Jasper County, Georgia

Jasper County
Jasper County
County
	Jasper County Courthouse
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 33°19′N 83°41′W / 33.32°N 83.69°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 10, 1807; 216 years ago
Named for	William Jasper
Seat	Monticello
Largest city	Monticello
Area
• Total	373 sq mi (970 km2)
• Land	368 sq mi (950 km2)
• Water	5.3 sq mi (14 km2) 1.4%
Population (2020)
• Total	14,588
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	10th
Website	jaspercountyga.org

Jasper County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,588,^[1] up from 13,900 in 2010.^[2] The county seat is Monticello.^[3] Jasper County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA.

History

This area was inhabited by indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. At the time of European-American settlement, it was inhabited by the Cherokee and Muscogee Creek peoples, who became known as among the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast.

The county was created on December 10, 1807, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly with land that was originally part of Baldwin County, Georgia.^[4] It became part of the new area of upland settlement through the South eventually known as the Black Belt, and a center of large plantations for short-staple cotton. Invention of the cotton gin in the late 18th century had made processing of this type of cotton profitable, and it was cultivated throughout the inland areas. As migration continued to the west, the county population rapidly rose and fell through the nineteenth century. Georgia settlers pushed Congress for the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which eventually forced most of the Native Americans west of the Mississippi River.

Jasper County was originally named Randolph County (after the Virginian John Randolph). Because of Randolph's opposition to U.S. entry into the War of 1812, the General Assembly changed the name of Randolph County to Jasper County on December 10, 1812, to honor Sergeant William Jasper, an American Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina. However, Randolph's reputation eventually was restored, and in 1828, the General Assembly created a new Randolph County.^[5]

Newton County was created from a part of the original Jasper County in 1821.

In March 1921, the bodies of at least nine Black men were found mutilated in shallow graves or local rivers. Reports indicated the men were held in peonage by a local farmer, John Williams.^[6]

The Jasper County, Georgia courthouse was shown and used for filming the courthouse scenes in the motion picture comedy "My Cousin Vinny", starring Joe Pesci. Although the setting of the movie is in Beechum County, Alabama (a fictitious place), near the end of the movie, Sheriff Farley (played by veteran actor Bruce McGill), actually mentions Jasper County, Georgia by name.^[7]

Government

The county has a five-member county commission, elected from single-member districts. The commission elects a chairman and vice-chairman to aid in conducting business. The county is protected by a combined Fire Rescue Department providing EMS and Fire Services. The department operates out of seven fire stations with the majority of their manpower being volunteers. The department employs 50 personnel, which include full-time, part-time, and volunteer employees, and is headed by a Fire Chief Christopher Finch.

United States presidential election results for Jasper County, Georgia^[8]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	5,822	76.13%	1,761	23.03%	64	0.84%
2016	4,360	71.86%	1,544	25.45%	163	2.69%
2012	4,136	68.45%	1,845	30.54%	61	1.01%
2008	3,916	66.25%	1,935	32.74%	60	1.02%
2004	3,157	66.56%	1,558	32.85%	28	0.59%
2000	2,298	58.28%	1,558	39.51%	87	2.21%
1996	1,423	44.00%	1,553	48.02%	258	7.98%
1992	1,153	38.14%	1,485	49.12%	385	12.74%
1988	1,474	55.08%	1,188	44.39%	14	0.52%
1984	1,431	56.05%	1,122	43.95%	0	0.00%
1980	879	35.39%	1,546	62.24%	59	2.38%
1976	689	27.12%	1,852	72.88%	0	0.00%
1972	1,289	73.57%	463	26.43%	0	0.00%
1968	456	20.57%	835	37.66%	926	41.77%
1964	1,075	55.90%	848	44.10%	0	0.00%
1960	271	22.21%	949	77.79%	0	0.00%
1956	288	23.04%	962	76.96%	0	0.00%
1952	228	17.10%	1,105	82.90%	0	0.00%
1948	87	10.06%	562	64.97%	216	24.97%
1944	86	9.97%	777	90.03%	0	0.00%
1940	72	9.44%	689	90.30%	2	0.26%
1936	33	3.45%	923	96.55%	0	0.00%
1932	14	1.77%	773	97.85%	3	0.38%
1928	140	18.13%	632	81.87%	0	0.00%
1924	68	12.95%	448	85.33%	9	1.71%
1920	42	8.92%	429	91.08%	0	0.00%
1916	6	1.08%	537	96.41%	14	2.51%
1912	8	1.20%	644	96.99%	12	1.81%

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 373 square miles (970 km²), of which 368 square miles (950 km²) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km²) (1.4%) is water.^[9]

The western portion of Jasper County, west of a line formed by State Route 11 to northwest of Monticello, then along the eastern border of the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.^[10]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Morgan County - northeast
Putnam County - east
Jones County - south
Monroe County - southwest
Butts County - west
Newton County - northwest

National protected areas

Oconee National Forest (part)
Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

City

Monticello (county seat)

Towns

Shady Dale

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1810	7,573		—
1820	14,614		93.0%
1830	13,131		−10.1%
1840	11,111		−15.4%
1850	11,486		3.4%
1860	10,743		−6.5%
1870	10,439		−2.8%
1880	11,851		13.5%
1890	13,879		17.1%
1900	15,033		8.3%
1910	16,552		10.1%
1920	16,362		−1.1%
1930	8,594		−47.5%
1940	8,772		2.1%
1950	7,473		−14.8%
1960	6,135		−17.9%
1970	5,760		−6.1%
1980	7,553		31.1%
1990	8,453		11.9%
2000	11,426		35.2%
2010	13,900		21.7%
2020	14,588		4.9%
2023 (est.)	16,455	^[11]	12.8%
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^[2] 2020^[1]

Jasper County racial composition as of 2020^[20]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	10,771	73.83%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,442	16.74%
Native American	34	0.23%
Asian	22	0.15%
Pacific Islander	1	0.01%
Other/Mixed	634	4.35%
Hispanic or Latino	684	4.69%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,588 people, 5,171 households, and 3,807 families residing in the county.

Notable people

Susan Holmes - American politician born in Jasper County. 2001 Jasper County Citizen of the Year.^[21]^[22]
Roy "Buckshot" Jones - NASCAR driver.
Odell Thurman - NFL player.
Trisha Yearwood - Country music artist. In 2005, she released a studio album titled Jasper County.