Stephens County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
 Stephens County Courthouse in Toccoa  | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:34°34′N83°17′W / 34.56°N 83.29°W /34.56; -83.29 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | August 18, 1905; 121 years ago (1905) |
| Named after | Alexander Stephens |
| Seat | Toccoa |
| Largest city | Toccoa |
| Area | |
• Total | 184 sq mi (480 km2) |
| • Land | 179 sq mi (460 km2) |
| • Water | 5.1 sq mi (13 km2) 2.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 26,784 |
| • Density | 150/sq mi (58/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 9th |
Stephens County is acounty in theNortheast region of theU.S. state ofGeorgia, in the Piedmont and near the foothills of theBlue Ridge Mountains. It is bounded by theTugaloo River andLake Hartwell on the east. As of the2020 census, the population was 26,784.[1] Thecounty seat isToccoa.[2]
Stephens County comprises the Toccoa, GeorgiaMicropolitan Statistical Area.
The county was long inhabited by indigenous peoples. People of theSouth Appalachian Mississippian culture developed a village and aplatform mound on Tugaloo Island about 800 CE. The village and mound, both known as Tugaloo, were later occupied by other peoples until about 1700. Numerous other villages also developed along the river and its tributaries. Descendants of the Mississippians have been identified as the proto-Creek (Muscogee people). Allied with them in historic times were theYuchi, who occupied the village known as Tugaloo, where they were replaced by the Cherokee.
WhileCherokee began to move into this area from Tennessee under pressure by European Americans during and after the Revolutionary War, the Muscogee Creek continued to dominate the southern part of the county until they ceded their land to the United States in a treaty of 1794.
It was not until after the American Revolutionary War that European Americans began to settle here. The first were veterans who had been given land grants in lieu of pay; they migrated up theSavannah River and theTugaloo River after the war. During theAmerican Civil War, theBattle of the Narrows was fought in what would become the county.
The county was created on August 18, 1905, from parts ofFranklin andHabersham counties, and was named forAlexander Stephens,U.S. representative,Vice President of the Confederate States of America, and fifty-thirdgovernor of Georgia.
Toccoa was designated as the county seat and was the site of the county's two courthouses. The first courthouse was built in 1907 and is now listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. The second was built in 2000.[3] The former courthouse is now used for county elections.
Despite theGreat Depression, more industry developed in the county in the 1930s. J&P Coats Company purchased the Capps Cotton Mill in 1937 and operated it for nearly 70 years, before textile manufacturing jobs moved offshore to cheaper labor markets. In 1938, industrialistR.G. LeTourneau opened a manufacturing plant for earth-moving equipment. Later that year, the Toccoa Airport was constructed. During World War II, the LeTourneau plant produced equipment for use by the military, employing 2,000 people in this effort. In addition, the U.S. Army developed Camp Toccoa here, for training paratroopers.[4]
Beginning in 1950, planning began for what was called the Hartwell Project, which envisioned dams on the Savanna and tributary rivers for flood control and hydropower generation. In addition, a large reservoir would be created, known asLake Hartwell.
Prior to the flooding of this area by Lake Hartwell, produced behind the Hartwell Dam on the Savannah River, archeological studies were conducted in 1958 of known prehistoric and historic sites in the area. Among them, the Tugaloo Mound and village site by a team from theUniversity of Georgia. The mound is still visible above the water, and a historic marker on Highway 123 at the Georgia-South Carolina border helps mark this spot.[4]
On November 6, 1977, the earthenKelly Barnes Dam collapsed after a period of heavy rainfall. The resulting flood swept through the campus of Toccoa Falls College, killing 39 people and causing $2.8 million in damage.[5][6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 184 square miles (480 km2), of which 179 square miles (460 km2) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (2.8%) is water.[7] The county is located mainly within the upperPiedmont region of the state, with western portions of the county having the highest elevations and located in the foothills of theBlue Ridge Mountains.
The northern half of Stephens County is located in theTugaloo River sub-basin of theSavannah River basin.Lake Hartwell was created as a reservoir on the river after the construction ofHartwell Dam on the Savannah, completed in 1962. The southern half of the county is located in theBroad River sub-basin of the same Savannah River basin.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 9,728 | — | |
| 1920 | 11,215 | 15.3% | |
| 1930 | 11,740 | 4.7% | |
| 1940 | 12,972 | 10.5% | |
| 1950 | 16,647 | 28.3% | |
| 1960 | 18,391 | 10.5% | |
| 1970 | 20,331 | 10.5% | |
| 1980 | 21,763 | 7.0% | |
| 1990 | 23,257 | 6.9% | |
| 2000 | 25,435 | 9.4% | |
| 2010 | 26,175 | 2.9% | |
| 2020 | 26,784 | 2.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 27,498 | [9] | 2.7% |
| 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 | 21,323 | 79.61% |
| Black or African American | 2,936 | 10.96% |
| Native American | 73 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 225 | 0.84% |
| Pacific Islander | 9 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,361 | 5.08% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 857 | 3.2% |
As of the2020 census, there were 26,784 people, 10,618 households, and 6,783 families residing in the county. The median age was 43.7 years; 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18, and 22.0% were 65 years of age or older.[20]
For every 100 females there were 93.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.1 males age 18 and over.[20] 44.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 55.9% lived in rural areas.[21]
The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% White, 11.1%Black or African American, 0.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Asian, 0.0%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 1.1% from some other race, and 5.9% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population.[19]
There were 10,618 households in the county, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[20]
There were 12,317 housing units, of which 13.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.1% were owner-occupied and 31.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%.[20]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 26,175 people, 10,289 households, and 7,236 families residing in the county.[22] The population density was 146.1 inhabitants per square mile (56.4/km2). There were 12,662 housing units at an average density of 70.7 per square mile (27.3/km2).[23] The racial makeup of the county was 85.1% white, 10.9% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.0% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population.[22] In terms of ancestry, 14.7% wereAmerican, 9.1% wereIrish, 8.1% wereGerman, and 7.4% wereEnglish.[24]
Of the 10,289 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.7% were non-families, and 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 40.7 years.[22]
The median income for a household in the county was $34,938 and the median income for a family was $41,768. Males had a median income of $35,814 versus $24,834 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,285. About 12.3% of families and 18.8% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.[25]
Stephens County is stronglyRepublican. The lastDemocrat to carry the county wasJimmy Carter in1980.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 14 | 2.94% | 405 | 85.08% | 57 | 11.97% |
| 1916 | 15 | 2.61% | 500 | 86.96% | 60 | 10.43% |
| 1920 | 252 | 37.78% | 415 | 62.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 40 | 6.68% | 523 | 87.31% | 36 | 6.01% |
| 1928 | 270 | 38.14% | 438 | 61.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 18 | 1.71% | 1,026 | 97.53% | 8 | 0.76% |
| 1936 | 68 | 5.61% | 1,142 | 94.22% | 2 | 0.17% |
| 1940 | 90 | 7.61% | 1,084 | 91.71% | 8 | 0.68% |
| 1944 | 212 | 15.47% | 1,158 | 84.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 278 | 21.01% | 912 | 68.93% | 133 | 10.05% |
| 1952 | 661 | 15.74% | 3,539 | 84.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 684 | 20.86% | 2,595 | 79.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 815 | 20.89% | 3,087 | 79.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,371 | 28.24% | 3,483 | 71.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,295 | 25.23% | 1,035 | 20.17% | 2,802 | 54.60% |
| 1972 | 3,773 | 81.24% | 871 | 18.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 1,340 | 19.42% | 5,560 | 80.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 2,045 | 30.56% | 4,529 | 67.68% | 118 | 1.76% |
| 1984 | 4,057 | 64.10% | 2,272 | 35.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 4,329 | 66.09% | 2,185 | 33.36% | 36 | 0.55% |
| 1992 | 4,047 | 47.65% | 2,976 | 35.04% | 1,470 | 17.31% |
| 1996 | 3,890 | 48.77% | 3,072 | 38.51% | 1,015 | 12.72% |
| 2000 | 5,370 | 64.11% | 2,869 | 34.25% | 137 | 1.64% |
| 2004 | 6,904 | 71.37% | 2,714 | 28.05% | 56 | 0.58% |
| 2008 | 7,689 | 72.87% | 2,705 | 25.63% | 158 | 1.50% |
| 2012 | 7,221 | 75.74% | 2,131 | 22.35% | 182 | 1.91% |
| 2016 | 7,686 | 78.31% | 1,837 | 18.72% | 292 | 2.98% |
| 2020 | 9,367 | 78.81% | 2,386 | 20.08% | 132 | 1.11% |
| 2024 | 10,632 | 80.77% | 2,404 | 18.26% | 127 | 0.96% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 9,353 | 79.48% | 2,187 | 18.58% | 228 | 1.94% |
| 2020 | 7,979 | 79.50% | 2,058 | 20.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 6,652 | 57.40% | 1,144 | 9.87% | 3,792 | 32.72% |
| 2020 | 9,368 | 79.71% | 2,385 | 20.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 7,374 | 79.01% | 1,762 | 18.88% | 197 | 2.11% |
| 2022 | 6,702 | 80.13% | 1,662 | 19.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 7,818 | 83.17% | 1,501 | 15.97% | 81 | 0.86% |
Stephens County is part ofGeorgia's 9th congressional district for elections to theUnited States House of Representatives, currently held by RepublicanAndrew Clyde since 2021.[28]
Stephens County is part ofDistrict 32 for elections to theGeorgia House of Representatives.[29]
Stephens County is part ofDistrict 50 for elections to theGeorgia State Senate.[30]
TheAmtrakCrescent connects Toccoa toNew York,Philadelphia,Baltimore,Washington,Charlotte,Atlanta,Birmingham, andNew Orleans. TheAmtrak station is located at 47 North Alexander Street. The rail line is shared with theNorfolk Southern Railway. Toccoa was formerly a stop on theAirline Belle, which was aSouthern Railway regional train between 1879 and 1931.
Toccoa Airport is a small executive airport northeast of the town. The airport is sometimes referred to as R.G. LeTourneau Field as it was built byR.G. LeTourneau.
The Toccoa Record newspaper started in 1873.
WNEG (AM) and 93.1 FM is a radio station broadcasting from Toccoa. It went on the air in 1956.
Places adjacent to Stephens County, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofStephens County, Georgia,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| City |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
