McDuffie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,632.[1] The county seat is Thomson.[2] The county was created on October 18, 1870[3] and named after the South Carolina governor and senator George McDuffie.[4]
McDuffie County | |
|---|---|
 McDuffie County Courthouse in Thomson | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
 Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 33°29′N 82°29′W / 33.48°N 82.48°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | 1870 |
| Named for | George McDuffie |
| Seat | Thomson |
| Largest city | Thomson |
| Area | |
• Total | 266 sq mi (690 km2) |
| • Land | 257 sq mi (670 km2) |
| • Water | 8.9 sq mi (23 km2) 3.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 21,632 |
| • Density | 84/sq mi (32/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 10th |
| Website | www |
McDuffie County is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metropolitan statistical area.
History
editMost communities located in the county were founded before the county was created. Some have faded into obscurity. The Historic Wrightsborough Foundation preserves the memory of the early 12,000 acre settlement of Wrightborough, which was occupied 1768 to 1920.[5]
Geography
editAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 266 square miles (690 km2), of which 257 square miles (670 km2) is land and 8.9 square miles (23 km2) (3.4%) is water.[6]
Most of the southern half of McDuffie County, south of Thomson, is located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, except for a slice of the eastern portion of the county, north of Dearing and along a north–south line running through Boneville, which is located in the Middle Savannah River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The northern half of McDuffie County, north of Thomson, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the same Savannah River basin.[7]
Major highways
edit
Interstate 20
U.S. Route 78
U.S. Route 221
U.S. Route 278
State Route 10
State Route 12
State Route 17
State Route 43
State Route 47
State Route 150
State Route 223
State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)
Adjacent counties
edit- Lincoln County (northeast)
- Columbia County (east)
- Richmond County (southeast)
- Jefferson County (south)
- Warren County (west)
- Wilkes County (northwest)
Communities
editCity
edit- Thomson (county seat)
Town
editUnincorporated communities
editDemographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 9,449 | — | |
| 1890 | 8,789 | −7.0% | |
| 1900 | 9,804 | 11.5% | |
| 1910 | 10,325 | 5.3% | |
| 1920 | 11,509 | 11.5% | |
| 1930 | 9,014 | −21.7% | |
| 1940 | 10,878 | 20.7% | |
| 1950 | 11,443 | 5.2% | |
| 1960 | 12,627 | 10.3% | |
| 1970 | 15,276 | 21.0% | |
| 1980 | 18,546 | 21.4% | |
| 1990 | 20,119 | 8.5% | |
| 2000 | 21,231 | 5.5% | |
| 2010 | 21,875 | 3.0% | |
| 2020 | 21,632 | −1.1% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 21,799 | [8] | 0.8% |
| 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] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 11,417 | 52.78% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 8,644 | 39.96% |
| Native American | 45 | 0.21% |
| Asian | 76 | 0.35% |
| Pacific Islander | 13 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 647 | 2.99% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 790 | 3.65% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,632 people, 8,153 households, and 5,770 families residing in the county.
Education
editPolitics
editTypical of many counties in Georgia and the Solid South, McDuffie County mainly backed candidates of the Democratic Party in presidential elections by wide margins prior to 1964. There were several exceptions to this, firstly between 1892 and 1908 when it supported Republican William McKinley and the Populist candidacies of James B. Weaver and favorite son Thomas E. Watson.[19]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 6,562 | 62.01% | 3,937 | 37.20% | 83 | 0.78% |
| 2020 | 6,169 | 59.00% | 4,168 | 39.86% | 119 | 1.14% |
| 2016 | 5,432 | 58.27% | 3,699 | 39.68% | 191 | 2.05% |
| 2012 | 5,475 | 57.00% | 4,044 | 42.10% | 86 | 0.90% |
| 2008 | 5,400 | 57.11% | 3,989 | 42.19% | 66 | 0.70% |
| 2004 | 4,846 | 62.29% | 2,899 | 37.26% | 35 | 0.45% |
| 2000 | 3,926 | 59.94% | 2,580 | 39.39% | 44 | 0.67% |
| 1996 | 3,254 | 50.96% | 2,725 | 42.68% | 406 | 6.36% |
| 1992 | 2,955 | 45.69% | 2,640 | 40.82% | 873 | 13.50% |
| 1988 | 3,231 | 65.04% | 1,704 | 34.30% | 33 | 0.66% |
| 1984 | 3,284 | 62.08% | 2,006 | 37.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,928 | 41.17% | 2,667 | 56.95% | 88 | 1.88% |
| 1976 | 1,694 | 35.91% | 3,024 | 64.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 2,990 | 75.01% | 996 | 24.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,324 | 32.89% | 992 | 24.65% | 1,709 | 42.46% |
| 1964 | 2,657 | 70.27% | 1,124 | 29.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,039 | 49.06% | 1,079 | 50.94% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 649 | 38.45% | 1,039 | 61.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 933 | 44.32% | 1,172 | 55.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 58 | 3.87% | 182 | 12.13% | 1,260 | 84.00% |
| 1944 | 187 | 19.04% | 795 | 80.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 75 | 7.20% | 959 | 92.12% | 7 | 0.67% |
| 1936 | 98 | 12.11% | 705 | 87.14% | 6 | 0.74% |
| 1932 | 29 | 4.80% | 568 | 94.04% | 7 | 1.16% |
| 1928 | 381 | 55.62% | 304 | 44.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 37 | 6.61% | 267 | 47.68% | 256 | 45.71% |
| 1920 | 109 | 22.20% | 382 | 77.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 70 | 11.65% | 466 | 77.54% | 65 | 10.82% |
| 1912 | 9 | 2.33% | 271 | 70.21% | 106 | 27.46% |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: McDuffie County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Georgia.gov's McDuffie County Overview
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 194.
- ^ Georgia Encyclopedia: Wrightsborough, accessed October 2017.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
- ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
- ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
- ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
- ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
- ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, p. 169 ISBN 0786422173
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.