The
U.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government . Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile...
of
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
is divided into 159 counties. Under the
Georgia ConstitutionThe Constitution of the State of Georgia is the governing document of the U.S. state of Georgia. The constitution outlines the three branches of government in Georgia. The legislative branch is embodied in the bicameral General Assembly. The executive branch is headed by the Governor. The judicial...
, counties are granted
home ruleHome rule is where constituent parts of a state are given greater self-government within the administrative purview of the central government....
to deal with issues that are local in nature. Four consolidated city-counties—
AthensAthens-Clarke County is a unified city-county in Georgia, U.S., in the northeastern part of the state. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial creation of Athens and its subsequent growth...
(
Clarke CountyClarke County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 101,489. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 114,063. Its county seat is Athens, Georgia, with which it is a consolidated city-county...
),
AugustaAugusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia. The City of Augusta and Richmond County governments merged operations in 1996; as of September 2008, the Augusta-Richmond county population was 192,851, not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the...
(
Richmond CountyRichmond County is a county located in the United States state of Georgia. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created February 5, 1777. As of 2000, the population was 199,775. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 199,992 ....
),
ColumbusColumbus is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia. The city is the county seat of Muscogee County. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2008, had an estimated population of 287,653...
(
Muscogee CountyMuscogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the population was 186,291. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 187,046 . Its county seat and only city is Columbus,...
), and
CussetaCusseta is a city in Chattahoochee County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,196 at the 2000 census...
(
Chattahoochee CountyChattahoochee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on February 13, 1854. As of 2000, the population is 14,882. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 9,430 . It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area...
)—exist.
History
Georgia has the second-highest number of counties of any state in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, next behind
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
with 254 (see
List of counties in Texas). The traditional motivation for county creation was that a country
farmerA farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials.- Definition :The term farmer usually applies to a person who grows field crops, and/or manages orchards or vineyards, or raises livestock or poultry such as chicken and cows...
should be able to travel to the
county seatA county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county or civil parish, primarily used in the United States. In the Northeast United States, the statutory term often is shire town, but colloquially county seat is the term in use there...
and back home in one day on horseback. However, about 25 counties were created in the early
20th centuryThe 20th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000, according to the Gregorian calendar.The British Empire, the Russian Empire, the German Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved in the first half of the century, with all but the...
after the use of the automobile & buses had become possible. These counties created were generally seen as being created for political purposes.
The proliferation of counties in the state led to multiple state
constitutional amendmentA constitutional amendment is a change to the constitution of a nation or a state. In jurisdictions with "rigid" or "entrenched" constitutions, amendments require a special procedure different from that used for enacting ordinary laws.-Referendum:...
s attempting to establish limits on the number of counties in the state. The most recent such amendment, dating to 1945, limits the state to 159 counties, although there were previously 161 from 1924 to 1931. In a rare
consolidationConsolidation may refer to the following:* Consolidation , the mergers or acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones* Consolidation , a geological process whereby a soil decreases in volume...
,
Campbell CountyCampbell County, Georgia was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1828 to 1931. It was created by the state legislature on 20 December 1828 from land taken from Fayette, Coweta, and Carroll counties, and from the half of DeKalb County which became Fulton County soon afterward...
and
Milton CountyMilton County was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1857 to 1931. It was created on 18 December 1857 from parts of northeastern Cobb, southeastern Cherokee, and southwestern Forsyth counties. Alpharetta was the county seat until the end of 1931, when Milton was merged with Fulton County...
were made part of
Fulton CountyFulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal city of the Atlanta metropolitan area. At the 2000 United States Census, the population was 816,006...
in 1932 as an
austerityIn economics, austerity is when a national government reduces its spending, to pay back creditors. Austerity is usually required when a government's fiscal deficit spending is felt to be unsustainable....
measure during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
There is currently a movement among some to change the state constitution to allow the creation of at least one new county. Some residents of northern Fulton County support the re-creation of Milton County. The reasoning behind this is that the northern sections of Fulton County are among the most affluent in the state, and residents want to stop tax revenues from going to the poorer areas of central and southern Fulton County to be spent.
Changed county names
A few Georgia counties have changed names over time.
Jasper CountyJasper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 11,426. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 13,660...
was originally known as Randolph County. Later, the current
Randolph CountyRandolph County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population is 7,791. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 7,294...
came into being.
Webster CountyWebster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 2,390. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 2,245 . The county seat is Preston, Georgia.-History:...
was once known as Kinchafoonee County, and
Bartow CountyBartow County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 76,019. The county's explosive growth is evident, as the population of the county rose to 92,834 as of the 2007 estimate. The county seat is Cartersville....
was formerly known as Cass County.
Defunct counties
- St. George, St. Mary's, St. Thomas, St. Phillip, Christ Church, St. David, St. Matthews, St. Andrew, St. James, St. Johns, and St. Paul Parishes. These were dissolved in 1777, and others were established later.
- Campbell County
Campbell County, Georgia was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1828 to 1931. It was created by the state legislature on 20 December 1828 from land taken from Fayette, Coweta, and Carroll counties, and from the half of DeKalb County which became Fulton County soon afterward...
(1828—1932): Formed from CarrollCarroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 87,268. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 111,954 . The county seat is Carrollton, Georgia....
and Coweta CountiesCoweta County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 89,215. The 2009 Census Estimate placed the population at 131,936...
, was in 1932 merged into Fulton County.
- Milton County
Milton County was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1857 to 1931. It was created on 18 December 1857 from parts of northeastern Cobb, southeastern Cherokee, and southwestern Forsyth counties. Alpharetta was the county seat until the end of 1931, when Milton was merged with Fulton County...
(1857—1932): Formed from Cobb CountyCobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
, was in 1932 merged into Fulton County.
In addition, there was once another Walton County, which existed in present-day
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
. A skirmish, the
Walton WarThe Walton War was an 1810 boundary dispute between North Carolina and Georgia over a 12 mile strip of land in present day Transylvania County, North Carolina. There were two major clashes between the two state's militias, the Battle of McGaha Branch and the Battle of Selica Hill. Both of these...
, was fought between North Carolina and Georgia before Georgia relinquished its claim on the area.
Alphabetical listing
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External links