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Taylor County, Georgia

Taylor County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,816.[1] The county seat and largest city is Butler.[2]

Taylor County
County
Taylor County Courthouse in Butler
Taylor County Courthouse in Butler
Map of Georgia highlighting Taylor County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°33′N 84°15′W / 32.55°N 84.25°W / 32.55; -84.25
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedJanuary 15, 1852; 172 years ago (1852-01-15)
Named forZachary Taylor
SeatButler
Largest cityButler
Area
 • Total
380 sq mi (1,000 km2)
 • Land377 sq mi (980 km2)
 • Water3.0 sq mi (8 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
7,816
 • Estimate 
(2023)
7,758 Decrease
 • Density21/sq mi (7.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district2nd

History

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Taylor County was created on January 15, 1852, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly from portions of Macon, Marion and Talbot counties. The county is named for Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States.[3]

Taylor County is also widely known for its history of racism and Jim Crow era subjugation of its African-American populace, which continued long into the 20th century.[4][5] An especially egregious case is the 1946 lynching of Maceo Snipes, a World War II veteran and the first African-American to vote in Taylor County, for which he was murdered by the KKK on his doorstep in the hours following. Although not immediately succumbing to his wounds, Mr. Snipes death was eventually caused by the lack of availability of "black blood", or transfusions from a black person, at a Butler, Georgia hospital to which he was forced to walk three miles with gunshot wounds to his back. The murderers were never tried or otherwise held to account for their crimes, despite the involvement of the FBI. Mr. Snipes' murder was a motivating factor in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s first and only letter to the Atlanta Constitution at age 17, decrying the terrorism experienced by black citizens[6] in the state at that time, which occurred largely at the hands of or with the blessing of the local and state authorities.[7][8]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 380 square miles (980 km2), of which 377 square miles (980 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.8%) is water.[9]

Taylor County is dissected by the Fall Line geological formation. The upper half of the county is located in the Piedmont region and consists of gently rolling hills and clay-based soils. The lower half of the county is located in the Upper Atlantic Coastal Plain and is markedly flatter and the soil more sandy. The Flint River marks the entirety of the county's northeastern border.

The county is driven by a largely agricultural economy. Peaches, strawberries, pecans, peanuts, watermelons, and cotton are the most commonly raised crops. Lumbering is also important to the local economy. The county is heavily forested in most areas due in part to the many large plantation pine farms. There are also many desirable hardwood forests, especially along the Flint River basin and tributary streams. The southwestern portion of the county is covered with large sandhills that have given rise to several stable sand mining operations.

The county supports a very healthy population of animals, including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern cottontail, raccoon, coyote, bobcat, nine-banded armadillo, Virginia opossum, red-tailed hawk, and the federally endangered Florida gopher tortoise. Taylor County is home to five of North America's venomous snakes (eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, Carolina pygmy rattlesnake, eastern coral snake, water moccasin, and copperhead), representing every North American family of venomous snake.

The dominant tree species are southern red oak, post oak, longleaf pine, loblolly pine, sweetgum, and red maple. Taylor County contains the largest stands of Atlantic white cedar in the state of Georgia. These stands can be found along much of Whitewater and Little Whitewater creeks and are at the heart of a growing movement to conserve these unique plant communities for posterity.

The vast majority of Taylor County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with the exception of a tiny corner of the county just north of Georgia, which is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.[10]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Communities

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City

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Town

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18605,998—
18707,14319.1%
18808,59720.4%
18908,6660.8%
19009,84613.6%
191010,83910.1%
192011,4735.8%
193010,617−7.5%
194010,7681.4%
19509,113−15.4%
19608,311−8.8%
19707,865−5.4%
19807,9020.5%
19907,642−3.3%
20008,81515.3%
20108,9061.0%
20207,816−12.2%
2023 (est.)7,758[11]−0.7%
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]
Taylor County racial composition as of 2020[21]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 4,584 58.65%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 2,807 35.91%
Native American 27 0.35%
Asian 29 0.37%
Pacific Islander 2 0.03%
Other/Mixed 199 2.55%
Hispanic or Latino 168 2.15%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,816 people, 3,473 households, and 2,208 families residing in the county.

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Taylor County, Georgia[22]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 2,600 65.29% 1,366 34.30% 16 0.40%
2020 2,420 62.99% 1,388 36.13% 34 0.88%
2016 2,064 60.56% 1,296 38.03% 48 1.41%
2012 1,948 55.03% 1,572 44.41% 20 0.56%
2008 2,021 56.34% 1,536 42.82% 30 0.84%
2004 1,912 56.52% 1,458 43.10% 13 0.38%
2000 1,412 50.79% 1,340 48.20% 28 1.01%
1996 1,002 37.77% 1,450 54.66% 201 7.58%
1992 1,078 37.53% 1,508 52.51% 286 9.96%
1988 1,145 50.13% 1,134 49.65% 5 0.22%
1984 1,292 49.09% 1,340 50.91% 0 0.00%
1980 815 30.21% 1,845 68.38% 38 1.41%
1976 504 20.44% 1,962 79.56% 0 0.00%
1972 1,580 75.45% 514 24.55% 0 0.00%
1968 393 14.50% 691 25.50% 1,626 60.00%
1964 1,372 55.55% 1,097 44.41% 1 0.04%
1960 365 23.31% 1,201 76.69% 0 0.00%
1956 276 16.88% 1,359 83.12% 0 0.00%
1952 277 14.16% 1,679 85.84% 0 0.00%
1948 99 8.99% 638 57.95% 364 33.06%
1944 269 25.82% 773 74.18% 0 0.00%
1940 213 21.07% 796 78.73% 2 0.20%
1936 147 15.96% 771 83.71% 3 0.33%
1932 44 6.01% 685 93.58% 3 0.41%
1928 353 37.43% 590 62.57% 0 0.00%
1924 96 19.75% 370 76.13% 20 4.12%
1920 211 30.06% 491 69.94% 0 0.00%
1916 113 19.65% 405 70.43% 57 9.91%
1912 98 21.44% 342 74.84% 17 3.72%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Taylor County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 222. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  4. ^ Klibanoff, Hank (October 13, 2010). "Maceo Snipes – The Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project". Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  5. ^ Barry, Dan (October 13, 2020). "Killing and Segregated Plaque Divide Town". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "4359004-GBI-Moore-s-Ford-File". October 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Kaminsky, Mia (October 13, 2020). "Self-Defense Alibis and the Myth of Black Criminality". Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  8. ^ "Black Veterans Killed in Fight for Democracy in U.S."
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  10. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  11. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  12. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". 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.
  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. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  21. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  22. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
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32°33′N 84°15′W / 32.55°N 84.25°W / 32.55; -84.25

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