Jackson County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Jackson, Georgia; Jacksonville, Georgia; or Jacksonboro, Georgia.

Jackson County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,907.^[1] The county seat is Jefferson.^[2] Jackson County comprises the Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

Jackson County
County
Jackson County courthouse in Jefferson
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°08′N 83°34′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	1796; 229 years ago (1796)
Named after	James Jackson
Seat	Jefferson
Largest city	Jefferson
Area
• Total	343 sq mi (890 km2)
• Land	340 sq mi (900 km2)
• Water	3.4 sq mi (9 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	75,907
• Estimate  (2023)	88,615
• Density	220/sq mi (85/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	jacksoncountygov.com

History

Most of the first non-Native American settlers came from Effingham County in 1786.^[3] On February 11, 1796, Jackson County was split off from part of Franklin County, Georgia. The new county was named in honor of Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel, Congressman, Senator and Governor James Jackson.^[4] The county originally covered an area of approximately 1,800 square miles (4,662.0 km²), with Clarksboro as its first county seat.

In 1801, the Georgia General Assembly granted 40,000 acres (160 km²) of land in Jackson County for a state college. Franklin College (now University of Georgia) began classes the same year, and the city of Athens 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.

Jackson lost more territory in 1811 in the creation of Madison County, in 1818 in the creation of Walton, Gwinnett, and Hall counties, in 1858 in the creation of Banks County,^[5] 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 county has a total area of 343 square miles (890 km²), of which 340 square miles (880 km²) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) (1.0%) is water.^[6]

The vast majority of Jackson County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, with just a small portion of the county's northern edge, between Maysville to just east of Commerce, located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.^[7]

Rivers and creeks

• North Oconee River
  • Sandy Creek (Georgia)
  • Curry Creek
• Middle Oconee River
  • 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
• Commerce
• Hoschton
• Jefferson
• Nicholson
• Pendergrass

Towns

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

Unincorporated communities

• Apple Valley
• Attica
• Brockton
• Center
• Clarksboro

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1800	7,736		—
1810	10,569		36.6%
1820	8,355		−20.9%
1830	9,004		7.8%
1840	8,522		−5.4%
1850	9,768		14.6%
1860	10,605		8.6%
1870	11,181		5.4%
1880	16,297		45.8%
1890	19,176		17.7%
1900	24,039		25.4%
1910	30,169		25.5%
1920	24,654		−18.3%
1930	21,609		−12.4%
1940	20,089		−7.0%
1950	18,997		−5.4%
1960	18,499		−2.6%
1970	21,093		14.0%
1980	25,343		20.1%
1990	30,005		18.4%
2000	41,589		38.6%
2010	60,485		45.4%
2020	75,907		25.5%
2023 (est.)	88,615	[8]	16.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1880[10] 1890-1910[11] 1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13] 1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15] 1980-2000[16] 2010[17]

Jackson County racial composition as of 2020^[18]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	59,064	77.81%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	5,136	6.77%
Native American	127	0.17%
Asian	1,744	2.3%
Pacific Islander	30	0.04%
Other/Mixed	3,094	4.08%
Hispanic or Latino	6,712	8.84%

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

Jackson County Board of Commissioners^[19]

Commission post	Office holder
Chairman	Marty Clark (Jackson County, Georgia)
District 1 - Central Jackson	Jim Hix
District 2 - North Jackson	Chas Hardy
District 3 - West Jackson	Ralph Richardson Jr.
District 4 - East Jackson	Marty Seagraves

United States presidential election results for Jackson County, Georgia^[20]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	36,497	77.04%	10,472	22.10%	406	0.86%
2020	29,502	78.29%	7,642	20.28%	541	1.44%
2016	21,784	79.44%	4,491	16.38%	1,146	4.18%
2012	19,135	80.59%	4,238	17.85%	372	1.57%
2008	17,776	77.23%	4,950	21.51%	290	1.26%
2004	12,611	77.84%	3,468	21.40%	123	0.76%
2000	7,878	67.71%	3,420	29.39%	337	2.90%
1996	4,782	50.38%	3,746	39.46%	964	10.16%
1992	3,976	43.38%	3,792	41.37%	1,397	15.24%
1988	4,407	62.56%	2,607	37.00%	31	0.44%
1984	4,202	60.73%	2,717	39.27%	0	0.00%
1980	2,209	31.79%	4,591	66.07%	149	2.14%
1976	1,239	17.28%	5,931	82.72%	0	0.00%
1972	4,124	79.63%	1,055	20.37%	0	0.00%
1968	1,139	18.52%	1,537	25.00%	3,473	56.48%
1964	1,664	29.62%	3,953	70.38%	0	0.00%
1960	472	11.44%	3,653	88.56%	0	0.00%
1956	438	12.38%	3,100	87.62%	0	0.00%
1952	409	10.91%	3,341	89.09%	0	0.00%
1948	145	6.53%	1,866	83.98%	211	9.50%
1944	221	11.19%	1,754	88.81%	0	0.00%
1940	166	9.37%	1,599	90.29%	6	0.34%
1936	187	7.09%	2,447	92.76%	4	0.15%
1932	80	5.39%	1,389	93.54%	16	1.08%
1928	818	48.78%	859	51.22%	0	0.00%
1924	142	11.70%	993	81.80%	79	6.51%
1920	334	23.81%	1,069	76.19%	0	0.00%
1916	71	5.23%	1,185	87.26%	102	7.51%
1912	46	2.65%	1,123	64.65%	568	32.70%

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.^[21]

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
• U.S. Route 129
• 
  U.S. Route 129 Business
• U.S. Route 441
• 
  U.S. Route 441 Business
• State Route 11
• State Route 11 Business
• State Route 11 Connector
• State Route 15
• State Route 15 Alternate
• State Route 53
• State Route 59
• State Route 60
• State Route 82
• State Route 82 Connector
• State Route 98
• State Route 124
• State Route 330
• State Route 332
• State Route 334
• State Route 335
• State Route 346 (former)
• State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)

Pedestrians and cycling

• Fox Smallwood Dr Trail^[22]
• 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

See also

• State of Georgia portal

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