Atkinson County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the southeastern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,375. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Pearson Pearson may refer to: Organizations Education *Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada *Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC *Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation) Companies *Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...

. The county was formed in 1917 from parts of

Coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

and

Clinch Clinch may refer to: * Nail (fastener) or device to hold in this way * Clinching, in metalworking * Clinch fighting or the clinch, a grappling position in boxing or wrestling, a stand-up embrace * Clinch County, Georgia, USA * Clinch River, near T ...

Counties. It is named for

William Yates Atkinson William Yates Atkinson (November 11, 1854 – August 8, 1899), was the 55th Governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898. Early life Atkinson was born in the Oakland community in Meriwether County, Georgia on November 11, 1854. He graduated from the ...

, Democratic governor of Georgia from 1894 to 1898. In 2003 it had the highest illiteracy rate of any U.S. county at 36%.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.5%) is water. The vast majority of Atkinson County is located in the

Satilla River The Satilla River rises in Ben Hill County, Georgia, United States, near the town of Fitzgerald, and flows in a mostly easterly direction to the Atlantic Ocean. Along its approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high- ...

sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. The entire narrow western border area, in a line parallel to the western border and running through Willacoochee, is located in the

Alapaha River The Alapaha River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 river in southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a tributary of the S ...

sub-basin of the

Suwannee River The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset hig ...

basin. A small southeastern corner of the county is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a 1,625-mile (2,615 km) route extending from ...

U.S. Route 221 U.S. Route 221 (US 221) is a Spur route, spur of U.S. Route 21. It travels from Perry, Florida, at U.S. Route 19 in Florida, US 19/U.S. Route 98 in Florida, US 98/U.S. Route 27 Alternate (Florida), US 27 Alternate to Lyn ...

* U.S. Route 441 * State Route 31 * State Route 64 * State Route 89 * State Route 90 * State Route 135 * State Route 520

Adjacent counties

* Coffee County - north *

Ware County Ware may refer to: People * Ware (surname) * William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian Places Canada *Fort Ware, British Columbia United Kingdom *Ware, Devon *Ware, Hertfordshire *Ware, Kent United States * Ware, Elmore County, Al ...

- east * Clinch County - south *

Lanier County Lanier County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,078. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Lakeland. The county is named after the Georgia poet S ...

- southwest * Berrien County - west

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,609 people, 2,717 households, and 1,980 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 22 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 3,171 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 66.79%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 19.61%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.12%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 12.03% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.06% from two or more races. 16.95% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 2,717 households, out of which 38.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.27. In the county the population was spread out, with 30.30% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 9.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,470, and the median income for a family was $32,688. Males had a median income of $24,763 versus $18,434 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $12,178. About 18.10% of families and 23.00% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 27.10% of those under age 18 and 31.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 8,375 people, 2,983 households, and 2,159 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 3,522 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 62.2% white, 17.3% black or African American, 0.6% American Indian, 0.3% Pacific islander, 0.3% Asian, 17.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 24.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.1% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 16.0% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, and 7.5% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 2,983 households, 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.6% were non-families, and 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.29. The median age was 33.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $33,834 and the median income for a family was $34,859. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $25,705 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,456. About 19.8% of families and 28.0% of the population were below the

, including 42.4% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 8,286 people, 2,880 households, and 1,976 families residing in the county.

Education

The county is serviced along with

Coffee County, Georgia Coffee County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,092, up from 37,413 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Douglas. Coffee County comprises the Douglas, GA ...

by the

Satilla Regional Library System The Satilla Regional Library System is a public library system serving Atkinson County, and Coffee County, Georgia. The headquarters of the system is the Douglas-Coffee County Public Library located in Douglas, Georgia. The library system is a ...

Communities

Cities

* Willacoochee

Census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

* Axson

Unincorporated communities

* Kirkland

Politics

References

External links

list of places

Atkinson County Sheriff's Office

Atkinson County
historical marker {{authority control 1917 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1917 Georgia (U.S. state) counties