Thomas County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Former Thomas County Courthouse in Thomasville | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
 Georgia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:30°52′N83°55′W / 30.86°N 83.92°W /30.86; -83.92 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 23, 1825; 200 years ago (1825) |
| Named after | Jett Thomas |
| Seat | Thomasville |
| Largest city | Thomasville |
| Area | |
• Total | 552 sq mi (1,430 km2) |
| • Land | 545 sq mi (1,410 km2) |
| • Water | 7.6 sq mi (20 km2) 1.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 45,798 |
• Estimate (2024) | 46,054 |
| • Density | 84.0/sq mi (32.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
Thomas County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofGeorgia. As of the2020 census the population was 45,798.[1] Thecounty seat isThomasville.[2] Thomas County comprises the Thomasville, GAmicropolitan statistical area.
Thomas County was created by an act of theGeorgia General Assembly on December 23, 1825, from portions ofDecatur andIrwin Counties.[3]Colquitt (1856),Brooks (1858), andGrady (1905) Counties all were formed partially from lands within Thomas County's original borders.
The county is named forJett Thomas, an officer in theWar of 1812 who is also known for overseeing the construction of the first building at theUniversity of Georgia (originally referred to as Franklin College and known today as Old College) as well as the state capital atMilledgeville.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 552 square miles (1,430 km2), of which 545 square miles (1,410 km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) (1.4%) is water.[4]
The northwestern half of Thomas County, bordered byU.S. Route 319 southwest ofThomasville, and a line that ends up bisecting the distance betweenCoolidge andPavo in the northeast, is located in the UpperOchlockonee River sub-basin of the larger Ochlockonee River basin. The northeastern edge of the county, from north of Pavo toBoston, is located in theWithlacoochee River sub-basin of theSuwannee River basin. The southeastern portion of Thomas County, running southeast from Thomasville, is located in theAucilla River sub-basin of the larger Aucilla-Waccasassa basin. Almost all of the southwestern portion of the county is located in theApalachee Bay-St. Marks sub-basin of the Ochlockonee River basin, with the exception of the tiny southwesternmost corner, which is located in the LowerOchlockonee River sub-basin of the same Ochlockonee River basin.[5]
TheAucilla River rises in Thomas County. TheRed Hills Region is centered on Thomas County.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 3,299 | — | |
| 1840 | 6,766 | 105.1% | |
| 1850 | 10,103 | 49.3% | |
| 1860 | 10,766 | 6.6% | |
| 1870 | 14,523 | 34.9% | |
| 1880 | 20,597 | 41.8% | |
| 1890 | 26,154 | 27.0% | |
| 1900 | 31,076 | 18.8% | |
| 1910 | 29,071 | −6.5% | |
| 1920 | 33,044 | 13.7% | |
| 1930 | 32,612 | −1.3% | |
| 1940 | 31,289 | −4.1% | |
| 1950 | 33,932 | 8.4% | |
| 1960 | 34,319 | 1.1% | |
| 1970 | 34,515 | 0.6% | |
| 1980 | 38,098 | 10.4% | |
| 1990 | 38,986 | 2.3% | |
| 2000 | 42,737 | 9.6% | |
| 2010 | 44,720 | 4.6% | |
| 2020 | 45,798 | 2.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 46,054 | [6] | 0.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1880[8] 1890-1910[9] 1920-1930[10] 1930-1940[11] 1940-1950[12] 1960-1980[13] 1980-2000[14] 2010[15] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 25,994 | 56.76% |
| Black or African American | 16,259 | 35.5% |
| Native American | 150 | 0.33% |
| Asian | 406 | 0.89% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,403 | 3.06% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 1,577 | 3.44% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 45,798 people, 17,595 households, and 12,161 families residing in the county.
Colleges and universities:
There are two school districts:[17]
Private schools:
Similar to other Georgia counties on the Florida border, the county is reliably Republican in presidential elections, having last voted for a Democrat in 1980 when the Democrat was native GeorgianJimmy Carter.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 50 | 4.13% | 1,012 | 83.50% | 150 | 12.38% |
| 1916 | 42 | 2.78% | 1,298 | 85.79% | 173 | 11.43% |
| 1920 | 168 | 12.94% | 1,130 | 87.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 115 | 7.86% | 1,280 | 87.49% | 68 | 4.65% |
| 1928 | 814 | 39.63% | 1,240 | 60.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 90 | 3.32% | 2,607 | 96.20% | 13 | 0.48% |
| 1936 | 222 | 8.39% | 2,409 | 91.08% | 14 | 0.53% |
| 1940 | 371 | 15.16% | 2,072 | 84.64% | 5 | 0.20% |
| 1944 | 557 | 24.16% | 1,747 | 75.79% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1948 | 925 | 25.22% | 1,429 | 38.97% | 1,313 | 35.81% |
| 1952 | 2,273 | 36.40% | 3,971 | 63.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,240 | 38.88% | 3,522 | 61.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,285 | 41.46% | 3,226 | 58.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 6,306 | 65.94% | 3,257 | 34.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,261 | 22.87% | 2,585 | 26.15% | 5,039 | 50.98% |
| 1972 | 6,668 | 75.44% | 2,171 | 24.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 3,263 | 34.68% | 6,147 | 65.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 4,294 | 42.26% | 5,695 | 56.05% | 172 | 1.69% |
| 1984 | 6,427 | 61.41% | 4,039 | 38.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 6,572 | 64.78% | 3,530 | 34.80% | 43 | 0.42% |
| 1992 | 5,500 | 46.03% | 4,841 | 40.52% | 1,607 | 13.45% |
| 1996 | 5,649 | 49.04% | 5,183 | 45.00% | 686 | 5.96% |
| 2000 | 7,093 | 58.82% | 4,862 | 40.32% | 103 | 0.85% |
| 2004 | 9,659 | 61.39% | 5,997 | 38.12% | 77 | 0.49% |
| 2008 | 10,642 | 57.54% | 7,720 | 41.74% | 132 | 0.71% |
| 2012 | 11,156 | 58.74% | 7,653 | 40.30% | 183 | 0.96% |
| 2016 | 11,228 | 59.45% | 7,142 | 37.82% | 515 | 2.73% |
| 2020 | 12,969 | 59.28% | 8,708 | 39.80% | 200 | 0.91% |
| 2024 | 13,670 | 61.91% | 8,347 | 37.80% | 63 | 0.29% |
Places adjacent to Thomas County, Georgia | |
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Municipalities and communities ofThomas County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Town | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
