Schley County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Schley, Georgia.

Schley County (/slaɪ/ SLY)^[1] is a county located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, its population was 4,547.^[2] The county seat is Ellaville.^[3]

Schley County
County
Schley County Courthouse in Ellaville
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°16′00″N 84°17′59″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 22, 1857; 168 years ago (1857)
Named after	William Schley
Seat	Ellaville
Largest city	Ellaville
Area
• Total	168 sq mi (440 km2)
• Land	167 sq mi (430 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2 km2)  0.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,547
• Density	27/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Schley County is part of the Americus, GA micropolitan statistical area. It is named in honor of Governor William Schley.^[1]

History

The county was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 22, 1857, and is named for William Schley, United States Representative and thirty-sixth governor of Georgia.^[4]

The first county courthouse was built in 1858. The present Schley County Courthouse dates from 1899.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 168 square miles (440 km²), of which 167 square miles (430 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) (0.5%) is water.^[6]

The central portion of Schley County, roughly north of Ellaville, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The very northern border area of the county is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The southwestern portion of Schley County, southwest of Ellaville, is located in the Kinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin.^[7]

Major highways

• U.S. Route 19
• State Route 3
• State Route 26
• State Route 153
• State Route 228
• State Route 240
• State Route 271

Adjacent counties

• Taylor County (north)
• Macon County (east)
• Sumter County (south)
• Marion County (west)

Communities

City

• Ellaville (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• La Crosse
• Murrays Crossroads

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	4,633		—
1870	5,129		10.7%
1880	5,302		3.4%
1890	5,443		2.7%
1900	5,499		1.0%
1910	5,213		−5.2%
1920	5,243		0.6%
1930	5,347		2.0%
1940	5,033		−5.9%
1950	4,036		−19.8%
1960	3,256		−19.3%
1970	3,097		−4.9%
1980	3,433		10.8%
1990	4,861		41.6%
2000	5,233		7.7%
2010	5,010		−4.3%
2020	4,547		−9.2%
2024 (est.)	4,503	[8]	−1.0%
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]

Schley County racial composition as of 2020^[18]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	3,357	73.83%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	863	18.98%
Native American	4	0.09%
Asian	20	0.44%
Pacific Islander	2	0.04%
Other/Mixed	126	2.77%
Hispanic or Latino	175	3.85%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,547 people, 1,864 households, and 1,452 families residing in the county.

Politics

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,970	81.14%	453	18.66%	5	0.21%
2020	1,800	79.12%	462	20.31%	13	0.57%
2016	1,472	76.55%	401	20.85%	50	2.60%
2012	1,286	73.40%	448	25.57%	18	1.03%
2008	1,252	72.00%	479	27.54%	8	0.46%
2004	1,063	69.39%	464	30.29%	5	0.33%
2000	706	60.03%	460	39.12%	10	0.85%
1996	470	40.17%	576	49.23%	124	10.60%
1992	511	39.43%	601	46.37%	184	14.20%
1988	635	58.91%	439	40.72%	4	0.37%
1984	614	60.37%	403	39.63%	0	0.00%
1980	453	41.75%	613	56.50%	19	1.75%
1976	268	25.50%	783	74.50%	0	0.00%
1972	694	81.07%	162	18.93%	0	0.00%
1968	164	15.02%	309	28.30%	619	56.68%
1964	577	60.48%	377	39.52%	0	0.00%
1960	138	22.81%	467	77.19%	0	0.00%
1956	117	20.97%	441	79.03%	0	0.00%
1952	148	25.34%	436	74.66%	0	0.00%
1948	43	11.47%	257	68.53%	75	20.00%
1944	37	10.11%	329	89.89%	0	0.00%
1940	69	12.73%	471	86.90%	2	0.37%
1936	43	9.31%	419	90.69%	0	0.00%
1932	8	1.96%	398	97.55%	2	0.49%
1928	77	19.01%	328	80.99%	0	0.00%
1924	12	4.27%	266	94.66%	3	1.07%
1920	53	18.40%	235	81.60%	0	0.00%
1916	35	13.51%	222	85.71%	2	0.77%
1912	19	8.09%	213	90.64%	3	1.28%

See also

• State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Schley County, Georgia
• Hanging of Charles Blackman
• List of counties in Georgia