Dougherty County, Georgia
County in Georgia, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dougherty County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 85,790.[1] The county seat and sole incorporated city is Albany.[2]
Dougherty County | |
|---|---|
 Dougherty County Government Center | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
 Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 31°32′N 84°13′W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Named after | Charles Dougherty |
| Seat | Albany |
| Largest city | Albany |
| Area | |
• Total | 335 sq mi (870 km2) |
| • Land | 329 sq mi (850 km2) |
| • Water | 5.9 sq mi (15 km2) 1.8% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 85,790 |
| • Density | 288/sq mi (111/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Dougherty County is included in the Albany, GA metropolitan statistical area. Historically dominated by cotton plantation agriculture in the nineteenth century, it is part of the Black Belt of the South.
History
The county was created by the Georgia General Assembly on December 15, 1853, from a part of Baker County.[3] It was named after Charles Dougherty,[4] a respected judge and lawyer from Athens, Georgia. In 1854 and 1856 small areas were added from Worth County.
As noted above, the county was developed by European Americans using enslaved African Americans as workers for the production of cotton as a commodity crop. Its county seat of Albany, Georgia is located on the Flint River, which was originally the chief means of transportation for shipped products. Albany was later served by seven railroad lines, adding to its significance as a market center. The city was a center of the Civil Rights Movement, particularly during the early 1960s.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 335 square miles (870 km2), of which 329 square miles (850 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (1.8%) is water.[5]
The majority of Dougherty County is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The northeastern corner of the county, northeast of Albany, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the same ACF River basin. A very small portion of Dougherty County, north of Albany, is located in the Kinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of the larger ACF River Basin. The remaining western portion of the county is located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.[6]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Lee County – north
- Worth County – east
- Mitchell County – south
- Baker County – southwest
- Calhoun County – west
- Terrell County – northwest
Communities
City
Unincorporated communities
Demographics
Summarize
Perspective
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 8,295 | — | |
| 1870 | 11,517 | 38.8% | |
| 1880 | 12,622 | 9.6% | |
| 1890 | 12,206 | −3.3% | |
| 1900 | 13,679 | 12.1% | |
| 1910 | 16,035 | 17.2% | |
| 1920 | 20,063 | 25.1% | |
| 1930 | 22,306 | 11.2% | |
| 1940 | 28,565 | 28.1% | |
| 1950 | 43,617 | 52.7% | |
| 1960 | 75,680 | 73.5% | |
| 1970 | 89,639 | 18.4% | |
| 1980 | 100,718 | 12.4% | |
| 1990 | 96,311 | −4.4% | |
| 2000 | 96,065 | −0.3% | |
| 2010 | 94,565 | −1.6% | |
| 2020 | 85,790 | −9.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 82,645 | [7] | −3.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1880[9] 1890-1910[10] 1920-1930[11] 1930-1940[12] 1940-1950[13] 1960-1980[14] 1980-2000[15] 2010[16] 2020[17] | |||
| Race / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop. 2000[18] | Pop. 2010[16] | Pop. 2020[17] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 35,794 | 27,315 | 20,631 | 37.26% | 28.88% | 24.05% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 57,521 | 63,198 | 59,720 | 59.88% | 66.83% | 69.61% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 192 | 177 | 128 | 0.20% | 0.19% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 544 | 719 | 647 | 0.57% | 0.76% | 0.75% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 25 | 52 | 20 | 0.03% | 0.05% | 0.02% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 74 | 84 | 234 | 0.08% | 0.09% | 0.27% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 623 | 947 | 1,997 | 0.65% | 1.00% | 2.33% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,292 | 2,073 | 2,413 | 1.34% | 2.19% | 2.81% |
| Total | 96,065 | 94,565 | 85,790 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 85,790 people, 32,630 households, and 18,213 families residing in the county.
Education
Politics
Summarize
Perspective
Owing in part to its highly African American population, Dougherty County is heavily Democratic. In 2008 and 2012, Barack Obama performed better in the county than any Democrat since Roosevelt in 1944. The county defied national trends in 2024 when it shifted to the left in favor of Kamala Harris, casting over 70% of its vote for her, outperforming Obama's previous record.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 9,904 | 29.26% | 23,831 | 70.40% | 115 | 0.34% |
| 2020 | 10,441 | 29.59% | 24,568 | 69.62% | 278 | 0.79% |
| 2016 | 10,232 | 29.83% | 23,311 | 67.96% | 760 | 2.22% |
| 2012 | 11,449 | 30.15% | 26,295 | 69.24% | 231 | 0.61% |
| 2008 | 12,547 | 32.27% | 26,135 | 67.21% | 204 | 0.52% |
| 2004 | 13,711 | 40.70% | 19,805 | 58.79% | 171 | 0.51% |
| 2000 | 12,248 | 42.14% | 16,650 | 57.29% | 166 | 0.57% |
| 1996 | 11,144 | 39.98% | 15,600 | 55.97% | 1,128 | 4.05% |
| 1992 | 12,455 | 40.27% | 15,236 | 49.26% | 3,240 | 10.47% |
| 1988 | 15,520 | 50.86% | 12,579 | 41.22% | 2,418 | 7.92% |
| 1984 | 16,920 | 56.73% | 12,904 | 43.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 12,726 | 47.82% | 13,430 | 50.46% | 459 | 1.72% |
| 1976 | 9,337 | 44.89% | 11,461 | 55.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 12,878 | 78.03% | 3,625 | 21.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 5,611 | 29.91% | 3,834 | 20.43% | 9,317 | 49.66% |
| 1964 | 12,776 | 70.88% | 5,248 | 29.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 4,323 | 48.88% | 4,522 | 51.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,248 | 44.05% | 4,126 | 55.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 2,535 | 36.37% | 4,435 | 63.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 614 | 15.66% | 2,517 | 64.19% | 790 | 20.15% |
| 1944 | 338 | 9.56% | 3,199 | 90.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 180 | 7.64% | 2,175 | 92.32% | 1 | 0.04% |
| 1936 | 122 | 4.49% | 2,591 | 95.40% | 3 | 0.11% |
| 1932 | 95 | 4.49% | 2,012 | 95.04% | 10 | 0.47% |
| 1928 | 379 | 27.85% | 982 | 72.15% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 167 | 12.71% | 1,065 | 81.05% | 82 | 6.24% |
| 1920 | 105 | 14.46% | 621 | 85.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 17 | 1.91% | 836 | 93.93% | 37 | 4.16% |
| 1912 | 18 | 2.74% | 617 | 94.05% | 21 | 3.20% |
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Dougherty County, Georgia
- List of counties in Georgia
- W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903) contains two essays that are surveys of race relations in Dougherty County from Reconstruction to the end of the 19th century.
- "Of the Black Belt"
- "Of the Quest of the Golden Fleece"
References
External links
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