Schley County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. (Schley is properly pronounced "sly", as this is the correct pronunciation of Governor William Schley, for whom the county is named). As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 4,547. The county seat is Ellaville. Schley County is part of the Americus, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was created by an act of the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

on December 22, 1857, and is named for William Schley, United States Representative and thirty-sixth

governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

. The first county courthouse was built in 1858. The present Schley County Courthouse dates from 1899.

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 (0.5%) is water. The central portion of Schley County, roughly north of Ellaville, is located in the Middle

Flint River The Flint River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 15, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. The river drains of western Georgia, flowing south from the u ...

sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The very northern border area of the county is located in the Upper

sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The southwestern portion of Schley County, southwest of Ellaville, is located in the Kinchafoonee- Muckalee sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 19 U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie. The highway's southern ...

State Route 3 The following highways are numbered 3, H-3, PRI-3, AH3, E03 and R3. For roads numbered A3, see A3 roads. For roads numbered M3, see M3. For roads numbered N3, see N3. For roads numbered 3A, see 3A. International * Asian Highway 3 * Europea ...

State Route 26 * Georgia 153

State Route 153 * Georgia 228

State Route 228 * Georgia 240

State Route 240 * Georgia 271

State Route 271

Adjacent counties

* Taylor County (north) * Macon County (east) * Sumter County (south) * Marion County (west)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,329 people, 1,435 households, and 1,041 families living in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 1,612 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 59.28% White, 37.77% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.08%

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 ...

, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 1.35% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 2.36% of the population were Hispanic or

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 1,435 households, out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% 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, 15.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.30% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,035, and the median income for a family was $36,215. Males had a median income of $29,239 versus $19,952 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,981. About 15.80% of families and 19.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.00% of those under age 18 and 22.70% 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 5,010 people, 1,872 households, and 1,334 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 2,208 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 63.0% white, 33.3% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.1% were Irish, 8.5% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 8.1% 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 ...

, and 7.2% were English. Of the 1,872 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.7% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.24. The median age was 37.1 years. The median income for a household in the county was $35,096 and the median income for a family was $47,234. Males had a median income of $37,339 versus $30,761 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,122. About 12.4% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 16.6% 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 4,547 people, 1,864 households, and 1,452 families residing in the county.

Communities

City

* Ellaville (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

La Crosse La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's populat ...

Murrays Crossroads Murrays Crossroads (also Murray, Murrays Cross Roads, and Poindexter) was an unincorporated community in Schley County, Georgia, United States. It was located at the intersection of U.S. Route 19 with State Route 240, to the north of the city o ...

Politics

References

{{Coord, 32, 16, 0, N, 84, 17, 59, W, type:adm2nd, display=title Georgia (U.S. state) counties 1857 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Americus, Georgia micropolitan area Populated places established in 1857