Taliaferro County, Georgia
County in Georgia, United States

County in Georgia
Taliaferro County, Georgia
County
Taliaferro County Courthouse (built 1902),[1] Crawfordville
Taliaferro County Courthouse (built 1902),[1] Crawfordville
Map of Georgia highlighting Taliaferro County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°34′N 82°53′W / 33.57°N 82.88°W / 33.57; -82.88
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 24, 1825; 201 years ago (1825)
Named afterBenjamin Taliaferro
SeatCrawfordville
Largest cityCrawfordville
Area
 • Total
195 sq mi (510 km2)
 • Land195 sq mi (510 km2)
 • Water0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2)  0.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,559
 • Density8/sq mi (3.1/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district10th
Websitetaliaferrocountyga.org

Taliaferro County (/ˈtɒlɪvər/ TOL-iv-ər) is a county located in East central Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,559,[2] down from the 2010 census when the population was 1,717,[3] making it the least populous county in Georgia and the second least populous county east of the Mississippi River (after Issaquena County, Mississippi). The county seat is Crawfordville.[4]

History

Taliaferro County was formed by an act of the Georgia Legislature meeting in Milledgeville on December 24, 1825.[1] It was formed by taking portions of five other counties: Wilkes, Greene, Hancock, Oglethorpe, and Warren Counties.[5]

The county was named for Colonel Benjamin Taliaferro of Virginia, who was an officer in the American Revolution.

The county is most famous for containing the birthplace and home of Alexander H. Stephens, who served as a U.S. congressman from Georgia in the antebellum South, as vice president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, and as governor of Georgia after the war (dying in office). A. H. Stephens State Park in Crawfordville is named after him.[6]

During the segregation era, due to judge-ordered desegregation of public schools, all white children moved to white-only private schools, leading to the county being segregated up until 1976.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 195 square miles (510 km2), of which 195 square miles (510 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.4%) is water.[8] It is drained by tributaries of the Ogeechee and Little rivers.[9]

The northern half of Taliaferro County, north of Crawfordville, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The southern half of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.[10]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18304,934—
18405,1905.2%
18505,146−0.8%
18604,583−10.9%
18704,7964.6%
18807,03446.7%
18907,2913.7%
19007,9128.5%
19108,76610.8%
19208,8410.9%
19306,172−30.2%
19406,2781.7%
19504,515−28.1%
19603,370−25.4%
19702,423−28.1%
19802,032−16.1%
19901,915−5.8%
20002,0778.5%
20101,717−17.3%
20201,559−9.2%
2024 (est.)1,620[11]3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1880[13] 1890-1910[14]
1920-1930[15] 1930-1940[16]
1940-1950[17] 1960-1980[18]
1980-2000[19] 2010[20] 2020[21]
Taliaferro County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[22] Pop 2010[20] Pop 2020[21] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 787 625 591 37.89% 36.40% 37.91%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,251 1,024 833 60.23% 59.64% 53.43%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1 2 4 0.05% 0.12% 0.26%
Asian alone (NH) 1 8 6 0.05% 0.47% 0.38%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 6 0 2 0.29% 0.00% 0.13%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 12 23 54 0.58% 1.34% 3.46%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 19 35 69 0.91% 2.04% 4.43%
Total 2,077 1,717 1,559 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,559. The median age was 51.0 years. 17.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.2 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[23][24][25]

The racial makeup of the county was 38.9% White, 53.4% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.4% of the population.[25]

There were 699 households in the county, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 34.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[24]

There were 908 housing units, of which 23.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.5% were owner-occupied and 27.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%.[24]

Economy

Taliaferro county's main employer is the government,[26] primarily the Taliaferro County Sheriffs Department, which patrols I-20 and issues many traffic tickets per capita compared to other counties in the state. For instance, Fulton County, the largest county by population in Georgia, gains $16.98 per capita in traffic ticket revenue. By comparison, Taliaferro county gains $1,614.33 per capita, which is around a hundred times more.[27]

Several Hollywood films have been shot in Taliaferro County. Paris Trout (1991), starring Dennis Hopper and based on the novel by the same name by Pete Dexter, was primarily filmed in the county. Sweet Home Alabama (2002), starring Reese Witherspoon, was filmed in the county seat of Crawfordville.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Taliaferro County is a strongly Democratic Party voting county, voting 57% for Kamala Harris in 2024. Taliaferro County is one of the most reliably Democratic counties in Georgia, despite being mostly rural in nature, due to being majority African American. It has supported the Democratic candidate in every presidential election by wide margins except in 1972, when Richard Nixon won by a landslide. In 2024, Trump became the first Republican since Nixon to get at least 40% of the vote.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Taliaferro County is part of Georgia's 10th congressional district, currently represented by Mike Collins. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Taliaferro County is part of District 23.[28] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Taliaferro County is part of District 124.[29]

United States presidential election results for Taliaferro County, Georgia[30]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№  % №  % №  %
1912 35 12.50% 225 80.36% 20 7.14%
1916 14 5.07% 255 92.39% 7 2.54%
1920 12 3.51% 330 96.49% 0 0.00%
1924 4 1.37% 228 77.82% 61 20.82%
1928 58 11.51% 446 88.49% 0 0.00%
1932 3 0.59% 503 99.41% 0 0.00%
1936 14 2.44% 552 96.34% 7 1.22%
1940 19 3.61% 507 96.39% 0 0.00%
1944 6 1.52% 389 98.48% 0 0.00%
1948 21 3.51% 504 84.14% 74 12.35%
1952 103 10.55% 873 89.45% 0 0.00%
1956 160 21.08% 599 78.92% 0 0.00%
1960 148 18.43% 655 81.57% 0 0.00%
1964 337 34.92% 628 65.08% 0 0.00%
1968 232 16.36% 678 47.81% 508 35.83%
1972 585 61.13% 372 38.87% 0 0.00%
1976 236 23.98% 748 76.02% 0 0.00%
1980 270 28.30% 670 70.23% 14 1.47%
1984 318 36.64% 550 63.36% 0 0.00%
1988 306 39.38% 469 60.36% 2 0.26%
1992 269 24.32% 755 68.26% 82 7.41%
1996 235 26.52% 615 69.41% 36 4.06%
2000 271 32.57% 556 66.83% 5 0.60%
2004 335 35.23% 612 64.35% 4 0.42%
2008 339 34.24% 643 64.95% 8 0.81%
2012 323 33.54% 636 66.04% 4 0.42%
2016 349 38.91% 545 60.76% 3 0.33%
2020 360 38.79% 561 60.45% 7 0.75%
2024 375 42.42% 507 57.35% 2 0.23%
[31]
United States Senate election results for Taliaferro County, Georgia3
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
№  % №  % №  %
2022 284 39.72% 431 60.28% 0 0.00%

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ Caldwell, W. W.: "The Courthouse and the Depot", pages 33-34. Mercer University Press, 2001
  2. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  3. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 219. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  6. ^ "A.H. Stephens State Park | Department Of Natural Resources Division". gastateparks.org. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  7. ^ Education: A Dubious Precedent, 26 January 1976
  8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. ^ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Taliaferro" . The American Cyclopædia.
  10. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  11. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  12. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  13. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  14. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  16. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  17. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  18. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  19. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  20. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taliaferro County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  21. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Taliaferro County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  22. ^ "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Taliaferro County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  23. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  24. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  25. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  26. ^ Boatright, Susan R. (November 2005). "Taliaferro County Community Profile" (PDF). uga.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  27. ^ "Database: Georgia's biggest ticket traps". myajc. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  28. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  29. ^ "Georgia General Assembly". www.legis.ga.gov. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  30. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  31. ^ "2022 Senate Election (Official Returns)". Commonwealth of Georgia by county. November 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  • Official website
  • Georgia Historical Markers in Taliaferro County

33°34′N 82°53′W / 33.57°N 82.88°W / 33.57; -82.88

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