the oldest continuously celebrated ones in the United States.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 328 square miles (850 km), of which 323 square miles (840 km) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km) (1.3%) is water. Upson County boasts the lowest average summer humidity in the state.
The vast majority of Upson County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a tiny northeastern corner of the county, north of Yatesville, located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.
Major highways
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 80
State Route 3
State Route 22
State Route 36
State Route 74
State Route 74 Alternate
Adjacent counties
- Lamar County - north
- Pike County - north
- Monroe County - northeast
- Crawford County - southeast
- Taylor County - south
- Talbot County - southwest
- Meriwether County - northwest
Communities
City
Town
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 7,013 | — | |
| 1840 | 9,408 | 34.2% | |
| 1850 | 9,424 | 0.2% | |
| 1860 | 9,910 | 5.2% | |
| 1870 | 9,430 | −4.8% | |
| 1880 | 12,400 | 31.5% | |
| 1890 | 12,188 | −1.7% | |
| 1900 | 13,670 | 12.2% | |
| 1910 | 12,757 | −6.7% | |
| 1920 | 14,786 | 15.9% | |
| 1930 | 19,509 | 31.9% | |
| 1940 | 25,064 | 28.5% | |
| 1950 | 25,078 | 0.1% | |
| 1960 | 23,800 | −5.1% | |
| 1970 | 23,505 | −1.2% | |
| 1980 | 25,998 | 10.6% | |
| 1990 | 26,300 | 1.2% | |
| 2000 | 27,597 | 4.9% | |
| 2010 | 27,153 | −1.6% | |
| 2020 | 27,700 | 2.0% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 28,263 | 2.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 18,009 | 65.01% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,851 | 28.34% |
| Native American | 63 | 0.23% |
| Asian | 151 | 0.55% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.0% |
| Other/Mixed | 992 | 3.58% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 633 | 2.29% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,700 people, 10,154 households, and 6,100 families residing in the county.
Politics
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 9,528 | 69.74% | 4,098 | 30.00% | 36 | 0.26% |
| 2020 | 8,606 | 66.68% | 4,203 | 32.56% | 98 | 0.76% |
| 2016 | 7,292 | 66.69% | 3,475 | 31.78% | 167 | 1.53% |
| 2012 | 7,230 | 64.10% | 3,959 | 35.10% | 90 | 0.80% |
| 2008 | 7,291 | 63.77% | 4,061 | 35.52% | 82 | 0.72% |
| 2004 | 6,634 | 65.72% | 3,424 | 33.92% | 36 | 0.36% |
| 2000 | 5,019 | 60.60% | 3,158 | 38.13% | 105 | 1.27% |
| 1996 | 3,783 | 47.08% | 3,491 | 43.45% | 761 | 9.47% |
| 1992 | 4,053 | 45.03% | 3,740 | 41.55% | 1,208 | 13.42% |
| 1988 | 4,614 | 63.05% | 2,666 | 36.43% | 38 | 0.52% |
| 1984 | 4,803 | 62.01% | 2,943 | 37.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 2,788 | 36.52% | 4,713 | 61.73% | 134 | 1.76% |
| 1976 | 2,897 | 40.71% | 4,219 | 59.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 4,892 | 84.52% | 896 | 15.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,494 | 22.73% | 1,480 | 22.52% | 3,599 | 54.75% |
| 1964 | 3,103 | 48.61% | 3,275 | 51.30% | 6 | 0.09% |
| 1960 | 1,001 | 23.48% | 3,262 | 76.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 712 | 17.22% | 3,422 | 82.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 648 | 14.45% | 3,837 | 85.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 262 | 8.75% | 2,432 | 81.26% | 299 | 9.99% |
| 1944 | 243 | 9.33% | 2,362 | 90.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 159 | 6.64% | 2,235 | 93.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 138 | 8.57% | 1,471 | 91.37% | 1 | 0.06% |
| 1932 | 20 | 1.19% | 1,660 | 98.57% | 4 | 0.24% |
| 1928 | 221 | 23.46% | 721 | 76.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 37 | 6.37% | 484 | 83.30% | 60 | 10.33% |
| 1920 | 170 | 15.08% | 957 | 84.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 18 | 1.78% | 734 | 72.60% | 259 | 25.62% |
| 1912 | 7 | 1.19% | 445 | 75.42% | 138 | 23.39% |
Notable people
See also
References
- "Census - Geography Profile: Upson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 238. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
- ^ Ripley, Joe (June 17, 2022). "Juneteenth in Georgia | Here's how enslaved people in the South learned they were freed". WXIA-TV. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
- "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
- "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
- "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
- "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
- "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
- "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
- "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
- "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 14, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
| Places adjacent to Upson County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
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Upson County, Georgia
| Municipalities and communities of Upson County, Georgia, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Thomaston | ||
| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
32°53′N 84°18′W / 32.88°N 84.30°W / 32.88; -84.30
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