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Appling County, Georgia

Coordinates: 31°45′N 82°17′W / 31.75°N 82.29°W / 31.75; -82.29
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Appling, Georgia.

Appling County
County
Appling County Courthouse in Baxley
Appling County Courthouse in Baxley
Map of Georgia highlighting Appling County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°45′N 82°17′W / 31.75°N 82.29°W / 31.75; -82.29
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 15, 1818; 206 years ago (1818)
Named forDaniel Appling
SeatBaxley
Largest cityBaxley
Area
 • Total
512 sq mi (1,330 km2)
 • Land507 sq mi (1,310 km2)
 • Water5.2 sq mi (13 km2)  1.0%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
18,444
 • Density36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.baxley.org

Appling County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,444.[1] The county seat is Baxley.[2]

History

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Appling County is named for Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Appling, a soldier in the War of 1812.[3] Appling County, the 42nd county created in Georgia, was established by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 15, 1818.[4] The original county consisted of Creek lands ceded in the 1814 Treaty of Fort Jackson and the 1818 Treaty of the Creek Agency.

Throughout the 1920s, the population of Appling County increased as the county was included in land lotteries by the Georgia General Assembly in 1820, 1821, 1827, and 1832. Large proportions of settlers at this time included South Carolinians and others from Tattnall County, Georgia.[4]

On December 15, 1824, Ware County was formed by the Georgia General Assembly from roughly the southern half of Appling land districts 4, 5, and 6, and all of land districts 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. On December 24, 1825, Appling County land district 6 was added to Telfair County by an act of the Georgia General Assembly.[5] This created an ambiguity of the border between Telfair County and Ware County that was later solved by additional legislation.

On December 8, 1828, Holmesville, Georgia was declared the county seat by the General Assembly,[6] following over ten years of disagreement by local judges.[4] Previously, court was held at residence of William Carter Jr. In 1836, the General Assembly appointed a seven-member commission to find a location for a more centrally located county seat than Holmesville, but were not able to come to a conclusion. The need for a more central county seat would remain a point of contention in county politics for several decades.

On December 18, 1857, the part of Appling County that was south of Lightsey's Ford on Big Creek downstream to the Little Satilla River was taken from Appling County for the creation of Pierce County.[7]

At the time of the 1850 United States Census, Appling County had a white population of 2,520, a slave population of 404, and 25 free people of color. By the 1860 United States Census, the county had a white population of 3,442, a slave population of 740, and 3 free people of color.

On August 27, 1872, eastern sections of Appling land districts 3 and 4 were added to Wayne County.[8] This area included Wayne County's current county seat Jesup, Georgia, which became the new county seat of Wayne County in 1873. Also in August 1872, the General Assembly called for an election in Appling County to vote on the removal of the county seat to a point along the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. The residents voted for removal and the town of Baxley, Georgia was selected as the new county seat after the election. In February 1873, the General Assembly mistakenly passed a law giving county commissioners to sell the public lands in Holmesville so that the proceeds can go to the construction of a new courthouse in Holmesville. It amended the law a year later for the new courthouse location to read Baxley, as had originally been intended.

On August 18, 1905, Jeff Davis County was created from western portions of Appling County and eastern portions Coffee County.[9] On July 27, 1914, Bacon County was created from parts of Appling County, Pierce County, and Ware County. The remaining section of Appling County that had been located south of Little Satilla River became part of Bacon County.[10]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 square miles (1,330 km2), of which 507 square miles (1,310 km2) is land and 5.2 square miles (13 km2) (1.0%) is water.[11]

The southern two-thirds of Appling County, south of a line from Graham to Baxley, then running due east from Baxley, is located in the Little Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys River-Satilla River basin. The northern third of the county is located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the basin by the same name.[12]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Communities

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Cities

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Town

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18201,264—
18301,46816.1%
18402,05239.8%
18502,94943.7%
18604,19042.1%
18705,08621.4%
18805,2763.7%
18908,67664.4%
190012,33642.2%
191012,318−0.1%
192010,594−14.0%
193013,31425.7%
194014,4978.9%
195014,003−3.4%
196013,246−5.4%
197012,726−3.9%
198015,56522.3%
199015,7441.2%
200017,41910.6%
201018,2364.7%
202018,4441.1%
2023 (est.)18,457[13]0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
1790-1880[15]1890-1910[16]
1920-1930[17] 1930-1940[18]
1940-1950[19] 1960-1980[20]
1980-2000[21] 2010-2020[1]
Appling County racial composition as of 2020[22]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 12,674 68.72%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 3,339 18.1%
Native American 33 0.18%
Asian 123 0.67%
Pacific Islander 1 0.01%
Other/Mixed 449 2.43%
Hispanic or Latino 1,825 9.89%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,444 people, 6,656 households, and 4,875 families residing in the county.

Education

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Main article: Baxley, Georgia § Education

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Appling County, Georgia[23]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 6,761 81.13% 1,560 18.72% 13 0.16%
2020 6,570 78.31% 1,784 21.26% 36 0.43%
2016 5,494 78.35% 1,434 20.45% 84 1.20%
2012 5,233 73.78% 1,758 24.78% 102 1.44%
2008 5,085 72.62% 1,846 26.36% 71 1.01%
2004 4,494 70.52% 1,848 29.00% 31 0.49%
2000 3,940 64.60% 2,093 34.32% 66 1.08%
1996 2,572 50.44% 2,070 40.60% 457 8.96%
1992 2,514 41.71% 2,455 40.73% 1,058 17.55%
1988 3,000 61.74% 1,837 37.81% 22 0.45%
1984 2,929 59.93% 1,958 40.07% 0 0.00%
1980 1,961 39.17% 2,985 59.62% 61 1.22%
1976 961 21.14% 3,585 78.86% 0 0.00%
1972 2,755 84.33% 512 15.67% 0 0.00%
1968 795 18.78% 760 17.95% 2,678 63.26%
1964 2,597 62.44% 1,562 37.56% 0 0.00%
1960 717 26.65% 1,973 73.35% 0 0.00%
1956 506 22.74% 1,719 77.26% 0 0.00%
1952 713 24.65% 2,179 75.35% 0 0.00%
1948 289 9.01% 2,268 70.72% 650 20.27%
1944 387 22.70% 1,318 77.30% 0 0.00%
1940 312 16.94% 1,514 82.19% 16 0.87%
1936 140 9.61% 1,309 89.84% 8 0.55%
1932 64 9.62% 601 90.38% 0 0.00%
1928 579 58.25% 415 41.75% 0 0.00%
1924 44 17.12% 212 82.49% 1 0.39%
1920 196 38.51% 313 61.49% 0 0.00%
1916 44 7.67% 413 71.95% 117 20.38%
1912 90 15.03% 360 60.10% 149 24.87%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 6. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2004.
  4. ^ a b c Ebel, Carol (June 7, 2022). "Appling County". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Passed at Milledgeville, At an Annual Session in November and December. 1825. Vol. 1. Milledgeville, Georgia: Georgia General Assembly. p. 61.
  6. ^ Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Passed in Milledgeville at an Annual Session in November and December, 1828. Vol. 1. Milledgeville. p. 168.
  7. ^ Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Passed in Milledgeville, at a Session of the Same, in November and December, 1857. Vol. 1. Milledgeville, Georgia. p. 40.
  8. ^ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Passed at its Session in July and August, 1872. Vol. 1. p. 387. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  9. ^ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia 1905. Vol. 1. Atlanta, Georgia. p. 55.
  10. ^ Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia 1914. Vol. 1. Atlanta, Georgia. p. 23.
  11. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  13. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  14. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  15. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  16. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1910.
  17. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  18. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  19. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1950.
  20. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  21. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  22. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  23. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
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31°45′N 82°17′W / 31.75°N 82.29°W / 31.75; -82.29

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