Oglethorpe County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Oglethorpe County Courthouse | |
 Flag  Logo | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
 Georgia's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:33°53′N83°05′W / 33.88°N 83.08°W /33.88; -83.08 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 19, 1795; 229 years ago (1795-12-19) |
| Named after | James Oglethorpe |
| Seat | Lexington |
| Largest city | Crawford |
| Area | |
• Total | 442 sq mi (1,140 km2) |
| • Land | 439 sq mi (1,140 km2) |
| • Water | 3.0 sq mi (7.8 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,825 |
| • Density | 34/sq mi (13/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 10th |
| Website | oglethorpecountyga.gov |
Oglethorpe County is acounty located in the northeastern part of theU.S. state ofGeorgia. As of the2020 census, the population was 14,825.[1] Thecounty seat isLexington.[2]
Oglethorpe County is included in theAthens-Clarke County, GAMetropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theAtlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GACombined Statistical Area. It is the largest county in Northeast Georgia.
Oglethorpe County was originally part of a large tract of land surrendered byCreek andCherokeeNative Americans to theColony of Georgia in the treaty of 1773. The county itself was founded on December 19, 1793, and is named for Georgia's founder, GeneralJames Oglethorpe.
On September 10, 1919, Obe Cox was accused of murdering a White farmer's wife. He was seized by a White mob taken to the scene of the crime, his body riddled with bullets and burned at the stake. Several thousand persons witnessed the scene. The lynching was controversial as the local black community "thanked" the mob for just killing Cox and not attacking their community.[3][4] After an investigation the black media of the time reported that the blacks who wrote the letter thanking the lynching "do not stand for much in the town and are excused for their utter ignorance in condoning [lynching]."[3]
In June 2018, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office came under protest after a controversial hire was made of former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Tyler Saulters.[5] Saulters, who was fired from ACCPD, was involved in a controversial use of deadly force with his vehicle, striking a fleeing misdemeanor suspect[6] while attempting to apprehend him inAthens, GA. Protestors were upset that Oglethorpe County Sheriff, David Gabriel, defended the hire and the use of force by the former ACCPD officer.[5]
In April 2021, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Davis was arrested and charged by theGeorgia Bureau of Investigation for two counts of aggravated assault.[7] The arrest stemmed from an on-duty use-of-force, inClarke County.[7] Davis struck a vehicle he had already performed a traffic stop on.[7] After striking the vehicle, Davis discharged his duty weapon at the vehicle.[7] When the vehicle fled from the unprovoked and unjustified shooting by the Deputy, the deputy pursued and involved officers from theAthens-Clarke County Police Department.[7] ACCPD requested an investigation by the GBI, which is standard in most officer involved shootings in Georgia.[7]
In August 2024, YouTuberDG Hamblin, produced interviews with a former Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy about his experiences as a police officer.[8][9] During the interviews excessive use of force by a Sheriff's commander and failure to report that use of force was discussed as well as Sheriff's commanders' interactions with the controversialPoulan Police Department.[9]
On August 29, 2024, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputies engaged in a pursuit with a motorcycle for a minor traffic violation (missing registration plate) inside Oglethorpe County.[10][11][12][13] During the pursuit, speeds reached 100 mph (160 km/h).[10][13] According to the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office, the Deputy pursuing the motorcycle called the chase off insideClarke County but continued to follow the motorcycle.[11][13] The motorcyclist was involved in a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Lexington Road and Woodgrove Road[13][10] in Clarke County. The motorcyclist died on scene, according to the Georgia State Patrol, who investigated the collision and pursuit that led up to the fatal collision.[10][11][12][13]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 442 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 439 square miles (1,140 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.7%) is water.[14] The county is located in thePiedmont region of the state.
The majority of Oglethorpe County is located in theBroad River sub-basin of theSavannah River basin. A narrow western portion of the county, in a line from just north ofWoodville, throughCrawford, to just south ofWinterville, is located in the UpperOconee River sub-basin of theAltamaha River basin. A small part of the southern portion of the county, fromMaxeys east, is located in theLittle River sub-basin of theSavannah River basin.[15]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 9,780 | — | |
| 1810 | 12,297 | 25.7% | |
| 1820 | 14,046 | 14.2% | |
| 1830 | 13,618 | −3.0% | |
| 1840 | 10,868 | −20.2% | |
| 1850 | 12,259 | 12.8% | |
| 1860 | 11,549 | −5.8% | |
| 1870 | 11,782 | 2.0% | |
| 1880 | 15,400 | 30.7% | |
| 1890 | 16,951 | 10.1% | |
| 1900 | 17,881 | 5.5% | |
| 1910 | 18,680 | 4.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,287 | 8.6% | |
| 1930 | 12,927 | −36.3% | |
| 1940 | 12,430 | −3.8% | |
| 1950 | 9,958 | −19.9% | |
| 1960 | 7,926 | −20.4% | |
| 1970 | 7,598 | −4.1% | |
| 1980 | 8,929 | 17.5% | |
| 1990 | 9,763 | 9.3% | |
| 2000 | 12,635 | 29.4% | |
| 2010 | 14,899 | 17.9% | |
| 2020 | 14,825 | −0.5% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 16,172 | [16] | 9.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] 1790-1880[18] 1890-1910[19] 1920-1930[20] 1930-1940[21] 1940-1950[22] 1960-1980[23] 1980-2000[24] 2010[25] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 10,903 | 73.54% |
| Black or African American | 2,248 | 15.16% |
| Native American | 40 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 134 | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 626 | 4.22% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 869 | 5.86% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 14,825 people, 5,651 households, and 3,711 families residing in the county.
Historic Districts and Heritage Research,Antique Stores in Historic Lexington,Agriculture and Agritourism as well as Oglethorpe Fresh Produce
In 2016, the Oglethorpe County Recreation Department was named both the District 7 and State Agency of the Year for populations under 20,000 through the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.
The county has limitedwalkability options available.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 50 | 9.09% | 400 | 72.73% | 100 | 18.18% |
| 1916 | 18 | 2.51% | 657 | 91.63% | 42 | 5.86% |
| 1920 | 42 | 4.74% | 844 | 95.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 129 | 6.56% | 1,748 | 88.96% | 88 | 4.48% |
| 1928 | 205 | 20.14% | 813 | 79.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 34 | 2.66% | 1,240 | 97.03% | 4 | 0.31% |
| 1936 | 115 | 11.93% | 845 | 87.66% | 4 | 0.41% |
| 1940 | 131 | 13.79% | 818 | 86.11% | 1 | 0.11% |
| 1944 | 173 | 15.80% | 922 | 84.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 62 | 5.55% | 819 | 73.26% | 237 | 21.20% |
| 1952 | 208 | 12.46% | 1,461 | 87.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 167 | 10.63% | 1,404 | 89.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 142 | 9.17% | 1,406 | 90.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,126 | 56.58% | 864 | 43.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 383 | 14.71% | 483 | 18.56% | 1,737 | 66.73% |
| 1972 | 1,712 | 84.00% | 326 | 16.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 811 | 30.43% | 1,854 | 69.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,187 | 41.56% | 1,611 | 56.41% | 58 | 2.03% |
| 1984 | 2,122 | 63.15% | 1,238 | 36.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 1,951 | 62.61% | 1,154 | 37.03% | 11 | 0.35% |
| 1992 | 1,590 | 42.94% | 1,491 | 40.26% | 622 | 16.80% |
| 1996 | 1,826 | 48.03% | 1,570 | 41.29% | 406 | 10.68% |
| 2000 | 2,706 | 61.71% | 1,519 | 34.64% | 160 | 3.65% |
| 2004 | 3,688 | 65.41% | 1,899 | 33.68% | 51 | 0.90% |
| 2008 | 4,144 | 64.12% | 2,232 | 34.54% | 87 | 1.35% |
| 2012 | 4,251 | 67.64% | 1,914 | 30.45% | 120 | 1.91% |
| 2016 | 4,625 | 69.30% | 1,831 | 27.43% | 218 | 3.27% |
| 2020 | 5,592 | 68.71% | 2,439 | 29.97% | 107 | 1.31% |
| 2024 | 6,255 | 70.90% | 2,515 | 28.51% | 52 | 0.59% |
Places adjacent to Oglethorpe County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofOglethorpe County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| Town | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
