Johnson 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 along the

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 ...

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 9,189. 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 Wrightsville. Johnson County is part of the

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Georgia, micropolitan statistical area.

History

Johnson county was created by the Georgia legislature December 11, 1858, from parts of Emanuel, Laurens, and Washington counties. Johnson County was named for Georgia governor, senator, and U.S. vice-presidential candidate Herschel Vespasian Johnson. In 1919, a deputy driving Jim Waters, a black prisoner accused of rape, out of the county was stopped by a group of 150 men at a bridge over the Ohoopee River. The men tied Waters to a tree and shot him numerous times. The case was closed without any investigation.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. The vast majority of Johnson County is located in the Ohoopee River 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. Tiny portions of the northeastern borders of the county are located in the Upper

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 Sout ...

sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, while the western corner of Johnson County is located in the Lower

sub-basin of the

basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 80 * US 221

U.S. Route 221 * US 319

U.S. Route 319 * Georgia 15

State Route 15 * Georgia 26

State Route 26 * Georgia 31

State Route 31 * Georgia 57

State Route 57 * Georgia 78

State Route 78 * Georgia 86

State Route 86 * Georgia 171

State Route 171

Adjacent counties

* Washington County - north * Jefferson County - northeast * Emanuel County - east * Treutlen County - south * Laurens County - southwest * Wilkinson County - west

Communities

Cities

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the ma ...

(partly in Emanuel County) *

Kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

* Wrightsville (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Meeks *

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

* New Home (Johnson County) * Tom * Scott

Demographics

2020 Census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,189 people, 3,393 households, and 2,208 families residing in the county.

Government

The county is governed by a five-member board of commissioners. A county manager handles the daily operation of the county. The county is part of the Dublin Judicial Circuit along with Twiggs County, Treutlen County, and Laurens County.

Education

In 1970, Johnson County schools integrated peacefully due to careful planning by the county's board of education and firm management by superintendent Buren Claxton. The county's public schools are located in Wrightsville. The school mascot is the Trojan, and the school colors are blue and white. The school fight song is the theme from the movie Hang 'Em High.

Sports

Herschel Walker, a Johnson County native, played on the county's only state championship football team in 1979. Walker went on to play for the

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 ...

and won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

. In 2004 Johnson County High School named its football field for Walker.

References

External links

Official Athletics Site

{{Coord, 32.70, -82.66, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990 Georgia (U.S. state) counties 1858 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Dublin, Georgia micropolitan area Populated places established in 1858