Upson County, Georgia

Upson County is a county located in the west central Piedmont portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,700.^[1] The county seat is Thomaston.^[2] The county was created on December 15, 1824.

Upson County
County
Upson County Courthouse in Thomaston
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°53′N 84°18′W / 32.88°N 84.3°W / 32.88; -84.3
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 15, 1824; 200 years ago (1824)
Named for	Stephen Upson
Seat	Thomaston
Largest city	Thomaston
Area
• Total	328 sq mi (850 km^2)
• Land	323 sq mi (840 km^2)
• Water	4.1 sq mi (11 km^2)  1.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,700
• Density	86/sq mi (33/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.upsoncountyga.org

Upson County comprises the Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs CSA.

History

Upson County was formed in 1824 and named after Stephen Upson, a state legislator.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 328 square miles (850 km²), of which 323 square miles (840 km²) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km²) (1.3%) is water.^[4] Upson County boasts the lowest average summer humidity in the state.

The vast majority of Upson County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a tiny northeastern corner of the county, north of Yatesville, located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.^[5]

Major highways

•   U.S. Route 19
•   U.S. Route 80
•   State Route 3
•   State Route 22
•   State Route 36
•   State Route 74
•   State Route 74 Alternate

Adjacent counties

• Lamar County - north
• Pike County - north
• Monroe County - northeast
• Crawford County - southeast
• Taylor County - south
• Talbot County - southwest
• Meriwether County - northwest

Communities

City

• Thomaston

Town

• Yatesville

Census-designated places

• Hannahs Mill
• Lincoln Park
• Salem
• Sunset Village

Unincorporated communities

• Atwater
• Crest
• Dog Crossing
• The Rock

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	7,013		—
1840	9,408		34.2%
1850	9,424		0.2%
1860	9,910		5.2%
1870	9,430		−4.8%
1880	12,400		31.5%
1890	12,188		−1.7%
1900	13,670		12.2%
1910	12,757		−6.7%
1920	14,786		15.9%
1930	19,509		31.9%
1940	25,064		28.5%
1950	25,078		0.1%
1960	23,800		−5.1%
1970	23,505		−1.2%
1980	25,998		10.6%
1990	26,300		1.2%
2000	27,597		4.9%
2010	27,153		−1.6%
2020	27,700		2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790-1880^[7] 1890-1910^[8] 1920-1930^[9] 1930-1940^[10] 1940-1950^[11] 1960-1980^[12] 1980-2000^[13] 2010^[14]

Upson County racial composition as of 2020^[15]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	18,009	65.01%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	7,851	28.34%
Native American	63	0.23%
Asian	151	0.55%
Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Other/Mixed	992	3.58%
Hispanic or Latino	633	2.29%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,700 people, 10,154 households, and 6,100 families residing in the county.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Upson County, Georgia^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	8,606	66.68%	4,203	32.56%	98	0.76%
2016	7,292	66.69%	3,475	31.78%	167	1.53%
2012	7,230	64.10%	3,959	35.10%	90	0.80%
2008	7,291	63.77%	4,061	35.52%	82	0.72%
2004	6,634	65.72%	3,424	33.92%	36	0.36%
2000	5,019	60.60%	3,158	38.13%	105	1.27%
1996	3,783	47.08%	3,491	43.45%	761	9.47%
1992	4,053	45.03%	3,740	41.55%	1,208	13.42%
1988	4,614	63.05%	2,666	36.43%	38	0.52%
1984	4,803	62.01%	2,943	37.99%	0	0.00%
1980	2,788	36.52%	4,713	61.73%	134	1.76%
1976	2,897	40.71%	4,219	59.29%	0	0.00%
1972	4,892	84.52%	896	15.48%	0	0.00%
1968	1,494	22.73%	1,480	22.52%	3,599	54.75%
1964	3,103	48.61%	3,275	51.30%	6	0.09%
1960	1,001	23.48%	3,262	76.52%	0	0.00%
1956	712	17.22%	3,422	82.78%	0	0.00%
1952	648	14.45%	3,837	85.55%	0	0.00%
1948	262	8.75%	2,432	81.26%	299	9.99%
1944	243	9.33%	2,362	90.67%	0	0.00%
1940	159	6.64%	2,235	93.36%	0	0.00%
1936	138	8.57%	1,471	91.37%	1	0.06%
1932	20	1.19%	1,660	98.57%	4	0.24%
1928	221	23.46%	721	76.54%	0	0.00%
1924	37	6.37%	484	83.30%	60	10.33%
1920	170	15.08%	957	84.92%	0	0.00%
1916	18	1.78%	734	72.60%	259	25.62%
1912	7	1.19%	445	75.42%	138	23.39%

Notable people

• James L. Bentley
• C.C. Crews
• Martha Hudson
• John Brown Gordon
• Coy Bowles

See also

•  State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Upson County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Upson County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 238. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
5. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
6. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
7. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
8. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
9. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
10. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
11. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
12. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
13. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
14. . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 14, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
15. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.

32°53′N 84°18′W / 32.88°N 84.30°W / 32.88; -84.30