Upson County, Georgia

Upson County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,700.^[1] The county seat is Thomaston.^[2] The county was created on December 15, 1824.

Upson County
County
Upson County Courthouse in Thomaston
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°53′N 84°18′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 15, 1824; 201 years ago (1824)
Named after	Stephen Upson
Seat	Thomaston
Largest city	Thomaston
Area
• Total	328 sq mi (850 km2)
• Land	323 sq mi (840 km2)
• Water	4.1 sq mi (11 km2)  1.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,700
• Density	86/sq mi (33/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	www.upsoncountyga.org

Upson County comprises the Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs CSA.

History

Upson County was formed in 1824 and named after Stephen Upson, a state legislator.^[3]

Emancipation Day

On May 29, 1865, following the conclusion of the American Civil War, enslaved African Americans in the county were notified in Thomaston that they had been emancipated.^[4] By the following year, celebrations were held on that date, which continue to this day.^[4] It is considered one of the largest Emancipation Day celebrations in Georgia and one of the oldest continuously celebrated ones in the United States.^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 328 square miles (850 km²), of which 323 square miles (840 km²) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km²) (1.3%) is water.^[5] Upson County boasts the lowest average summer humidity in the state.

The vast majority of Upson County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a tiny northeastern corner of the county, north of Yatesville, located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.^[6]

Major highways

• U.S. Route 19
• U.S. Route 80
• State Route 3
• State Route 22
• State Route 36
• State Route 74
• State Route 74 Alternate

Adjacent counties

• Lamar County - north
• Pike County - north
• Monroe County - east
• Crawford County - southeast
• Taylor County - south
• Talbot County - southwest
• Meriwether County - northwest

Communities

City

• Thomaston

Town

• Yatesville

Census-designated places

• Hannahs Mill
• Lincoln Park
• The Rock
• Salem
• Sunset Village

Unincorporated communities

• Atwater
• Crest
• Dog Crossing

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	7,013		—
1840	9,408		34.2%
1850	9,424		0.2%
1860	9,910		5.2%
1870	9,430		−4.8%
1880	12,400		31.5%
1890	12,188		−1.7%
1900	13,670		12.2%
1910	12,757		−6.7%
1920	14,786		15.9%
1930	19,509		31.9%
1940	25,064		28.5%
1950	25,078		0.1%
1960	23,800		−5.1%
1970	23,505		−1.2%
1980	25,998		10.6%
1990	26,300		1.2%
2000	27,597		4.9%
2010	27,153		−1.6%
2020	27,700		2.0%
2023 (est.)	28,263	[7]	2.0%
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]

Upson County racial composition as of 2020^[17]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	18,009	65.01%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	7,851	28.34%
Native American	63	0.23%
Asian	151	0.55%
Pacific Islander	1	0.0%
Other/Mixed	992	3.58%
Hispanic or Latino	633	2.29%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,700 people, 10,154 households, and 6,100 families residing in the county.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Upson County, Georgia^[18]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	9,528	69.74%	4,098	30.00%	36	0.26%
2020	8,606	66.68%	4,203	32.56%	98	0.76%
2016	7,292	66.69%	3,475	31.78%	167	1.53%
2012	7,230	64.10%	3,959	35.10%	90	0.80%
2008	7,291	63.77%	4,061	35.52%	82	0.72%
2004	6,634	65.72%	3,424	33.92%	36	0.36%
2000	5,019	60.60%	3,158	38.13%	105	1.27%
1996	3,783	47.08%	3,491	43.45%	761	9.47%
1992	4,053	45.03%	3,740	41.55%	1,208	13.42%
1988	4,614	63.05%	2,666	36.43%	38	0.52%
1984	4,803	62.01%	2,943	37.99%	0	0.00%
1980	2,788	36.52%	4,713	61.73%	134	1.76%
1976	2,897	40.71%	4,219	59.29%	0	0.00%
1972	4,892	84.52%	896	15.48%	0	0.00%
1968	1,494	22.73%	1,480	22.52%	3,599	54.75%
1964	3,103	48.61%	3,275	51.30%	6	0.09%
1960	1,001	23.48%	3,262	76.52%	0	0.00%
1956	712	17.22%	3,422	82.78%	0	0.00%
1952	648	14.45%	3,837	85.55%	0	0.00%
1948	262	8.75%	2,432	81.26%	299	9.99%
1944	243	9.33%	2,362	90.67%	0	0.00%
1940	159	6.64%	2,235	93.36%	0	0.00%
1936	138	8.57%	1,471	91.37%	1	0.06%
1932	20	1.19%	1,660	98.57%	4	0.24%
1928	221	23.46%	721	76.54%	0	0.00%
1924	37	6.37%	484	83.30%	60	10.33%
1920	170	15.08%	957	84.92%	0	0.00%
1916	18	1.78%	734	72.60%	259	25.62%
1912	7	1.19%	445	75.42%	138	23.39%

Notable people

• James L. Bentley
• C.C. Crews
• Martha Hudson
• John Brown Gordon
• Coy Bowles

See also

• State of Georgia portal

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