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Houston County, Georgia

Coordinates: 32°28′N 83°40′W / 32.46°N 83.67°W / 32.46; -83.67
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Houston, Georgia.

Houston County
County
Houston County courthouse in Perry
Houston County courthouse in Perry
Map of Georgia highlighting Houston County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°28′N 83°40′W / 32.46°N 83.67°W / 32.46; -83.67
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedMay 15, 1821; 203 years ago (1821-05-15)
Named forJohn Houstoun
SeatPerry
Largest cityWarner Robins
Area
 • Total380 sq mi (1,000 km2)
 • Land376 sq mi (970 km2)
 • Water4.4 sq mi (11 km2)  1.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total163,633
 • Density373/sq mi (144/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitewww.houstoncountyga.gov

Houston County (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 163,633 at the 2020 census.[1] Its county seat is Perry; the city of Warner Robins is substantially larger in both area and population.[2]

The county was created on May 15, 1821, along with 4 other counties in the state, and later reduced in size with the formation of Bibb, Crawford, Pulaski, Macon, and Peach counties.[3] It was named after Georgia governor John Houstoun, with the spelling being a common 19th-century variation that later evolved to "Houston".[4] The pronunciation, however, remains to this day "howston."[5] The geographic center of the county was given the name Wattsville, which was later changed to Perry.[5]

Houston County is included in the Warner Robins, GA metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley combined statistical area. Flat Creek Public Fishing Area is in Houston County, south west of Perry.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 380 square miles (980 km2), of which 376 square miles (970 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (1.2%) is water.[6] The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.

The vast majority of Houston County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very northern edge of the county, north of Centerville and Warner Robins, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The very southwestern corner of Houston County, well west of Interstate 75, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).[7]

Adjacent counties

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Communities

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Cities

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18307,369—
18409,71131.8%
185016,45069.4%
186015,611−5.1%
187020,40630.7%
188022,4149.8%
189021,613−3.6%
190022,6414.8%
191023,6094.3%
192021,964−7.0%
193011,280−48.6%
194011,3030.2%
195020,96485.5%
196039,15486.8%
197062,92460.7%
198077,60523.3%
199089,20815.0%
2000110,76524.2%
2010139,90026.3%
2020163,63317.0%
2023 (est.)171,974[8]5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1880[10] 1890-1910[11]
1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13]
1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15]
1980-2000[16] 2010[17]
Houston County racial composition as of 2020[18]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 86,211 52.69%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 51,992 31.77%
Native American 339 0.21%
Asian 4,905 3.0%
Pacific Islander 124 0.08%
Other/Mixed 8,255 5.04%
Hispanic or Latino 11,807 7.22%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 163,633 people, 58,417 households, and 39,810 families residing in the county.

Education

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Houston County Schools headquarters

Houston County Schools operates public schools.[19]

Flat Creek Public Fishing Area

Politics

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Houston County voted for conservative Democrats for most of the twentieth century, and gradually switched to voting for conservative Republicans closer to the century's end and into the twenty-first. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, while she did not carry Houston County, Stacey Abrams improved on Democratic margins in the county, improving five percent compared to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run and by four percent compared to Barack Obama's 2008 run. Houston was one of five counties not carried by Abrams which improved their Democratic margins.[20] In 2020, Joe Biden improved Democratic margins to their best since Jimmy Carter carried it in 1980. He also became the first non-Georgian Democrat to win 40 percent of the county's vote since 1960.

United States presidential election results for Houston County, Georgia[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 41,540 55.48% 32,239 43.06% 1,093 1.46%
2016 35,430 58.65% 22,553 37.34% 2,423 4.01%
2012 34,662 59.58% 22,702 39.02% 811 1.39%
2008 33,392 59.59% 22,094 39.43% 548 0.98%
2004 29,862 66.03% 15,054 33.29% 310 0.69%
2000 23,174 62.65% 13,301 35.96% 513 1.39%
1996 17,050 52.18% 12,760 39.05% 2,868 8.78%
1992 14,119 43.11% 12,270 37.47% 6,359 19.42%
1988 15,748 64.02% 8,664 35.22% 185 0.75%
1984 14,255 60.71% 9,226 39.29% 0 0.00%
1980 9,005 43.51% 10,915 52.74% 775 3.74%
1976 5,404 29.10% 13,164 70.90% 0 0.00%
1972 13,576 84.16% 2,556 15.84% 0 0.00%
1968 4,285 29.64% 2,833 19.60% 7,339 50.76%
1964 6,532 60.53% 4,258 39.46% 1 0.01%
1960 1,757 30.35% 4,033 69.65% 0 0.00%
1956 1,060 19.12% 4,483 80.88% 0 0.00%
1952 511 15.48% 2,789 84.52% 0 0.00%
1948 204 9.85% 1,437 69.35% 431 20.80%
1944 190 26.21% 535 73.79% 0 0.00%
1940 149 19.30% 622 80.57% 1 0.13%
1936 37 4.44% 796 95.56% 0 0.00%
1932 27 5.54% 460 94.46% 0 0.00%
1928 92 22.17% 323 77.83% 0 0.00%
1924 75 4.39% 1,611 94.27% 23 1.35%
1920 39 5.12% 723 94.88% 0 0.00%
1916 52 5.98% 806 92.64% 12 1.38%
1912 24 3.00% 760 95.00% 16 2.00%
1908 27 2.58% 855 81.58% 166 15.84%
1904 78 8.99% 768 88.48% 22 2.53%
1900 81 9.11% 798 89.76% 10 1.12%
1896 192 17.63% 875 80.35% 22 2.02%
1892 507 20.48% 1,953 78.88% 16 0.65%
1888 466 32.86% 949 66.93% 3 0.21%
1884 433 24.99% 1,300 75.01% 0 0.00%
1880 909 39.68% 1,382 60.32% 0 0.00%

Transportation

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Major highways

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Pedestrians and cycling

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  • Big Indian Creek Trail (Proposed)[22]
  • Walker's Pond Trail
  • Wellston Trail
  • The Walk at Sandy Run Creek

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Houston County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Houston County". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council, in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  4. ^ "Houston County, Georgia - Centerville, Perry, Warner Robins - Georgia's Most Progressive County!".
  5. ^ a b "Houston County". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council, in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  11. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  12. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  13. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  14. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  15. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  16. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  17. ^ "2016 Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  19. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Houston County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022. - Text list
  20. ^ Regan-Porter, Tim (November 13, 2018). "Is Georgia red, blue or purple? Data shows rural, metro voters more divided than ever". Macon Telegraph. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  22. ^ "Perry, Houston County considering 7.5 mile recreation trail".
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32°28′N 83°40′W / 32.46°N 83.67°W / 32.46; -83.67

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