Baldwin County, Georgia

Baldwin County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Milledgeville
Year Organized: 1803
Square Miles: 258

Court House:

121 N Wilkinson Street
County Courthouse
Milledgeville, GA 31061-3365

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Georgia's 27th county was named for Abraham Baldwin, a member of the Continental Congress and author of the bill to create the nation's first state university, now the University of Georgia.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Georgia's 27th county was named for Abraham Baldwin, a member of the Continental Congress and author of the bill to create the nation's first state university, now the University of Georgia.

Milledgeville was laid out in 1803, designated as the state capital in 1804, and incorporated in 1806. The city served as state capital until that honor was transferred to Atlanta on April 20, 1868. Milledgeville, named for Governor John Milledge, is the county's only incorporated city.

The historic district of Milledgeville includes the Old State Capitol and Governor's Mansion, as well as a number of noteworthy private homes. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Milledgeville is the only surviving example of a complete "Federal Period" city. It is also the only city designed specifically to be a state capital.

Points of Interest

With 15,330 acres of water and 417 miles of shoreline, Lake Sinclair is an important recreational resource for the county.

The State of Georgia has a strong presence in the county with the Middle Georgia Correctional Institution, Central State Hospital, the Youth Development Center, and two University System units.

Notable Citizens

Notable Georgians from Baldwin County include the Honorable Carl Vinson, who served Georgia as a US Congressman for 50 years; writer Flannery O'Connor; and comedian Oliver Hardy. Georgia College's Ina Dillard Russell Library is home of the Flannery O'Connor Collection and includes manuscripts by O'Connor and her personal collection of more than 700 books and journals.

Higher Education

Georgia College and State University, Central Georgia Technical College, and Georgia Military College.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Hancock County
Southeast: Washington County; Wilkinson County
West: Jones County
Northwest: Putnam County

Cities and Towns:

- Milledgeville (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

County http://www.baldwincountyga.com/

Chamber of Commerce http://www.milledgevillega.com/

Additional County Info http://www.georgiaplanning.com/CountyPortal/countyportal.asp?FIPS=13009

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

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