Bleckley County | |
---|---|
![]() Bleckley County Courthouse in Cochran | |
![]() Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
![]() Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
Coordinates: 32°26′N 83°20′W / 32.44°N 83.33°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
Founded | 1912 |
Named for | Logan Edwin Bleckley |
Seat | Cochran |
Largest city | Cochran |
Government | |
• County Commissioner | Robert Brockman |
Area | |
• Total | 219 sq mi (570 km2) |
• Land | 216 sq mi (560 km2) |
• Water | 3.3 sq mi (9 km2) 1.5% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,583 |
• Density | 58/sq mi (22/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
Congressional district | 8th |
Website | www |
Bleckley County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,583.[1] The county seat is Cochran.[2]
History
The county was named for Logan Edwin Bleckley, a soldier and Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.[3] The state constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on July 30, 1912, and ratified November 5, 1912. Bleckley County was formerly home to Middle Georgia College, the oldest two-year public college in the nation. In 2013 it merged with Macon State College to become Middle Georgia State University.[4]
Bleckley County High School made news in March 2010 for allowing a same-sex couple to attend its senior prom, after another same-sex couple in Mississippi were denied attendance at another senior prom.[5]
Government
Bleckley County is one of eight remaining counties in Georgia that operates under a sole commissioner form of government, with a single county commissioner acting as the county executive and legislative branches. The current County Commissioner is Mike Davis, the Sheriff is Daniel Cape, the Fire Chief is Brock Wilcher, the Clerk of Superior Court is Dianne C. Brown, the Tax Commissioner is Paige Baggs, and the Probate Judge is Hon. Jonathan Fordham.
Bleckly County's sole commissioner form of government was discussed in Holder v. Hall,[6] decided by the United States Supreme Court on June 30, 1994.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 4,329 | 75.81% | 1,312 | 22.98% | 69 | 1.21% |
2016 | 3,719 | 74.77% | 1,101 | 22.14% | 154 | 3.10% |
2012 | 3,587 | 72.91% | 1,269 | 25.79% | 64 | 1.30% |
2008 | 3,657 | 71.93% | 1,380 | 27.14% | 47 | 0.92% |
2004 | 3,167 | 70.83% | 1,281 | 28.65% | 23 | 0.51% |
2000 | 2,436 | 64.98% | 1,273 | 33.96% | 40 | 1.07% |
1996 | 1,632 | 49.33% | 1,365 | 41.26% | 311 | 9.40% |
1992 | 1,570 | 39.69% | 1,710 | 43.23% | 676 | 17.09% |
1988 | 1,950 | 62.14% | 1,175 | 37.44% | 13 | 0.41% |
1984 | 1,912 | 56.62% | 1,465 | 43.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
1980 | 1,261 | 36.66% | 2,014 | 58.55% | 165 | 4.80% |
1976 | 972 | 27.17% | 2,605 | 72.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
1972 | 2,308 | 85.96% | 377 | 14.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
1968 | 756 | 20.94% | 397 | 10.99% | 2,458 | 68.07% |
1964 | 2,578 | 72.50% | 978 | 27.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 633 | 26.55% | 1,751 | 73.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 136 | 8.13% | 1,537 | 91.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 187 | 10.97% | 1,517 | 89.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 71 | 8.47% | 536 | 63.96% | 231 | 27.57% |
1944 | 213 | 20.72% | 815 | 79.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 100 | 11.26% | 785 | 88.40% | 3 | 0.34% |
1936 | 69 | 9.58% | 649 | 90.14% | 2 | 0.28% |
1932 | 37 | 2.69% | 1,338 | 97.24% | 1 | 0.07% |
1928 | 71 | 9.97% | 641 | 90.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 21 | 5.19% | 367 | 90.62% | 17 | 4.20% |
1920 | 0 | 0.00% | 262 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
1916 | 14 | 3.66% | 362 | 94.76% | 6 | 1.57% |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 219 square miles (570 km2), of which 216 square miles (560 km2) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2) (1.5%) is water.[8] The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.
The eastern quarter of Bleckley County, roughly in a line from west of Danville running southeast, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The central quarter of the county, between Cochran and the previous line, is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The western half of the county, west of Cochran, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same larger Altamaha River basin.[9]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Wilkinson County - north
- Twiggs County - north
- Laurens County - east
- Dodge County - southeast
- Pulaski County - southwest
- Houston County - west
Communities
Cities
Unincorporated communities
- Cary
- Empire
- Baileys Park
- Brown Hill
- Coley Station
- Five Points
- Fraizer
- Goldsboro
- Paulk
- Porter
- Powell
- Rebie
- Royal [10]
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1920 | 10,532 | — | |
1930 | 9,133 | −13.3% | |
1940 | 9,655 | 5.7% | |
1950 | 9,218 | −4.5% | |
1960 | 9,642 | 4.6% | |
1970 | 10,291 | 6.7% | |
1980 | 10,767 | 4.6% | |
1990 | 10,430 | −3.1% | |
2000 | 11,666 | 11.9% | |
2010 | 13,063 | 12.0% | |
2020 | 12,583 | −3.7% | |
2023 (est.) | 12,465 | [11] | −0.9% |
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] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 8,867 | 70.47% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,788 | 22.16% |
Native American | 11 | 0.09% |
Asian | 153 | 1.22% |
Pacific Islander | 8 | 0.06% |
Other/Mixed | 287 | 2.28% |
Hispanic or Latino | 469 | 3.73% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,583 people, 4,176 households, and 2,727 families residing in the county.
Education
Points of interest
- Cochran-Bleckley Cotton & Peanut Museum
- Cochran Motor Speedway
- Greene Acres Farm
- Gully Branch Tree Farm
- Mae Chapel
- Middle Georgia Equestrian Center
- Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area
- Ocmulgee Water Trail
- Ocmulgee Wildlife Management Area
- Terry L. Coleman Museum and Archives
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bleckley County, Georgia
- List of counties in Georgia
References
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Bleckley County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
- ^ "Middle Georgia State College Now a Reality". mgsc.edu. Archived from the original on February 20, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Bleckley school officials allowing gay prom date - Local & State - Macon.com". Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ 512 U.S. 874 (1994)
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ^ "Bleckley County GA - Cities, Towns, Neighborhoods, & Subdivisions". georgia.hometownlocator.com.
- ^ "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". US Census Bureau.
- ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
- ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1910.
- ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
- ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1950.
- ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
- ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
External links
- Cochran-Bleckley Chamber of Commerce
- Bleckley County historical marker