Loading

  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Thomaston, GA μSA
Upson County is a county located in the west central Piedmont portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,700. The county seat is Thomaston. The county was created on December 15, 1824.

Upson County comprises the Thomaston, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs CSA.

History

Upson County was formed in 1824 and named after Stephen Upson, a state legislator.

Emancipation Day

On May 29, 1865, following the conclusion of the American Civil War, enslaved African Americans in the county were notified in Thomaston that they had been emancipated. By the following year, celebrations were held on that date, which continue to this day. It is considered one of the largest Emancipation Day celebrations in Georgia and one of the oldest continuously celebrated ones in the United States.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 328 square miles (850 km), of which 323 square miles (840 km) is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km) (1.3%) is water. Upson County boasts the lowest average summer humidity in the state.

The vast majority of Upson County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a tiny northeastern corner of the county, north of Yatesville, located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Communities

City

Town

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18307,013—
18409,40834.2%
18509,4240.2%
18609,9105.2%
18709,430−4.8%
188012,40031.5%
189012,188−1.7%
190013,67012.2%
191012,757−6.7%
192014,78615.9%
193019,50931.9%
194025,06428.5%
195025,0780.1%
196023,800−5.1%
197023,505−1.2%
198025,99810.6%
199026,3001.2%
200027,5974.9%
201027,153−1.6%
202027,7002.0%
2023 (est.)28,2632.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1880 1890-1910
1920-1930 1930-1940
1940-1950 1960-1980
1980-2000 2010
Upson County racial composition as of 2020
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 18,009 65.01%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 7,851 28.34%
Native American 63 0.23%
Asian 151 0.55%
Pacific Islander 1 0.0%
Other/Mixed 992 3.58%
Hispanic or Latino 633 2.29%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,700 people, 10,154 households, and 6,100 families residing in the county.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Upson County, Georgia
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 8,606 66.68% 4,203 32.56% 98 0.76%
2016 7,292 66.69% 3,475 31.78% 167 1.53%
2012 7,230 64.10% 3,959 35.10% 90 0.80%
2008 7,291 63.77% 4,061 35.52% 82 0.72%
2004 6,634 65.72% 3,424 33.92% 36 0.36%
2000 5,019 60.60% 3,158 38.13% 105 1.27%
1996 3,783 47.08% 3,491 43.45% 761 9.47%
1992 4,053 45.03% 3,740 41.55% 1,208 13.42%
1988 4,614 63.05% 2,666 36.43% 38 0.52%
1984 4,803 62.01% 2,943 37.99% 0 0.00%
1980 2,788 36.52% 4,713 61.73% 134 1.76%
1976 2,897 40.71% 4,219 59.29% 0 0.00%
1972 4,892 84.52% 896 15.48% 0 0.00%
1968 1,494 22.73% 1,480 22.52% 3,599 54.75%
1964 3,103 48.61% 3,275 51.30% 6 0.09%
1960 1,001 23.48% 3,262 76.52% 0 0.00%
1956 712 17.22% 3,422 82.78% 0 0.00%
1952 648 14.45% 3,837 85.55% 0 0.00%
1948 262 8.75% 2,432 81.26% 299 9.99%
1944 243 9.33% 2,362 90.67% 0 0.00%
1940 159 6.64% 2,235 93.36% 0 0.00%
1936 138 8.57% 1,471 91.37% 1 0.06%
1932 20 1.19% 1,660 98.57% 4 0.24%
1928 221 23.46% 721 76.54% 0 0.00%
1924 37 6.37% 484 83.30% 60 10.33%
1920 170 15.08% 957 84.92% 0 0.00%
1916 18 1.78% 734 72.60% 259 25.62%
1912 7 1.19% 445 75.42% 138 23.39%

Notable people

See also