Dooly County, Georgia

Dooly County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,208.^[1] The county seat is Vienna.^[2] The county was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on May 15, 1821, and named for Colonel John Dooly,^[3] a Georgia American Revolutionary War fighter. It was one of the original landlot counties created from land ceded from the Creek Nation.

Dooly County
County
Dooly County Courthouse in Vienna
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°10′N 83°48′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	May 15, 1821; 204 years ago (1821-05-15)
Named after	John Dooly
Seat	Vienna
Largest city	Vienna
Area
• Total	397 sq mi (1,030 km2)
• Land	392 sq mi (1,020 km2)
• Water	5.3 sq mi (14 km2)  1.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	11,208
• Density	29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	doolycountyga.com

The entire county of Crisp and parts of Macon, Pulaski, Turner, Wilcox and Worth counties were formed from Dooly's original borders.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 397 square miles (1,030 km²), of which 392 square miles (1,020 km²) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km²) (1.3%) is water.^[4] The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.

The western two-thirds of Dooly County, from west of Unadilla south to Pinehurst, then to the southeastern corner of the county, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The northeastern and eastern portion of Dooly County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very southeastern corner of the county is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin.^[5]

Major highways

• Interstate 75
• U.S. Route 41
• State Route 7
• State Route 27
• State Route 90
• State Route 215
• State Route 230
• State Route 230 Connector
• State Route 257
• State Route 329
• State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)

Adjacent counties

• Houston County - northeast
• Pulaski County - east
• Wilcox County - southeast
• Crisp County - south
• Sumter County - west
• Macon County - northwest

Communities

Cities

• Lilly
• Pinehurst
• Unadilla
• Vienna (county seat)

Towns

• Byromville
• Dooling

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	2,135		—
1840	4,427		107.4%
1850	8,361		88.9%
1860	8,917		6.6%
1870	9,790		9.8%
1880	12,420		26.9%
1890	18,146		46.1%
1900	26,567		46.4%
1910	20,554		−22.6%
1920	20,522		−0.2%
1930	18,025		−12.2%
1940	16,886		−6.3%
1950	14,159		−16.1%
1960	11,474		−19.0%
1970	10,404		−9.3%
1980	10,826		4.1%
1990	9,901		−8.5%
2000	11,525		16.4%
2010	14,918		29.4%
2020	11,208		−24.9%
2024 (est.)	11,186	[6]	−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1880[8] 1890-1910[9] 1920-1930[10] 1930-1940[11] 1940-1950[12] 1960-1980[13] 1980-2000[14] 2010[15]

Dooly County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[16]	Pop 2010[17]	Pop 2020[18]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	5,161	6,461	4,611	44.78%	43.31%	41.14%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5,679	7,381	5,540	49.28%	49.48%	49.43%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	17	16	17	0.15%	0.11%	0.15%
Asian alone (NH)	49	93	51	0.43%	0.62%	0.46%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	11	3	2	0.10%	0.02%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	5	6	14	0.04%	0.04%	0.12%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	66	96	176	0.57%	0.64%	1.57%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	537	862	797	4.66%	5.78%	7.11%
Total	11,525	14,918	11,208	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,208 people, 5,020 households, and 3,350 families residing in the county.

Economy

The Big Pig Jig, Georgia's official State Barbecue Cooking Championship, is held annually in Fall in Dooly County and attracts a national audience. The county is also notable for cotton and peanut production.

Education

Main article: Vienna, Georgia § Education

Politics

United States presidential election results for Dooly County, Georgia^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,243	53.70%	1,921	45.99%	13	0.31%
2020	2,159	52.58%	1,911	46.54%	36	0.88%
2016	1,951	50.56%	1,872	48.51%	36	0.93%
2012	1,985	46.14%	2,285	53.11%	32	0.74%
2008	1,991	47.85%	2,138	51.38%	32	0.77%
2004	1,853	48.18%	1,973	51.30%	20	0.52%
2000	1,588	45.11%	1,901	54.01%	31	0.88%
1996	990	31.33%	1,951	61.74%	219	6.93%
1992	1,034	30.53%	1,993	58.84%	360	10.63%
1988	1,386	45.88%	1,613	53.39%	22	0.73%
1984	1,435	45.40%	1,726	54.60%	0	0.00%
1980	1,083	30.93%	2,364	67.50%	55	1.57%
1976	655	21.16%	2,441	78.84%	0	0.00%
1972	1,904	76.34%	590	23.66%	0	0.00%
1968	454	14.48%	879	28.03%	1,803	57.49%
1964	1,662	53.05%	1,471	46.95%	0	0.00%
1960	220	11.26%	1,733	88.74%	0	0.00%
1956	174	8.59%	1,851	91.41%	0	0.00%
1952	197	10.05%	1,764	89.95%	0	0.00%
1948	22	3.37%	577	88.50%	53	8.13%
1944	87	9.33%	845	90.67%	0	0.00%
1940	124	9.27%	1,209	90.43%	4	0.30%
1936	41	2.97%	1,339	97.03%	0	0.00%
1932	8	0.70%	1,139	98.96%	4	0.35%
1928	156	17.33%	744	82.67%	0	0.00%
1924	45	7.06%	590	92.62%	2	0.31%
1920	39	6.69%	544	93.31%	0	0.00%
1916	31	4.04%	737	95.96%	0	0.00%
1912	33	5.10%	609	94.13%	5	0.77%

Notable people

• John Dooly after whom the county was named
• Rooney L. Bowen, Georgia businessman and politician
• George Busbee, governor of Georgia
• Walter F. George, U.S. Senator
• Jody Powell, press secretary and aide to Jimmy Carter
• Roger Kingdom, Olympic gold medalist in track and field
• David Ragan, NASCAR driver
• Keith Mumphery, NFL player
• Julian Webb, judge on the Georgia Court of Appeals and member of the Georgia State Senate.

See also

• State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Dooly County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia