Decatur County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located 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 so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,367. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Bainbridge. Decatur County comprises the Bainbridge, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which is included in the

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

—Bainbridge, FL-GA Combined 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 directl ...

on December 8, 1823, from a portion of Early County. Three other counties were created from land that was originally part of Decatur County. In 1825, a portion of Decatur was used in the creation of Thomas County. In 1905, another portion of Decatur was used in the creation of part of Grady County. In 1920, the western portion of Decatur County was used to form Seminole County in its entirety. Decatur County is named for

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

, a hero of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Geography

Georgia Welcome Sign Decatur County GA97

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.2%) is water. The bulk of Decatur County, from northeast to southwest, and centered on Bainbridge, is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the

ACF River Basin The Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin (the ACF River Basin) is the drainage basin, or watershed, of the Apalachicola River, Chattahoochee River, and Flint River, in the Southeastern United States. This area is alternatively know ...

(Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). Almost all of the county's western border is located in the

Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground Spring (hydrology), spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring cree ...

sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The southwestern portion of Decatur County, centered on Attapulgus, and bordered on the west by State Route 302, is located on the Lower

Ochlockonee River The Ochlockonee River ( ) is a fast running river, except where it has been dammed to form Lake Talquin in Florida, originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida. Background The name is from the Hitchiti language wor ...

sub-basin of the larger Ochlockonee River basin. Finally, the county's southwestern corner, west of State Route 302, is located in the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately long, in the state of Florida. The river's large drainage basin, watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint (ACF) River Basin, drains an area of approximately ...

sub-basin of the same larger ACF River basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 27 * Business plate

U.S. Route 27 Business * US 84

U.S. Route 84 * Business plate

U.S. Route 84 Business * Georgia 1

State Route 1 * Georgia 1 Business

State Route 1 Business * Georgia 38

State Route 38 * Georgia 97

State Route 97 * Georgia 97 Spur

State Route 97 Spur * Georgia 241

State Route 241 * Georgia 253

State Route 253 * Georgia 253 Spur

State Route 253 Spur * Georgia 262

State Route 262 * Georgia 285

State Route 285 * Georgia 302

State Route 302 * Georgia 302 Spur

State Route 302 Spur * Georgia 309

State Route 309 * Georgia 310

State Route 310 * Georgia 311

State Route 311

Adjacent counties

* Miller County - north * Mitchell County - northeast * Baker County - northeast * Grady County - east * Gadsden County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

- south * Seminole County - west

Communities

Cities

* Attapulgus * Bainbridge *

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

Town

* Brinson

Census-Designated Place

* Faceville

Unincorporated communities

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

* Ausmac * Cyrene * Eldorendo * Fowlstown * Vada

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,367 people, 10,084 households, and 7,113 families residing in the county.

Education

Decatur County School District is the local school district with Bainbridge High School being the local high school. Spring Creek Charter Academy was formed in 2019 and includes grades Pre-K through 9th Grade as of 2023–2024 school year with the next year being added as each grade progresses through the years.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) is a public college in Tifton, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers bachelor's degree, baccalaureate and associate degrees. The college is named after Abraham Baldwin, a ...

has a satellite campus in Bainbridge.

Southern Regional Technical College Southern Regional Technical College is a public community college with its main campus in Thomasville, Georgia. It is part of the Technical College System of Georgia and provides education services for a seven-county service area in southwest Ge ...

has a satellite campus in Bainbridge serving the county.

Politics

References

;General ;Specific
The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Decatur County

External links

Decatur County
historical marker
Amsterdam
historical marker
Cyrene
historical marker {{Coord, 30.88, -84.58, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990 1823 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1823 Georgia (U.S. state) counties Micropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state) Majority-minority counties in Georgia