Jackson 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 northeastern part 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 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 75,907. 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 Jefferson. Jackson County comprises the Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

- Athens-Clarke County- Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

History

Most of the first non-Native American settlers came from Effingham County in 1786. On February 11, 1796, Jackson County was split off from part of Franklin County,

. The new county was named in honor of Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel, Congressman, Senator and Governor James Jackson. The county originally covered an area of approximately , with Clarksboro as its first county seat. In 1801, 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 ...

granted of land in Jackson County for a state college. Franklin College (now

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

) began classes the same year, and the city of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

was developed around the school. Also the same year, a new county was developed around the new college town, and Jackson lost territory to the new Clarke. The county seat was moved to an old Indian village called Thomocoggan, a location with ample water supply from Curry Creek and four large springs. In 1804, the city was renamed Jefferson, after

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. Jackson lost more territory in 1811 in the creation of Madison County, in 1818 in the creation of Walton, Gwinnett, and

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and the Early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

counties, in 1858 in the creation of Banks County, and in 1914 in the creation of Barrow County. The first county courthouse, a log and wooden frame building with an attached jail, was built on south side of the public square; a second, larger, two-story brick courthouse with a separate jailhouse was built in 1817. In 1880, a third was built on a hill north of the square. This courthouse was the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the United States until 2004, when the current courthouse was constructed north of Jefferson.

Geography

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 (1.0%) is water. The vast majority of Jackson County is located in the Upper

Oconee River The Oconee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map Accessed April 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it join ...

sub-basin of the

Altamaha River The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It flows generally eastward for from its Source (river or stream), origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Oce ...

basin, with just a small portion of the county's northern edge, between Maysville to just east of

Commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

, located in the Broad River sub-basin of the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

basin.

Rivers and creeks

North Oconee River The Oconee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map Accessed April 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it joins ...

** Sandy Creek (Georgia) ** Curry Creek *

Middle Oconee River The Oconee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map Accessed April 21, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its origin is in Hall County and it terminates where it joins ...

** Pond Fork ** Allen Creek (Holders Creek) * Mulberry River

Adjacent counties

* Banks County - north * Madison County - east * Clarke County - southeast * Barrow County - west * Hall County - northwest

Communities

Cities

* Arcade *

* Hoschton * Jefferson * Nicholson * Pendergrass

Towns

* Braselton (partly in Gwinnett, Barrow and Hall) * Maysville (partly in Banks) * Talmo

Unincorporated communities

* Apple Valley *

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

* Brockton * Center * Clarksboro

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 75,907 people, 25,180 households, and 19,467 families residing in the county.

Law and government

Education

Most of the county is in the Jackson County School District. Portions in Commerce and Jefferson are in, respectively, Commerce City School District and Jefferson City School District.

Attractions

* Chateau Elan (Braselton) * La Vaquita Flea Market (Pendergrass) * Mayfield Dairy Visitors Center (Braselton) * Sandy Creek Golf Course (Commerce) * Tanger Outlet Center (Commerce)

National Historic Places

* Braselton Historic District * Commerce Commercial Historic District * Governor L. G. Hardman House (Commerce) * Hillcrest-Allen Clinic and Hospital (Hoschton) * Holder Plantation (Jefferson) * Hoschton Depot * Old Jackson County Courthouse (Jefferson) * Jefferson Historic District * Oak Avenue Historic District(Jefferson) * Paradise Cemetery (Jefferson) * Seaborn M. Shankle House (Commerce) * Shields-Etheridge Farm * Talmo Historic District * Williamson-Maley-Turner Farm (Jefferson)

Parks and cultural institutions

* Crawford W. Long Museum (Jefferson) * Hurricane Shoals Park

Events

* Daisy Festival - May (first full weekend) (Nicholson) * Mule Days - May (Shields-Etheridge Farm) * Annual City Lights Festival - mid-June (Commerce) * Celebrate Braselton - July 4 (Braselton) * Art in the Park - mid-September (Hurricane Shoals) * Annual Fall Festival - September (last weekend) (Hoschton) * Jefferson High School and Jefferson Middle School Band Concerts - throughout the year (Jefferson) * Jackson County Comprehensive High School, East Jackson Comprehensive High School, East Jackson Middle School, West Jackson Middle School, and Legacy Knoll Middle School Band Concerts - throughout the year

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 85 * US 129

U.S. Route 129 * Business plate

U.S. Route 129 Business * US 441

U.S. Route 441 * Business plate

U.S. Route 441 Business * Georgia 11

State Route 11 * Georgia 11 Business

State Route 11 Business * Georgia 11 Connector

State Route 11 Connector * Georgia 15

State Route 15 * Georgia 15 Alternate

State Route 15 Alternate * Georgia 53

State Route 53 * Georgia 59

State Route 59 * Georgia 60

State Route 60 * Georgia 82

State Route 82 * Georgia 82 Connector

State Route 82 Connector * Georgia 98

State Route 98 * Georgia 124

State Route 124 * Georgia 330

State Route 330 * Georgia 332

State Route 332 * Georgia 334

State Route 334 * Georgia 335

State Route 335 * Georgia 346

State Route 346 (former) * Georgia 403

State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)

Pedestrians and cycling

* Fox Smallwood Dr Trail * American Veterans Memorial Park Trail * Commerce Middle School Track * Curry Creek Reservoir Trail * Jefferson Memorial Stadium Track * East Jackson Park Walking Trail * South Jackson Elementary Nature Trail & Walking Track * Hurricane Shoals Nature Trail * Sells Mill Nature Trail * Sandy Creek Park Walking Trail * Braselton Riverwalk Trail * East Jackson High School Track * W Jackson Middle School Track * West Jackson Park Walking Track *Jackson County High School Track & Nature Trail