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Stephens County, Georgia

Coordinates: 34°34′N 83°17′W / 34.56°N 83.29°W / 34.56; -83.29
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34°34′N 83°17′W / 34.56°N 83.29°W / 34.56; -83.29

Stephens County
County
Stephens County Courthouse in Toccoa Under the USA flag is the Stephens County, GA flag.
Stephens County Courthouse in Toccoa
Under the USA flag is the Stephens County, GA flag.
Map of Georgia highlighting Stephens County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°34′N 83°17′W / 34.56°N 83.29°W / 34.56; -83.29
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedAugust 18, 1905; 119 years ago (1905)
Named forAlexander Stephens
SeatToccoa
Largest cityToccoa
Area
 • Total
184 sq mi (480 km2)
 • Land179 sq mi (460 km2)
 • Water5.1 sq mi (13 km2)  2.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
26,784
 • Density150/sq mi (60/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district9th

Stephens County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia, in the Piedmont and near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is bounded by the Tugaloo River and Lake Hartwell on the east. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,784.[1] The county seat is Toccoa.[2]

Stephens County comprises the Toccoa, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

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The county was long inhabited by indigenous peoples. People of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture developed a village and a platform 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 the Yuchi, who occupied the village known as Tugaloo, where they were replaced by the Cherokee.

While Cherokee 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.

United States era

[edit]
Alexander Stephens, namesake of Stephens County

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 the Savannah River and the Tugaloo River after the war. During the American Civil War, the Battle of the Narrows was fought in what would become the county.

The county was created on August 18, 1905, from parts of Franklin and Habersham counties, and was named for Alexander Stephens, U.S. representative, Vice President of the Confederate States of America, and fifty-third governor 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 the National Register of Historic Places. The second was built in 2000.[3] The former courthouse is now used for county elections.

Despite the Great 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 industrialist R.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 2000 people in this effort. In addition the US 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 as Lake 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 the University 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 earthen Kelly 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]

Geography

[edit]

According to the U.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 upper Piedmont region of the state, with western portions of the county having the highest elevations and located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The northern half of Stephens County is located in the Tugaloo River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. Lake Hartwell was created as a reservoir on the river after the construction of Hartwell Dam on the Savannah, completed in 1962. The southern half of the county is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the same Savannah River basin.[8]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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National protected area

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19109,728—
192011,21515.3%
193011,7404.7%
194012,97210.5%
195016,64728.3%
196018,39110.5%
197020,33110.5%
198021,7637.0%
199023,2576.9%
200025,4359.4%
201026,1752.9%
202026,7842.3%
2023 (est.)27,228[9]1.7%
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]

2020 census

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Stephens County Racial Composition[19]
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 or Latino 857 3.2%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 26,784 people, 9,543 households, and 6,783 families residing in the county.

2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 26,175 people, 10,289 households, and 7,236 families residing in the county.[20] 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).[21] 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.[20] In terms of ancestry, 14.7% were American, 9.1% were Irish, 8.1% were German, and 7.4% were English.[22]

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.[20]

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 the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.[23]

Communities

[edit]
Downtown Toccoa

City

[edit]

Towns

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Unincorporated community

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Politics

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United States presidential election results for Stephens County, Georgia[24]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 10,632 81.17% 2,404 18.35% 63 0.48%
2020 9,367 78.81% 2,386 20.08% 132 1.11%
2016 7,686 78.31% 1,837 18.72% 292 2.98%
2012 7,221 75.74% 2,131 22.35% 182 1.91%
2008 7,689 72.87% 2,705 25.63% 158 1.50%
2004 6,904 71.37% 2,714 28.05% 56 0.58%
2000 5,370 64.11% 2,869 34.25% 137 1.64%
1996 3,890 48.77% 3,072 38.51% 1,015 12.72%
1992 4,047 47.65% 2,976 35.04% 1,470 17.31%
1988 4,329 66.09% 2,185 33.36% 36 0.55%
1984 4,057 64.10% 2,272 35.90% 0 0.00%
1980 2,045 30.56% 4,529 67.68% 118 1.76%
1976 1,340 19.42% 5,560 80.58% 0 0.00%
1972 3,773 81.24% 871 18.76% 0 0.00%
1968 1,295 25.23% 1,035 20.17% 2,802 54.60%
1964 1,371 28.24% 3,483 71.76% 0 0.00%
1960 815 20.89% 3,087 79.11% 0 0.00%
1956 684 20.86% 2,595 79.14% 0 0.00%
1952 661 15.74% 3,539 84.26% 0 0.00%
1948 278 21.01% 912 68.93% 133 10.05%
1944 212 15.47% 1,158 84.53% 0 0.00%
1940 90 7.61% 1,084 91.71% 8 0.68%
1936 68 5.61% 1,142 94.22% 2 0.17%
1932 18 1.71% 1,026 97.53% 8 0.76%
1928 270 38.14% 438 61.86% 0 0.00%
1924 40 6.68% 523 87.31% 36 6.01%
1920 252 37.78% 415 62.22% 0 0.00%
1916 15 2.61% 500 86.96% 60 10.43%
1912 14 2.94% 405 85.08% 57 11.97%

Infrastructure

[edit]

Transportation

[edit]
Toccoa Amtrak Station

The Amtrak Crescent connects Toccoa to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham, and New Orleans. The Amtrak station is located at 47 North Alexander Street. The rail line is shared with the Norfolk Southern Railway. Toccoa was formerly a stop on the Airline Belle, which was a Southern 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 by R.G. LeTourneau.

Media

[edit]

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.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Cooksey, Elizabeth B. "Stephens County." New Georgia Encyclopedia. October 14, 2014. Web. May 18, 2016.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Stephens County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 250. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "History (Stephens County)". Stephens County, GA. n.d. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. ^ "TFC Remembers the Flood | Toccoa Falls College". January 8, 2016. Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  6. ^ USGS, Brian McCallum. "USGS South Atlantic Water Science Center - The 1977 Toccoa Flood, Report of Failure of Kelly Barnes Dam Flood and Findings". www2.usgs.gov. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  7. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  9. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  10. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  11. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  12. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  13. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  14. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  15. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  16. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  17. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  18. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  19. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  21. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  22. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  23. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  24. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
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