Webster County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 County courthouse in Preston | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
 Georgia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:32°03′N84°33′W / 32.05°N 84.55°W /32.05; -84.55 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 16, 1853; 171 years ago (1853-12-16) |
| Named after | Daniel Webster |
| Seat | Preston |
| Largest community | Preston |
| Area | |
• Total | 210 sq mi (540 km2) |
| • Land | 209 sq mi (540 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) 0.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,348 |
• Estimate (2024) | 2,315 |
| • Density | 11.2/sq mi (4.34/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Webster County is acounty located in the west central portion of theU.S. state ofGeorgia. As of the2020 census reflected a population of 2,348,[1] making it the third-least populous county in Georgia. Thecounty seat isPreston.[2]
Webster County was created by an act of theGeorgia General Assembly on December 16, 1853, asKinchafoonee County.[3] A subsequent legislative act on February 21, 1856, changed the name to Webster.[3] The land for the county came from eastern portions ofStewart County.[4]
The county is named forDaniel Webster,U.S. representative ofNew Hampshire and U.S. representative andU.S. senator ofMassachusetts.[5] Webster County's original name of Kinchafoonee came from theKinchafoonee Creek which runs through the county.[3]
On January 1, 2009, the city ofPreston and town ofWeston gave up their municipal charters and formed aconsolidated city-county known as theUnified Government of Webster County.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 210 square miles (540 km2), of which 209 square miles (540 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (0.5%) is water.[7]
The majority of Webster County, bordered to the southwest byState Route 520, is located in theKinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of theACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The southwestern corner of the county is located in theIchawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. A tiny edge of the southwestern border, just south ofState Route 520, is located in the MiddleChattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.[8]
None of these places are incorporated, instead Webster county acts as a unified county. Preston is the county seat, despite being unincorporated.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 5,030 | — | |
| 1870 | 4,677 | −7.0% | |
| 1880 | 5,237 | 12.0% | |
| 1890 | 5,695 | 8.7% | |
| 1900 | 6,618 | 16.2% | |
| 1910 | 6,151 | −7.1% | |
| 1920 | 5,342 | −13.2% | |
| 1930 | 5,032 | −5.8% | |
| 1940 | 4,726 | −6.1% | |
| 1950 | 4,081 | −13.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,247 | −20.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,362 | −27.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,341 | −0.9% | |
| 1990 | 2,263 | −3.3% | |
| 2000 | 2,390 | 5.6% | |
| 2010 | 2,799 | 17.1% | |
| 2020 | 2,348 | −16.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 2,315 | [9] | −1.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1880[11] 1890-1910[12] 1920-1930[13] 1930-1940[14] 1940-1950[15] 1960-1980[16] 1980-2000[17] 2010[18] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,136 | 48.38% |
| Black or African American | 1,063 | 45.27% |
| Asian | 12 | 0.51% |
| Pacific Islander | 6 | 0.26% |
| Other/Mixed | 72 | 3.07% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 59 | 2.51% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 2,348 people, 1,140 households, and 724 families residing in the county.
Webster County School District operates public schools.
Webster County was reliably Democratic throughout the 20th century. However, the margins tightened in the 2000 election and in 2004, Democrat John Kerry only won this county very narrowly as George Bush won Georgia's electoral votes easily. Webster County is the only county in Georgia that flipped to John McCain's column in 2008 after voting for Kerry in 2004.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 2 | 1.41% | 139 | 97.89% | 1 | 0.70% |
| 1916 | 15 | 5.30% | 248 | 87.63% | 20 | 7.07% |
| 1920 | 24 | 11.48% | 185 | 88.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 10 | 6.25% | 140 | 87.50% | 10 | 6.25% |
| 1928 | 61 | 25.96% | 174 | 74.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 5 | 2.08% | 235 | 97.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 40 | 11.40% | 310 | 88.32% | 1 | 0.28% |
| 1940 | 50 | 15.15% | 280 | 84.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 65 | 18.62% | 284 | 81.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 79 | 25.16% | 118 | 37.58% | 117 | 37.26% |
| 1952 | 138 | 29.18% | 335 | 70.82% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 51 | 14.74% | 295 | 85.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 77 | 20.59% | 297 | 79.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 457 | 76.04% | 144 | 23.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 72 | 10.10% | 147 | 20.62% | 494 | 69.28% |
| 1972 | 483 | 81.73% | 108 | 18.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 165 | 20.97% | 622 | 79.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 312 | 33.19% | 608 | 64.68% | 20 | 2.13% |
| 1984 | 402 | 42.95% | 534 | 57.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 361 | 45.70% | 427 | 54.05% | 2 | 0.25% |
| 1992 | 208 | 22.83% | 600 | 65.86% | 103 | 11.31% |
| 1996 | 235 | 28.55% | 529 | 64.28% | 59 | 7.17% |
| 2000 | 359 | 39.49% | 541 | 59.52% | 9 | 0.99% |
| 2004 | 485 | 48.12% | 515 | 51.09% | 8 | 0.79% |
| 2008 | 588 | 52.93% | 515 | 46.35% | 8 | 0.72% |
| 2012 | 601 | 50.59% | 582 | 48.99% | 5 | 0.42% |
| 2016 | 630 | 56.45% | 473 | 42.38% | 13 | 1.16% |
| 2020 | 748 | 53.77% | 640 | 46.01% | 3 | 0.22% |
| 2024 | 790 | 59.13% | 544 | 40.72% | 2 | 0.15% |
Places adjacent to Webster County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofWebster County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities |  | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
