Macon County, Georgia

Macon County
Macon County
County
	Macon County Courthouse in Oglethorpe, Georgia
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 32°21′N 84°02′W / 32.35°N 84.04°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 14, 1837; 186 years ago
Named for	Nathaniel Macon
Seat	Oglethorpe
Largest city	Montezuma
Area
• Total	406 sq mi (1,050 km2)
• Land	401 sq mi (1,040 km2)
• Water	5.4 sq mi (14 km2) 1.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	12,082
• Density	30/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	Macon County government

Macon 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 12,082.^[1] The county seat is Oglethorpe.^[2]^[3]

The Macon County Courthouse is located in Oglethorpe.

History

Macon County was created in 1837 from parts of Houston ("house-ton") and Marion counties, effective December 14 of that year. The 91st county, it was named for the then-recently deceased General Nathaniel Macon^[4] of North Carolina, who served in the U.S. Congress for 37 years and ran for U.S. vice president. The city of Macon, Georgia was also named for him, but the city of Macon, Georgia, is the seat of Bibb County, a different county. The county was later reduced when parts were separated to organize Taylor and Peach counties, in 1852 and 1924, respectively.

The first county seat was not chosen until 1838, when the county's inferior court selected Lanier. The Georgia General Assembly (state legislature) designated it on December 29 of that year and incorporated it as a town.

In the 1850s, the Central of Georgia Railroad was built through Oglethorpe, changing county dynamics. As a result, the Georgia Assembly called for a referendum on moving the Macon County seat to Oglethorpe in February of both 1854 and 1856. Little is known about the first vote, but the second vote resulted in approval for a change to the county seat, and Oglethorpe was designated the following year in 1857.

During the Civil War, 13,000 Union soldiers who were prisoners of war died at the Confederate camp in Andersonville, Georgia from starvation and disease. In the late period of the war, Georgia also had difficulty supplying its own troops and people with food. Throughout the Civil War, more men on both sides died of disease than of their wounds. Commandants of the camp were prosecuted after the war for poor treatment of prisoners. The Andersonville National Cemetery, established for the many Union dead, is at the southwestern tip of the county.^[5]

The county has an active Mennonite community. The area code for Macon County is currently 478.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 square miles (1,050 km²), of which 401 square miles (1,040 km²) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km²) (1.3%) is water.^[6] The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.

Most of the southern half of Macon County, from west of Ideal to State Route 49 north of Montezuma, then running north along State Route 49 to Marshallville, and then running southeast in the direction of Unadilla, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The northern and northwestern portion of the county, from north of Marshallville heading west, is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The northeastern corner of Macon County, east of Marshallville, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.^[7]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Peach County (northeast)
Houston County (east)
Dooly County (southeast)
Sumter County (south)
Schley County (southwest)
Taylor County (northwest)

National protected area

Andersonville National Historic Site (part)

Communities

Cities

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	5,045		—
1850	7,052		39.8%
1860	8,449		19.8%
1870	11,458		35.6%
1880	11,675		1.9%
1890	13,183		12.9%
1900	14,093		6.9%
1910	15,016		6.5%
1920	17,667		17.7%
1930	16,643		−5.8%
1940	15,947		−4.2%
1950	14,213		−10.9%
1960	13,170		−7.3%
1970	12,933		−1.8%
1980	14,003		8.3%
1990	13,114		−6.3%
2000	14,074		7.3%
2010	14,740		4.7%
2020	12,082		−18.0%
2023 (est.)	11,817	^[8]	−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790-1880^[10] 1890-1910^[11] 1920-1930^[12] 1930-1940^[13] 1940-1950^[14] 1960-1980^[15] 1980-2000^[16] 2010^[17] 2020^[18]

**Macon County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition**
*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 (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000^[19]	Pop 2010^[17]	Pop 2020^[18]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	5,184	4,961	4,078	36.83%	33.66%	33.75%
Black or African American alone (NH)	8,337	8,902	7,150	59.24%	60.39%	59.18%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	26	19	15	0.18%	0.13%	0.12%
Asian alone (NH)	82	190	156	0.58%	1.29%	1.29%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	18	7	0.00%	0.12%	0.06%
Other race alone (NH)	9	5	20	0.06%	0.03%	0.17%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	72	118	184	0.51%	0.80%	1.52%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	364	527	472	2.59%	3.58%	3.91%
Total	14,074	14,740	12,082	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,082 people, 4,696 households, and 3,033 families residing in the county.

Education

Politics

United States presidential election results for Macon County, Georgia^[20]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,783	38.24%	2,858	61.29%	22	0.47%
2016	1,540	35.92%	2,705	63.10%	42	0.98%
2012	1,545	32.28%	3,211	67.09%	30	0.63%
2008	1,712	34.35%	3,251	65.23%	21	0.42%
2004	1,851	38.72%	2,906	60.79%	23	0.48%
2000	1,566	35.96%	2,757	63.31%	32	0.73%
1996	1,006	26.54%	2,618	69.06%	167	4.41%
1992	944	24.80%	2,491	65.45%	371	9.75%
1988	1,412	38.19%	2,268	61.35%	17	0.46%
1984	1,515	37.54%	2,521	62.46%	0	0.00%
1980	894	22.47%	3,025	76.02%	60	1.51%
1976	638	17.47%	3,013	82.53%	0	0.00%
1972	2,005	70.55%	837	29.45%	0	0.00%
1968	598	19.22%	954	30.67%	1,559	50.11%
1964	1,723	61.56%	1,076	38.44%	0	0.00%
1960	438	22.74%	1,488	77.26%	0	0.00%
1956	363	15.47%	1,984	84.53%	0	0.00%
1952	319	17.81%	1,472	82.19%	0	0.00%
1948	127	10.74%	675	57.11%	380	32.15%
1944	168	15.89%	889	84.11%	0	0.00%
1940	72	7.76%	852	91.81%	4	0.43%
1936	92	8.74%	958	90.98%	3	0.28%
1932	55	3.67%	1,438	96.06%	4	0.27%
1928	258	23.96%	819	76.04%	0	0.00%
1924	52	6.93%	649	86.53%	49	6.53%
1920	68	12.34%	483	87.66%	0	0.00%
1916	97	17.38%	440	78.85%	21	3.76%
1912	85	16.50%	411	79.81%	19	3.69%

In popular culture

Macon County has been an important setting for season 4 of AMC's hit TV show, The Walking Dead.
Macon County was a shooting place for the 2013 movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

The Mountain Goats reference Macon County, Georgia in their song, "Going to Georgia".