Treutlen County, Georgia

Treutlen County (/ˈtruːtlɪn/ TROOT-lin) is a county located in the southern portion and Magnolia midlands portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,406.^[1] The county seat is Soperton.^[2] Treutlen County is host to the Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival which takes place during the first weekend in November.

Treutlen County
County
Treutlen County Courthouse in Soperton
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°24′N 82°34′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	November 5, 1918; 107 years ago (1918)
Named after	John A. Treutlen
Seat	Soperton
Largest city	Soperton
Area
• Total	202 sq mi (520 km2)
• Land	199 sq mi (520 km2)
• Water	3.0 sq mi (8 km2)  1.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,406
• Density	32/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th
Website	treutlencountygov.com

History

Before colonization, the area was home to the Muscogee.^[3] Following the American Revolution, the location's wiregrass (Aristida stricta) attracted settlers, and a timber industry began to develop around the area's longleaf pine forests, supporting occupations from cabinetmaking and milling to turpentine and other naval stores production.^[3]

The area's landscape made it difficult to build roads, resulting in a sparse population until after the Civil War when railroads arrived. In 1902, the Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad completed its extension from Macon to Vidalia and constructed a railroad depot near Lothair. The newly incorporated town of Soperton quickly outgrew Lothair due to the new rail link.^[3]

An official process to create Treutlen County was spearheaded by Neil L. Gillis, known as the "father of Treutlen County" due to his efforts. The state constitutional amendment to create Treutlen County was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on August 21, 1917, and ratified November 5, 1918, officially making it Georgia's 154th county.^[3] The county is made up of former sections of Emanuel and Montgomery counties, and is named for John A. Treutlen,^[4] Georgia's first state governor following adoption of the state Constitution of 1777. By this time, as Soperton had become larger than Lothair, it was the clear choice for county seat.^[3]

During the 1920s, a local cotton farmer named James Fowler planted over 7 million pine trees across 10,000 acres of land. Fowler worked together with scientist Charles Herty, who developed a process to use pine pulp to create paper.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 202 square miles (520 km²), of which 199 square miles (520 km²) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²) (1.5%) is water.^[5] Approximately 90% of the county is forested.^[6]

The western portion of Treutlen County, west of Soperton, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the larger Altamaha River basin.^[7]

Major highways

• I-16 (Interstate 16)
• US 221
• SR 15
• SR 29
• SR 46
• SR 56
• SR 57
• SR 78
• SR 86
• SR 171
• SR 199
• SR 199 Spur
• SR 227
• SR 297
• SR 298
• SR 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)

Adjacent counties

• Emanuel County (northeast)
• Montgomery County (southeast)
• Wheeler County (southwest)
• Laurens County (west)
• Johnson County (northwest)

Communities

City

• Soperton (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Lothair
• Orland

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	7,664		—
1930	7,488		−2.3%
1940	7,632		1.9%
1950	6,522		−14.5%
1960	5,874		−9.9%
1970	5,647		−3.9%
1980	6,087		7.8%
1990	5,994		−1.5%
2000	6,854		14.3%
2010	6,885		0.5%
2020	6,406		−7.0%
2024 (est.)	6,420	[8]	0.2%
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]

Treutlen County racial composition as of 2020^[18]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	4,065	63.46%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,999	31.21%
Native American	19	0.3%
Asian	7	0.11%
Other/Mixed	146	2.28%
Hispanic or Latino	170	2.65%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,406 people, 2,490 households, and 1,654 families residing in the county.

Politics

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

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,250	72.09%	864	27.68%	7	0.22%
2020	2,101	68.28%	952	30.94%	24	0.78%
2016	1,809	66.93%	862	31.89%	32	1.18%
2012	1,652	60.05%	1,074	39.04%	25	0.91%
2008	1,826	61.65%	1,112	37.54%	24	0.81%
2004	1,691	61.22%	1,052	38.09%	19	0.69%
2000	1,062	54.10%	879	44.78%	22	1.12%
1996	723	41.10%	912	51.85%	124	7.05%
1992	898	38.31%	1,116	47.61%	330	14.08%
1988	970	57.19%	726	42.81%	0	0.00%
1984	1,086	56.30%	843	43.70%	0	0.00%
1980	668	33.33%	1,307	65.22%	29	1.45%
1976	465	22.88%	1,567	77.12%	0	0.00%
1972	1,346	86.50%	210	13.50%	0	0.00%
1968	474	25.00%	341	17.99%	1,081	57.01%
1964	722	35.15%	1,331	64.80%	1	0.05%
1960	216	18.90%	927	81.10%	0	0.00%
1956	117	10.86%	960	89.14%	0	0.00%
1952	101	6.66%	1,416	93.34%	0	0.00%
1948	26	3.86%	413	61.37%	234	34.77%
1944	34	3.67%	893	96.33%	0	0.00%
1940	38	3.11%	1,184	96.89%	0	0.00%
1936	23	2.46%	912	97.44%	1	0.11%
1932	36	4.07%	849	95.93%	0	0.00%
1928	64	14.04%	392	85.96%	0	0.00%
1924	27	10.71%	222	88.10%	3	1.19%
1920	107	28.92%	263	71.08%	0	0.00%

See also

• State of Georgia portal

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