Liberty 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 ...

in 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 2020 census, the population is 65,256. 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 ...

Hinesville Hinesville is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States, located on the Atlantic coastal plain. The population was 33,437 at the 2010 census and an estimated 33,273 in 2019. The city is the county seat of Liberty County. It is the princ ...

. Liberty County is part of the Hinesville, Georgia

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

, which is also included in the

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

-Hinesville- Statesboro, Georgia

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

History

Liberty County was established in 1777. It is named for the American ideal of

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. Sunbury was first designated the county seat in 1784. In 1797, the seat was transferred to Riceboro, and in 1837 it was transferred again to Hinesville.

1922 lynching

On July 1, 1922, James Harvey and Joe Jordan, two African American men, were

lynched Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

by a mob of about 50 people in Liberty County during an escort by police from

Jesup, Georgia Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County. History By February 1869, Willis Clary had begun building a two-story hotel near the junction o ...

to a jail in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. The event drew condemnation from both the local black community and from several prominent white citizens, with the preacher at Midway Methodist Church denouncing the acts and publishing a widely circulated letter condemning the Wayne County officials of being complicit in the murders. The incident prompted an investigation by the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

, and in total, 22 men were

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of an ...

, with four being

convicted In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which is consid ...

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 (18.7%) is water. The eastern and southern portion of Liberty County is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The northern and western portion of the county is located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the

Ogeechee River The Ogeechee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 26, 2011 blackwater river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It heads at the confluence of its North and South ...

basin.

Major highways

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, wit ...

U.S. Route 84 U.S. Route 84 (US 84) is an east–west U.S. Highway that started as a short Georgia–Alabama route in the original 1926 scheme. Later, in 1941, it had been extended all the way to Colorado. The highway's eastern terminus is a short dista ...

State Route 25 * Georgia 38

State Route 38 * Georgia 38 Connector

State Route 38 Connector * Georgia 119

State Route 119 * Georgia 144

State Route 144 * Georgia 196

State Route 196 * Georgia 405

State Route 405 (unsigned designation for I-95)

Adjacent counties

* Chatham County - northeast * Bryan County - north * McIntosh County - south * Long County - west *

Evans County Evans County is a County (United States), county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 10,774. The county seat is Claxton, Georgia, Cl ...

- northwest *

Tattnall County Tattnall County is a county located in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,520. The county seat is Reidsville. Tattnall County was created on December 5, 1801, from part of Montgomery ...

- northwest

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 61,610 people, 19,383 households, and 15,138 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 21,977 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile (16/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 46.64% White, 42.84% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.76% Asian, 0.43% Pacific Islander, 4.43% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. 8.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to 2005 Census Estimates Liberty County had a population that was 44.5% African-American, 44.4% Non-Hispanic white, 7.2% Latino, 3.1% non-Hispanics who reported multiple races, 1.9% Asian and 0.5% of both Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. Of the 19,383 households 50.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.60% were married couples living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.90% were non-families. 16.60% of households were one person and 3.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.29. The age distribution was 32.00% under the age of 18, 17.90% from 18 to 24, 33.90% from 25 to 44, 12.20% from 45 to 64, and 3.90% 65 or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.10 males. The median household income was $33,477 and the median family income was $35,031. Males had a median income of $25,305 versus $20,765 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,855. About 13.50% of families and 15.00% 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 19.20% of those under age 18 and 19.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 63,453 people, 22,155 households, and 16,566 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 26,731 housing units at an average density of . The

of the county was 47.1% white, 42.2% black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.6% Pacific islander, 0.6% American Indian, 2.9% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 8.8% 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 **Ge ...

, 6.9% 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 6.0% 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 22,155 households, 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.2% were non-families, and 20.7% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.18. The median age was 27.9 years. The median household income was $42,674 and the median family income was $46,818. Males had a median income of $35,881 versus $31,159 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,662. About 15.0% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the

, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 13.4% 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 65,256 people, 23,485 households, and 16,657 families residing in the county.

Communities

Cities

* Allenhurst * Flemington * Gumbranch *

(county seat) * Midway * Riceboro * Walthourville

Census-designated place

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. Th ...

Unincorporated communities

* Sunbury * Fleming *

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

McIntosh McIntosh, Macintosh, or Mackintosh (Gaelic: ') may refer to: Products and brands * Mackintosh, a form of waterproof raincoat * Mackintosh's or John Mackintosh and Co., later Rowntree Mackintosh, former UK confectionery company now part of Nestl� ...

* Seabrook

Education

Liberty County School District is the designated school district for grades K-12 for the county, except parts in

. Fort Stewart has the

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...

(DoDEA) as its local school district, for the elementary level. Students at the secondary level on Fort Stewart attend public schools operated by county school districts. The Liberty district operates public schools, including the comprehensive high school

Liberty County High School Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society f ...

and the

Bradwell Institute Bradwell Institute is a public high school located in Hinesville, Georgia, United States. It serves the western half of Hinesville, western Fort Stewart, Walthourville, Allenhurst, and Gumbranch. It is a part of the Liberty County School Dis ...

, as well as its educative middle school
Midway Middle SchoolLewis Frasier Middle School
an
Snelson-Golden Middle School
They also provide a career academy
Liberty College & Career Academy (LCCA)
for extra academics where students study for a profession they could seek out in the future.

In the media

The 2014

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...

, ''A Promise'', was filmed in Liberty County.

Politics

Gallery

File:Liberty County Justice Center.jpg, Liberty County Justice Center File:Liberty County Courthouse Annex.jpg, Liberty County Courthouse Annex File:Liberty County Recreation Department.jpg, Liberty County Recreation Department

References

;General ;Specific
Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Liberty County, Georgia
{{Coord, 31.80, -81.46, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990 Georgia (U.S. state) counties 1777 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1777 Hinesville metropolitan area Majority-minority counties in Georgia