Lanier County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Lanier County Courthouse in Lakeland | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
 Georgia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°02′16″N83°03′46″W / 31.0378937°N 83.0626534°W /31.0378937; -83.0626534 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | August 7, 1920 |
| Named after | Sidney Lanier |
| Seat | Lakeland |
| Largest city | Lakeland |
| Area | |
• Total | 200 sq mi (520 km2) |
| • Land | 185 sq mi (480 km2) |
| • Water | 15 sq mi (39 km2) 7.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 9,877 |
| • Density | 53/sq mi (20/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | laniercountyboc |
| [1] | |
Lanier County is acounty in the south central portion of theU.S. state ofGeorgia. At the2020 census, the population was 9,877.[2] Thecounty seat isLakeland.[3] It is named after Georgia poetSidney Lanier.[4]
Lanier County is part of theValdosta metropolitan area and sharesMoody Air Force Base withLowndes County on its western boundary.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 200 square miles (520 km2), of which 185 square miles (480 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (7.3%) is water.[5]
The vast majority of Lanier County is in theAlapaha River sub-basin of theSuwannee River basin. Just a narrow section of the western border of the county, northeast and southeast ofRay City, is in theWithlacoochee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin, and a very narrow section of the eastern border of Lanier County is in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.[6]
TheBanks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1985, hosts approximately 20,000 visitors annually. It provides hiking, fishing, and boating opportunities on more than 4,000 acres (16 km2) of water, Banks Lake marsh, and swamp. The Robert Simpson III Nature Trail, dedicated in August 2001, is in theLakeland, Georgia city limits on 75 acres (300,000 m2) of pine and hardwood forests. The county is known for its excellent fishing in theAlapaha River,Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge as well as in its many small lakes.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 5,190 | — | |
| 1940 | 5,632 | 8.5% | |
| 1950 | 5,151 | −8.5% | |
| 1960 | 5,097 | −1.0% | |
| 1970 | 5,031 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 5,654 | 12.4% | |
| 1990 | 5,531 | −2.2% | |
| 2000 | 7,847 | 41.9% | |
| 2010 | 10,078 | 28.4% | |
| 2020 | 9,877 | −2.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 10,464 | [7] | 5.9% |
| 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] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,595 | 66.77% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,138 | 21.65% |
| Native American | 31 | 0.31% |
| Asian | 81 | 0.82% |
| Pacific Islander | 14 | 0.14% |
| Other/Mixed | 446 | 4.52% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 572 | 5.79% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 9,877 people, 3,714 households, and 2,536 families residing in the county.
The county's economy has remained rural in nature, but the educational, health and social service sector was the largest employment category in 2006. Factors contributing to this economy include the presence of Moody Air Force Base (shared by adjoining Lowndes County), the several lakes and nature reserve, the hospital, and a large state correctional facility.
The top ten employers in Lanier County are:[citation needed]
Historic sites includeGovernorEurith D. Rivers' home, which was moved from its original spot on Banks Lake to West Main Street in Lakeland in the early 1980s; Union Baptist Church, located near Georgia Highway 135; and Fender Cemetery, located east of Lakeland at the junction ofU.S. 221 andGeorgia Highway 37 on land that once belonged to David Fender. The site of the cemetery, in which many of the area's first settlers are buried, was chosen so that mourners would not have to ferry their dead across the river for burial. Also, the "Murals of Milltown," which depict community life in the 1920s, grace the exteriors of buildings in downtown Lakeland.
TheLanier County School District, the only school district in the county,[18] operates four schools: Lanier County Primary School, Lanier County Elementary School, Lanier County Middle School, andLanier County High School.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1924 | 46 | 11.41% | 356 | 88.34% | 1 | 0.25% |
| 1928 | 138 | 31.29% | 303 | 68.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 3 | 1.38% | 211 | 97.24% | 3 | 1.38% |
| 1936 | 30 | 3.59% | 800 | 95.81% | 5 | 0.60% |
| 1940 | 16 | 2.56% | 607 | 97.12% | 2 | 0.32% |
| 1944 | 40 | 6.02% | 625 | 93.98% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 92 | 13.53% | 486 | 71.47% | 102 | 15.00% |
| 1952 | 170 | 16.75% | 845 | 83.25% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 152 | 14.59% | 890 | 85.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 198 | 15.88% | 1,049 | 84.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 719 | 52.10% | 661 | 47.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 241 | 15.63% | 277 | 17.96% | 1,024 | 66.41% |
| 1972 | 850 | 81.50% | 193 | 18.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 207 | 14.02% | 1,269 | 85.98% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 470 | 29.30% | 1,116 | 69.58% | 18 | 1.12% |
| 1984 | 852 | 53.48% | 741 | 46.52% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 725 | 50.81% | 698 | 48.91% | 4 | 0.28% |
| 1992 | 600 | 35.03% | 811 | 47.34% | 302 | 17.63% |
| 1996 | 519 | 34.55% | 818 | 54.46% | 165 | 10.99% |
| 2000 | 1,048 | 55.04% | 832 | 43.70% | 24 | 1.26% |
| 2004 | 1,641 | 63.38% | 931 | 35.96% | 17 | 0.66% |
| 2008 | 1,787 | 62.05% | 1,062 | 36.88% | 31 | 1.08% |
| 2012 | 1,820 | 61.11% | 1,114 | 37.41% | 44 | 1.48% |
| 2016 | 1,984 | 69.10% | 806 | 28.07% | 81 | 2.82% |
| 2020 | 2,509 | 70.16% | 1,019 | 28.50% | 48 | 1.34% |
| 2024 | 2,726 | 72.97% | 995 | 26.63% | 15 | 0.40% |
Places adjacent to Lanier County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofLanier County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
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