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Georgia Counties

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Georgia Counties

Georgia is divided into 159 counties. Under the Georgia Constitution, Counties are granted home rule to deal with issues that are local in nature. Four consolidated city-Counties — Athens (Clarke County), Augusta (Richmond County), Columbus (Muscogee County), and Cusseta (Chattahoochee County) — exist.

Georgia has the second-highest number of Counties of any state in the United States, behind Texas (254). A few Georgia Counties have changed names over time. Jasper County was originally known as Randolph County. Later, the current Randolph County came into being. Webster County was once known as Kinchafoonee County, and Bartow County was formerly known as Cass County.

Oconee County, Georgia

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

County Seat: Watkinsville
Year Organized: 1875
Square Miles: 186

Court House:

P.O. Box 145
County Courthouse
Watkinsville, GA 30677-0004

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Oconee County takes its name from the Oconee River.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Oconee County, the 135th county formed in Georgia, was created in 1875. Originally part of Clarke County, Oconee County takes its name from the Oconee River.

Keowee Town, an important Cherokee settlement, was located within the county. Several Indian mounds have also been discovered at the Keowee site.

The Eagle Tavern State Historical Site is located in the county. Originally built as Fort Edward in 1789, the building had become a tavern by 1801. Some other interesting sites in the county are the Elder Covered Bridge and the Mockingbird Forge.

Points of Interest

The cotton monoculture prior to the 1930s badly damaged the soils of Oconee County. Today, only about 19% of the land is identified as prime farm land. About 56% of the land is forest.

Notable Citizens

Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, kept her summer home in Oconee County. She was elected to represent Montana before many states even allowed women to vote. Rankin was a pacifist and was the only representative to vote against the US's entry into war against Japan.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Clarke County
East: Oglethorpe County
Southeast: Greene County
South: Morgan County
West: Walton County
Northwest: Barrow County; Jackson County

Cities and Towns:

- Bishop	town	Incorporated Area
- Bogart	town	Incorporated Area
- North High Shoals	town	Incorporated Area
- Watkinsville (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

County http://www.oconeecounty.com

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

Additional County Info http://www.georgiaplanning.com/CountyPortal/countyportal.asp?FIPS=13219

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."