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Clarke County, Georgia facts for kids

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Clarke County
Clarke County Courthouse in Athens
Clarke County Courthouse in Athens
Official seal of Clarke County
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Clarke County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Georgia
Founded 1801; 223 years ago (1801)
Named for Elijah Clarke
Seat Athens
Largest city Athens
Area
 • Total 121 sq mi (310 km2)
 • Land 119 sq mi (310 km2)
 • Water 1.8 sq mi (5 km2)  1.5%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 128,671
 • Estimate 
(2023)
129,933 Increase
 • Density 1,063/sq mi (410.6/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 9th, 10th

Clarke County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,671. Its county seat is Athens, with which it is a consolidated city-county. Clarke County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

History

Clarke County was created in 1801 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 5. It was named for Revolutionary War hero Elijah Clarke and included 250 square miles (647.5 km2) that was formerly part of Jackson County. Colonel Clarke played a leading role the 1779 victory at the Battle of Kettle Creek in Wilkes County. The Elijah Clarke Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution erected a monument to him in Broad Street in Athens.

As the population of the county grew in the early 19th century, its agricultural and cotton industries prospered. The adjacent plantation harvests flowed through city mills. Manufacturing and textile production operations were the major industries in Clarke County, especially after the railroad reached Athens in 1841. Athens and Clarke County were second only to Savannah and Chatham County in the amount of capital invested in manufacturing in the 1840s.

Two skirmishes were fought in Clarke County in 1864, during the American Civil War, one near Barber's Creek and the other near Mitchell's Road. Athens was occupied by the Union Army on May 29 and a provost-marshal took charge. Formal military occupation of the county ended by December 1864, though Union troops remained in the county until early 1866.

In 1801 the Clarke County Commission had selected Watkinsville (now in Oconee County) as the county seat. All county offices, including the courts and jail, moved to Athens when the seat was moved on November 24, 1871. County meetings took place in the old Athens town hall, until a new courthouse was constructed in 1876. The present courthouse was built in 1914.

Clarke County, Ga. and the city of Athens (1893) (14804075263)
Map of Clarke County from 1893

On February 12, 1875, in response to complaints over the relocation of the county seat to Athens, the state legislature created Oconee County from the southwestern portion of Clarke County, making Watkinsville its seat. Clarke County thus lost one-third of its population and three-fifths of its land area.

The position of "commissioner of roads and revenue" was created by the legislature for what are today known as county commissioners. As an extension of the state, the county would conduct welfare and health programs, build and maintain roads, and hold courts of law.

On March 29, 1973, the Georgia legislature increased the number of county commissioners from 3 to 5, also adding a county administrator.

In 1990, the residents voted to unify the city and county governments creating Athens-Clarke County, the second (after Columbus-Muscogee County) unified city-county government in the State of Georgia.

Geography

Clarke County is located at 33°57′20″N 83°23′00″W / 33.955464°N 83.383245°W / 33.955464; -83.383245. The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

The vast majority of Clarke County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, with a very small portion of the county's eastern edge, north of Winterville, located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 121 square miles (310 km2), of which 119 square miles (310 km2) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) (1.5%) is water. It is the smallest county by area in Georgia.

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Town

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1810 7,628
1820 8,767 14.9%
1830 10,176 16.1%
1840 10,522 3.4%
1850 11,119 5.7%
1860 11,218 0.9%
1870 12,941 15.4%
1880 11,702 −9.6%
1890 15,186 29.8%
1900 17,708 16.6%
1910 23,273 31.4%
1920 26,111 12.2%
1930 25,613 −1.9%
1940 28,398 10.9%
1950 36,550 28.7%
1960 45,363 24.1%
1970 65,177 43.7%
1980 74,498 14.3%
1990 87,594 17.6%
2000 101,489 15.9%
2010 116,714 15.0%
2020 128,671 10.2%
2023 (est.) 129,933 11.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1880 1890-1910
1920-1930 1930-1940
1940-1950 1960-1980
1980-2000 2010 2020
Clarke County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
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 Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 62,895 66,674 72,201 61.97% 57.13% 56.11%
Black or African American alone (NH) 27,496 30,695 31,367 27.09% 26.30% 24.38%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 164 141 297 0.16% 0.12% 0.23%
Asian alone (NH) 3,162 4,811 4,920 3.12% 4.12% 3.82%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 41 48 66 0.04% 0.04% 0.05%
Other race alone (NH) 172 270 980 0.17% 0.23% 0.76%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 1,123 1,883 4,504 1.11% 1.61% 3.50%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6,436 12,192 14,336 6.34% 10.45% 11.14%
Total 101,489 116,714 128,671 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 128,671 people, 52,124 households, and 24,041 families residing in the county.

Education

Transportation

Major highways

  • US 29.svg U.S. Route 29
  • US 78.svg U.S. Route 78
  • Business plate.svg
    US 78.svg U.S. Route 78 Business
  • US 129.svg U.S. Route 129
  • US 441.svg U.S. Route 441
  • Georgia 8.svg State Route 8
  • Georgia 10.svg State Route 10
  • Georgia 10 Loop.svg State Route 10 Loop
  • Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
  • Georgia 15 Alternate.svg State Route 15 Alternate
  • Georgia 72.svg State Route 72
  • Georgia 422.svg State Route 422 (unsigned designation for State Route 10 Loop)

Pedestrians and cycling

  • Athens North Oconee River Greenway
  • Firefly Trail
United States presidential election results for Clarke County, Georgia
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 14,450 28.10% 36,055 70.12% 916 1.78%
2016 12,717 27.96% 29,603 65.10% 3,156 6.94%
2012 13,815 34.10% 25,431 62.77% 1,269 3.13%
2008 15,333 33.58% 29,591 64.80% 742 1.62%
2004 15,052 40.20% 21,718 58.00% 673 1.80%
2000 11,850 41.00% 15,167 52.47% 1,887 6.53%
1996 10,504 38.41% 15,206 55.61% 1,636 5.98%
1992 10,459 36.07% 15,403 53.12% 3,136 10.81%
1988 11,150 49.66% 11,154 49.68% 148 0.66%
1984 11,503 53.17% 10,132 46.83% 0 0.00%
1980 8,094 40.68% 10,519 52.86% 1,286 6.46%
1976 6,610 36.82% 11,342 63.18% 0 0.00%
1972 11,465 65.31% 6,090 34.69% 0 0.00%
1968 5,800 39.17% 5,556 37.52% 3,452 23.31%
1964 4,875 39.33% 7,519 60.67% 0 0.00%
1960 2,250 31.86% 4,812 68.14% 0 0.00%
1956 2,107 33.11% 4,257 66.89% 0 0.00%
1952 1,588 24.46% 4,904 75.54% 0 0.00%
1948 707 16.38% 3,095 71.69% 515 11.93%
1944 274 8.09% 3,112 91.91% 0 0.00%
1940 246 7.81% 2,894 91.87% 10 0.32%
1936 160 5.72% 2,632 94.13% 4 0.14%
1932 159 7.35% 1,992 92.05% 13 0.60%
1928 724 33.97% 1,407 66.03% 0 0.00%
1924 267 14.35% 1,530 82.26% 63 3.39%
1920 217 13.26% 1,419 86.74% 0 0.00%
1916 31 2.63% 1,036 87.80% 113 9.58%
1912 81 7.34% 956 86.67% 66 5.98%
1908 207 20.20% 720 70.24% 98 9.56%
1904 118 11.69% 773 76.61% 118 11.69%
1900 199 21.89% 672 73.93% 38 4.18%
1896 419 35.66% 707 60.17% 49 4.17%
1892 545 35.97% 835 55.12% 135 8.91%
1888 660 44.99% 801 54.60% 6 0.41%
1884 765 49.58% 778 50.42% 0 0.00%
1880 765 48.88% 800 51.12% 0 0.00%


See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Clarke (Georgia) para niños

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