Banks County, Georgia

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

County Seat: Homer
Year Organized: 1858
Square Miles: 234

Court House:

144 Yonah/Homer Road, Suite 1

Homer, GA 30547-

Etymology - Origin of County Name

It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks, a circuit-riding physician who treated the settlers and Native Americans of northern Georgia and South Carolina.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Banks County was created in 1858 from parts of Franklin and Habersham counties. It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks, a circuit-riding physician who treated the settlers and Native Americans of northern Georgia and South Carolina.

The first county courthouse was completed in 1863. It was constructed of hand-made bricks in the Greek Revival style. It is on the National Register of Historical Places and now serves as a museum and office space.

Homer, the county's only municipality, was incorporated in 1859 and was named after Homer Jackson, a prominent settler.

Points of Interest

The northern boundary of Banks County is the Chattahoochee National Forest and much of the county is woodlands.

Banks County is the home of the World's Largest Easter Egg Hunt (according to the Guinness Book of World Records ) hosted by Garrison Farms.

Notable Citizens

Although Royston, in Franklin County, was Ty Cobb's birthplace, Banks County also lays claim to having the famous ballplayer as a resident. In 1936, Ty Cobb became the first baseball player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Habersham County
Northeast: Stephens County
East: Franklin County
Southeast: Madison County
South: Jackson County
West: Hall County

Cities and Towns:

- Baldwin	city	Incorporated Area
- Commerce	city	Incorporated Area
- Homer (County Seat)	town	Incorporated Area
- Maysville	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

County http://www.co.banks.ga.us/

Chamber of Commerce http://www.bankscochamber.org/

Additional County Info http://www.georgiaplanning.com/CountyPortal/countyportal.asp?FIPS=13011

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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