Baldwin County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Baldwin, Georgia.

Baldwin County, Georgia
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1803
Named for	Abraham Baldwin
Seat	Milledgeville
Largest city	Milledgeville
Area
• Total	267 sq mi (692 km2)
• Land	258 sq mi (668 km2)
• Water	9.6 sq mi (25 km2), 3.6%
Population
• (2010)	45,720
• Density	177/sq mi (68/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.baldwincountyga.com

Baldwin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,337. The county seat is Milledgeville.

Baldwin County is part of the Milledgeville, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

For centuries the land was occupied by the Creek Nation, and for thousands of years before them, varying cultures of indigenous peoples.

Part of the land ceded by the Creek Nation in the Treaty of Fort Wilkinson in 1802 was used to create Baldwin County on May 11, 1803, by the Georgia General Assembly, the state's legislative body.

The land, west of the Oconee River, became Baldwin and Wilkinson counties. The Treaty of Washington with the Creek in 1805 extended the state's western boundary to the Ocmulgee River, and a legislative act on June 26, 1806, added some of this additional land to both counties.

The state legislature subsequently passed an act on December 10, 1807 that created four new counties from Baldwin County's 1806 borders and expanded Baldwin to the east with land from Hancock and Washington counties. The new counties were Morgan, Jones, Putnam, and present-day Jasper (originally named Randolph County at the time of the act).

The county is named for Abraham Baldwin, a signer of the United States Constitution, U.S. congressman representing Georgia, and the founder of the University of Georgia. Settlers moved rapidly into the area and developed large cotton plantations, made possible by the labor of slaves. Georgia was one of the destinations for slaves being sold from the Upper South, as well as from the Low Country.

The county seat of Milledgeville is the former state capital of Georgia (1804–1868). Also notable is the fact that other than Washington, it is the only planned capital city in the United States.

Because of its central location within the state and its abundant supply of water, Milledgeville grew rapidly into a bustling frontier settlement. Only two cities in the nation—Milledgeville and Washington, D.C.—can boast the distinction of being originally designed and planned as cities to house seats of government. On November 2, 1807, the state legislature held its first session in the newly completed statehouse in Milledgeville. Georgia's first state penitentiary was also established within the historic city limits of Milledgeville in 1817, on land now part of the campus of Georgia College and State University. In 1837 the General Assembly provided for the establishment of the state's first mental asylum, today known as Central State Hospital.

When the state of Georgia seceded from the Union in January 1861 during a legislative session held in Milledgeville, Baldwin County became a target for Union forces. In Union general William T. Sherman's devastating march to the sea, his troops occupied Georgia's capital city in November 1864. Sherman and his Union armies burned the state penitentiary, vandalized the city, and held a mock session of the legislature in the statehouse to repeal the state's ordinance of secession. In 1868, after the Civil War (1861–65), Georgia's capital was moved from Milledgeville to its present location in Atlanta. Today Milledgeville is home to two institutions of higher education: Georgia College and State University and Georgia Military College. Founded in 1889 as the Georgia Normal and Industrial College for Women, Georgia College and State University has since grown to become the state's premier public liberal arts university. Georgia Military College, founded in 1879, now occupies the Old Capitol Building.

Many of Georgia's most notable residents have come from Milledgeville. U.S. representative Carl Vinson, who served for fifty years in the U.S. Congress, was born in Baldwin County. Comedian Oliver Hardy began his career in the Milledgeville Opera House. The acclaimed novelist and short-story author Flannery O'Connor wrote many of her works while living in Milledgeville. O'Connor is buried in her family plot in Milledgeville's historic Memory Hill Cemetery.

In addition to the Old Capitol and Governor's Mansion, visitors to Baldwin County can explore Andalusia, O'Connor's family farm; Milledgeville's historic district; and the Lockerly Arboretum, a botanical garden and nature education center that hosts the Lockerly Heritage Festival each September.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 267 square miles (690 km²), of which 258 square miles (670 km²) is land and 9.6 square miles (25 km²) (3.6%) is water.

The majority of Baldwin County, south of Lake Sinclair, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northern portion of the county is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 441
  • U.S. Route 441 Business
• State Route 22
• State Route 24
• State Route 29
• State Route 49
• State Route 112
• 25px State Route 212
• State Route 243
• State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway) (coming soon)

Adjacent Counties

• Putnam County, Georgia - north
• Hancock County, Georgia - northeast
• Washington County, Georgia - east
• Wilkinson County, Georgia - south
• Jones County, Georgia - west

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	6,356		—
1820	7,734		21.7%
1830	7,295		−5.7%
1840	7,250		−0.6%
1850	8,148		12.4%
1860	9,078		11.4%
1870	10,618		17.0%
1880	13,806		30.0%
1890	14,608		5.8%
1900	17,768		21.6%
1910	18,354		3.3%
1920	19,791		7.8%
1930	22,878		15.6%
1940	24,190		5.7%
1950	29,706		22.8%
1960	34,064		14.7%
1970	34,240		0.5%
1980	34,686		1.3%
1990	39,530		14.0%
2000	44,700		13.1%
2010	45,720		2.3%
Est. 2014	45,909		0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2000 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 46,337 people, 14,758 households, and 9,843 families residing in the county. The population density was 173 people per square mile (67/km²). There were 17,173 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile (26/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 54.17% White, 43.38% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,758 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.90% were married couples living together, 18.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 14.50% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 117.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,159, and the median income for a family was $42,736. Males had a median income of $31,227 versus $22,718 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,271. About 11.80% of families and 16.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.80% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 45,720 people, 16,788 households, and 10,373 families residing in the county. The population density was 177.3 inhabitants per square mile (68.5/km²). There were 20,159 housing units at an average density of 78.2 per square mile (30.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 54.9% white, 41.5% black or African American, 1.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.0% were American, 7.9% were English, and 6.8% were Irish.

Of the 16,788 households, 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.2% were non-families, and 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 34.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,237 and the median income for a family was $47,714. Males had a median income of $36,158 versus $26,576 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,488. About 16.8% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.6% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Baldwin State Prison (previously Georgia Women's Correctional Institution) of the Georgia Department of Corrections is located in Milledgeville.

Education

Main article: Milledgeville, Georgia § Education

Communities

• Hardwick
• Milledgeville

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Baldwin County, Georgia

Further reading

• Anna Maria Green Cook, The History of Baldwin County, Georgia. (1925) Spartanburg, SC: Reprint Co., 1978.

External links

• Baldwin County website
• Georgia Encyclopedia Baldwin County entry