Tattnall County, Georgia

Tattnall County
Tattnall County
County
	Tattnall County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 32°02′N 82°04′W / 32.04°N 82.06°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 5, 1801; 223 years ago
Named for	Josiah Tattnall
Seat	Reidsville
Largest city	Glennville
Area
• Total	488 sq mi (1,260 km2)
• Land	479 sq mi (1,240 km2)
• Water	8.9 sq mi (23 km2) 1.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	22,842
• Density	48/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	www.tattnall.com

Tattnall County is a county located in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia, located within the Magnolia Midlands, a part of the Historic South region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,842.^[1] The county seat is Reidsville.^[2] Tattnall County was created on December 5, 1801, from part of Montgomery County, Georgia by the Georgia General Assembly.^[3]

The county is named after Josiah Tattnall (1762–1803), a planter, soldier and politician.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 488 square miles (1,260 km²), of which 479 square miles (1,240 km²) is land and 8.9 square miles (23 km²) (1.8%) is water.^[5]

Most of the western portion of Tattnall County, defined by a line running from Cobbtown south to Collins, then east to a point halfway to Bellville, and then south and southwest to the middle of the county's southern border, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northeastern portion of the county, from Cobbtown to east of Reidsville, is located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The southeastern and southwestern parts of Tattnall County are located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the larger river basin by the same name.^[6]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Candler County - north
Evans County - northeast
Liberty County - east
Long County - southeast
Wayne County - south
Appling County - southwest
Toombs County - west
Emanuel County - northwest

Communities

Cities

Cobbtown
Collins
Glennville (largest city)
Manassas
Reidsville (county seat)

Census-designated place

Mendes

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1810	2,206		—
1820	2,644		19.9%
1830	2,040		−22.8%
1840	2,724		33.5%
1850	3,227		18.5%
1860	4,352		34.9%
1870	4,860		11.7%
1880	6,988		43.8%
1890	10,253		46.7%
1900	20,419		99.2%
1910	18,569		−9.1%
1920	14,502		−21.9%
1930	15,411		6.3%
1940	16,243		5.4%
1950	15,939		−1.9%
1960	15,837		−0.6%
1970	16,557		4.5%
1980	18,134		9.5%
1990	17,722		−2.3%
2000	22,305		25.9%
2010	25,520		14.4%
2020	22,842		−10.5%
2023 (est.)	24,296	^[7]	6.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[8] 1790-1880^[9] 1890-1910^[10] 1920-1930^[11] 1930-1940^[12] 1940-1950^[13] 1960-1980^[14] 1980-2000^[15] 2010^[16]

Tattnall County racial composition as of 2020^[17]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	13,825	60.52%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	5,961	26.1%
Native American	36	0.16%
Asian	127	0.56%
Pacific Islander	6	0.03%
Other/Mixed	584	2.56%
Hispanic or Latino	2,303	10.08%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,842 people, 8,241 households, and 5,875 families residing in the county.

Government and infrastructure

The Georgia Department of Corrections operates the Rogers State Prison, and formerly the Georgia State Prison in unincorporated Tattnall County,^[18] near Reidsville.^[19] As of 2020, according to the Georgia State Prison Fact Sheet, the facility occupies 9,800 acres of land inside Tattnall County and provides 162 staff housing units on the reservation. The prison cemetery has 971 burials which are inmates who died while serving time from 1937 to present.

Another large government parcel of land is the 10,000 acre Big Hammock Wildlife Management Preserve in the southwest section of the county. The entrance is 12 miles south of Glennville on Hwy 144 at the Ohoopee River Bridge. This is controlled by the GA Department of Natural Resources under the Wildlife Resources Division. It has a shooting range and 2 boat ramps along the river which are north of the merger with the Altamaha River which forms the southern border of the county. Permits are issued for seasonal hunting of deer, turkey, and small game. Updates are posted at www.GoHuntGeorgia.com

Another large government land parcel is on the eastern side of Tattnall County along the border with Evans, Liberty, and Long Counties. This 6000+ acres forms the western side of the Fort Stewart Army Reservation which is based in Hinesville, GA. Originally this was farmland purchased by the Army during and after World War II. It has since been turned into forest land with no development. The current Ft. Stewart Land Use Development plan excludes any of this property in their 25-year future planning approved by the Department of Defense. This land mass can be viewed on Google Maps with additional info from the website for the Ft. Stewart Joint Land Use Study. (www.mrrpc.com/Misc_pdfs/Fort_Stewart_JLUS_Final_Report.pdf)

Politics

United States presidential election results for Tattnall County, Georgia^[20]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,054	73.95%	2,062	25.19%	71	0.87%
2016	5,096	73.54%	1,681	24.26%	153	2.21%
2012	4,706	70.48%	1,897	28.41%	74	1.11%
2008	4,730	70.32%	1,932	28.72%	64	0.95%
2004	4,657	71.93%	1,787	27.60%	30	0.46%
2000	3,597	64.12%	1,963	34.99%	50	0.89%
1996	2,518	46.23%	2,369	43.49%	560	10.28%
1992	2,566	43.18%	2,360	39.72%	1,016	17.10%
1988	3,172	65.03%	1,694	34.73%	12	0.25%
1984	3,641	65.08%	1,954	34.92%	0	0.00%
1980	2,082	41.62%	2,864	57.26%	56	1.12%
1976	1,326	27.16%	3,556	72.84%	0	0.00%
1972	2,892	85.46%	492	14.54%	0	0.00%
1968	852	16.34%	957	18.35%	3,405	65.30%
1964	3,264	66.45%	1,648	33.55%	0	0.00%
1960	869	31.29%	1,908	68.71%	0	0.00%
1956	440	18.96%	1,881	81.04%	0	0.00%
1952	1,114	31.41%	2,433	68.59%	0	0.00%
1948	216	11.59%	1,071	57.46%	577	30.95%
1944	494	28.91%	1,215	71.09%	0	0.00%
1940	421	25.15%	1,246	74.43%	7	0.42%
1936	214	16.82%	1,047	82.31%	11	0.86%
1932	37	1.70%	2,133	98.02%	6	0.28%
1928	791	63.23%	460	36.77%	0	0.00%
1924	66	5.02%	1,100	83.65%	149	11.33%
1920	301	40.24%	447	59.76%	0	0.00%
1916	49	5.95%	574	69.74%	200	24.30%
1912	18	2.11%	592	69.40%	243	28.49%

Education

Tattnall County School District serves as the designated K-12 school district, except parts in Fort Stewart. Fort Stewart has the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as its local school district,^[21] for the elementary level.^[22] Students at the secondary level on Fort Stewart attend public schools operated by county school districts.^[23]