Randolph County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 The Randolph County Courthouse in Cuthbert was placed on theGeorgia Trust for Historic Preservation's 2012 list of "Places in Peril" due to extensivetermite damage and general disrepair. It has since been restored. | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
 Georgia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°46′N84°46′W / 31.76°N 84.76°W /31.76; -84.76 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 20, 1828; 196 years ago (1828-12-20) |
| Named after | John Randolph of Roanoke |
| Seat | Cuthbert |
| Largest city | Cuthbert |
| Area | |
• Total | 431 sq mi (1,120 km2) |
| • Land | 428 sq mi (1,110 km2) |
| • Water | 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,425 |
| • Density | 15/sq mi (5.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | randolphcountyga.com |
Randolph County is acounty located in thewestern portion of theU.S. state ofGeorgia and is considered part of theBlack Belt, historically an area of plantations. As of the2020 census, the population was 6,425,[1] roughly one-third of its peak population in 1910, when there were numerous agricultural workers. Thecounty seat isCuthbert.[2]
Randolph County was created on December 20, 1828, and named after theVirginia planter and politicianJohn Randolph.[3]
He was honored originally as the namesake of present-dayJasper County but, because of his opposition to U.S. entry into theWar of 1812, theGeorgia General Assembly changed the county name on December 10, 1812. Eventually, John Randolph'sreputation was restored. In 1828, the General Assembly organized the current Randolph County in the west of the state.[4] Most of the historic tribe ofMuscogee people (Creek) were forced from the area toIndian Territory duringIndian Removal.
Lumpkin, Georgia was the original county seat. It was within the portion of Randolph County that was reassigned in 1830 to formStewart County, and Lumpkin was designated as the latter's county seat.
This area is considered part of theBlack Belt, upland areas across theDeep South that were developed in the 19th century as plantations after invention of thecotton gin made processing of short-staple cotton profitable.Enslaved Blacks made up the vast majority of workers on the plantations, with hundreds of thousands being transported through the domestic slave trade from the coast and Upper South. After the American Civil War, manyfreedmen and their descendants continued to work on plantations in the county and region, comprising the majority of county population until the 1930s.
Like other areas of the rural South, workers in Randolph County lost jobs due to mechanization, invasion of the boll weevil, and the decline in agriculture. In the 20th century, many black families moved from the county to cities in the North and Midwest for work and less oppressive conditions during theGreat Migration. However, the rural counties of the Black Belt continue to have substantial African-American populations. Agriculture has been industrialized and depends on relatively few workers.
By mid April 2020 Randolph County (including nearbyAlbany) hosted the third highest density ofCOVID-19outbreaks in the nation, and as of May 2020, next to theNew York Metro Area, andBoston, Massachusetts and metro area.[citation needed] Health department records showed an infection rate of 1.9 for every 100 citizens in Randolph County.[5] The Randolph county outbreak was largely composed of an outbreak in a nursing home and may have had connections to theProcter & Gamble toilet paper factory inAlbany, Georgia, which was deemed an essential service.[6][7]
This county also has a history of poverty and has recently been ranked as the 2nd poorest county in the entire United States, behindIssaquena County, Mississippi. The county poverty rate is 26.7%, while the median household income is $25,425.[8]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 431 square miles (1,120 km2), of which 428 square miles (1,110 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.6%) is water.[9]
More than half of Randolph County, roughly east ofU.S. Route 27, is located in theIchawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of theACF River Basin (Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin). The northwestern portion of the county, from just south ofCuthbert north, is located in the MiddleChattahoochee River–Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The southwestern corner, centered onColeman, is located in the LowerChattahoochee River sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin.[10]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 2,191 | — | |
| 1840 | 8,276 | 277.7% | |
| 1850 | 12,868 | 55.5% | |
| 1860 | 9,571 | −25.6% | |
| 1870 | 10,561 | 10.3% | |
| 1880 | 13,341 | 26.3% | |
| 1890 | 15,267 | 14.4% | |
| 1900 | 16,847 | 10.3% | |
| 1910 | 18,841 | 11.8% | |
| 1920 | 16,721 | −11.3% | |
| 1930 | 17,174 | 2.7% | |
| 1940 | 16,609 | −3.3% | |
| 1950 | 13,804 | −16.9% | |
| 1960 | 11,078 | −19.7% | |
| 1970 | 8,734 | −21.2% | |
| 1980 | 9,599 | 9.9% | |
| 1990 | 8,023 | −16.4% | |
| 2000 | 7,791 | −2.9% | |
| 2010 | 7,719 | −0.9% | |
| 2020 | 6,425 | −16.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 6,085 | [11] | −5.3% |
| 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] 2020[21] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[22] | Pop 2010[20] | Pop 2020[21] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 3,016 | 2,781 | 2,250 | 38.71% | 36.03% | 35.02% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 4,609 | 4,747 | 3,862 | 59.16% | 61.50% | 60.11% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 27 | 5 | 9 | 0.35% | 0.06% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 12 | 22 | 21 | 0.15% | 0.29% | 0.33% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0.12% | 0.00% | 0.05% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 4 | 4 | 23 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.36% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 22 | 41 | 114 | 0.28% | 0.53% | 1.77% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 92 | 119 | 143 | 1.18% | 1.54% | 2.23% |
| Total | 7,791 | 7,719 | 6,425 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
At the2020 United States census, there were 6,425 people, 2,553 households, and 1,611 families residing in the county. In 2010, there were 7,719 people, 3,187 households, and 2,011 families living in the county.[23]
Among its 2020 population, the racial and ethnic makeup was 35.02% non-Hispanic white, 60.11% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.36% some other race, 1.77% multiracial, and 2.23% Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2010, the racial makeup of the county was 61.8% black or African American, 36.6% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population.[23] In terms of European-American ancestry, 11.7% identified asEnglish, 8.1% wereIrish, and 2.4% wereAmerican.[24]
Like most majority African American counties, Randolph leansDemocratic, and has done so for decades. The last Republican to carry the county was Reagan in 1984.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 44 | 7.18% | 514 | 83.85% | 55 | 8.97% |
| 1916 | 23 | 3.23% | 645 | 90.72% | 43 | 6.05% |
| 1920 | 51 | 8.72% | 534 | 91.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 88 | 13.41% | 518 | 78.96% | 50 | 7.62% |
| 1928 | 177 | 18.06% | 803 | 81.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 31 | 2.24% | 1,344 | 97.18% | 8 | 0.58% |
| 1936 | 74 | 5.75% | 1,208 | 93.86% | 5 | 0.39% |
| 1940 | 143 | 9.91% | 1,298 | 89.95% | 2 | 0.14% |
| 1944 | 106 | 8.38% | 1,159 | 91.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 134 | 13.81% | 575 | 59.28% | 261 | 26.91% |
| 1952 | 507 | 26.32% | 1,419 | 73.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 547 | 25.69% | 1,582 | 74.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 457 | 24.14% | 1,436 | 75.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,656 | 63.18% | 962 | 36.70% | 3 | 0.11% |
| 1968 | 502 | 16.91% | 1,028 | 34.64% | 1,438 | 48.45% |
| 1972 | 1,603 | 66.76% | 798 | 33.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 747 | 25.47% | 2,186 | 74.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 879 | 32.05% | 1,861 | 67.85% | 3 | 0.11% |
| 1984 | 1,578 | 52.04% | 1,454 | 47.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 1,319 | 48.94% | 1,369 | 50.80% | 7 | 0.26% |
| 1992 | 887 | 29.98% | 1,756 | 59.34% | 316 | 10.68% |
| 1996 | 816 | 34.24% | 1,438 | 60.34% | 129 | 5.41% |
| 2000 | 1,174 | 45.70% | 1,381 | 53.76% | 14 | 0.54% |
| 2004 | 1,418 | 46.49% | 1,612 | 52.85% | 20 | 0.66% |
| 2008 | 1,370 | 42.59% | 1,833 | 56.98% | 14 | 0.44% |
| 2012 | 1,271 | 41.54% | 1,770 | 57.84% | 19 | 0.62% |
| 2016 | 1,271 | 43.84% | 1,598 | 55.12% | 30 | 1.03% |
| 2020 | 1,390 | 45.23% | 1,671 | 54.38% | 12 | 0.39% |
| 2024 | 1,373 | 45.74% | 1,601 | 53.33% | 28 | 0.93% |
Media related toRandolph County, Georgia at Wikimedia Commons
Places adjacent to Randolph County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofRandolph County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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