Decatur County, Georgia

Decatur County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,367. The county seat is Bainbridge.

Decatur County comprises the Bainbridge, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which is included in the Tallahassee—Bainbridge, FL-GA Combined Statistical Area.

History The county was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 8, 1823, from a portion of Early County. Three other counties were created from land that was originally part of Decatur County.

In 1825, a portion of Decatur was used in the creation of Thomas County. In 1905, another portion of Decatur was used in the creation of part of Grady County. In 1920, the western portion of Decatur County was used to form Seminole County in its entirety.

Decatur County is named for United States Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur, a hero of the War of 1812.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.2%) is water.

The bulk of Decatur County, from northeast to southwest, and centered on Bainbridge, is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). Almost all of the county's western border is located in the Spring Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The southwestern portion of Decatur County, centered on Attapulgus, and bordered on the west by State Route 302, is located on the Lower Ochlockonee River sub-basin of the larger Ochlockonee River basin. Finally, the county's southwestern corner, west of State Route 302, is located in the Apalachicola River sub-basin of the same larger ACF River basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 27 U.S. Route 27 Business U.S. Route 84 U.S. Route 84 Business State Route 1 State Route 1 Business State Route 38 State Route 97 State Route 97 Spur State Route 241 State Route 253 State Route 253 Spur State Route 262 State Route 285 State Route 302 State Route 302 Spur State Route 309 State Route 310 State Route 311

Adjacent counties Miller County - north Mitchell County - northeast Baker County - northeast Grady County - east Gadsden County, Florida - south Seminole County - west

Communities Cities Attapulgus Bainbridge Climax

Town Brinson

Census-Designated Place

Faceville

Unincorporated communities Amsterdam Ausmac Cyrene Eldorendo Fowlstown Vada

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Decatur County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)15,38915,01215,80014,61514,28060.36%58.85%55.95%52.49%48.63%Black or African American alone (NH)9,8189,91711,22711,36612,20038.51%38.87%39.76%40.82%41.54%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)24615957640.09%0.24%0.21%0.20%0.22%Asian alone (NH)3840861381830.15%0.16%0.30%0.50%0.62%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census4316xx0.01%0.01%0.05%Other race alone (NH)09333640.00%0.04%0.01%0.12%0.22%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census156226649xx0.55%0.81%2.21%Hispanic or Latino (any race)2264729051,4041,9110.89%1.85%3.20%5.04%6.51%Total25,49525,51128,24027,84229,367 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,367 people and 7,113 families residing in the county. The median age was 40.0 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.3 males age 18 and over. 47.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 52.8% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 49.6% White, 41.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.1% from some other race, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population.

There were 11,466 households in the county, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 34.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 13,036 housing units, of which 12.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.9% were owner-occupied and 38.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.

Education Decatur County School District is the local school district with Bainbridge High School being the local high school.

Spring Creek Charter Academy was formed in 2019 and includes grades Pre-K through 9th Grade as of 2023–2024 school year with the next year being added as each grade progresses through the years.

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has a satellite campus in Bainbridge. Southern Regional Technical College has a satellite campus in Bainbridge serving the county.

Politics As of the 2020s, Decatur County is a Republican stronghold, voting 62% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Decatur County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Decatur County is part of District 11. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Decatur County is part of District 171.

Decatur County, Georgia

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