Lee County, Georgia

Lee County, Georgia
Lee County courthouse in Leesburg
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	June 9, 1825
Named for	Henry Lee III
Seat	Leesburg
Largest city	Leesburg
Area
• Total	362 sq mi (938 km2)
• Land	356 sq mi (922 km2)
• Water	5.9 sq mi (15 km2), 1.6%
Population
• (2010)	28,298
• Density	80/sq mi (31/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	leecounty.georgia.gov

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,298. Its county seat is Leesburg.

Lee County is included in the Albany, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The land for Lee, Muscogee, Troup, Coweta, and Carroll counties was ceded by the Creek people in the 1825 Treaty of Indian Springs. The counties' boundaries were created by the Georgia General Assembly on June 9, but they were not named until December 14, 1826. The county was named in honor of Henry Lee III.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 362 square miles (940 km²), of which 356 square miles (920 km²) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km²) (1.6%) is water.

Most of the western three-quarters of Lee County is located in the Kinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The eastern quarter of the county is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin, while a very small corner in the south of Lee County is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin. An even smaller southwestern corner is located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the ACF River Basin.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 19
• 
  U.S. Route 19 Bypass
• U.S. Route 82
• State Route 3
• State Route 3 Bypass
• State Route 32
• State Route 91
• State Route 118
• State Route 133
• State Route 195
• State Route 377
• State Route 520

Adjacent counties

• Sumter County (north)
• Crisp County (northeast)
• Worth County (east)
• Dougherty County (south)
• Terrell County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	1,680		—
1840	4,520		169.0%
1850	6,660		47.3%
1860	7,196		8.0%
1870	9,567		32.9%
1880	10,577		10.6%
1890	9,074		−14.2%
1900	10,344		14.0%
1910	11,679		12.9%
1920	10,904		−6.6%
1930	8,328		−23.6%
1940	7,837		−5.9%
1950	6,674		−14.8%
1960	6,204		−7.0%
1970	7,044		13.5%
1980	11,684		65.9%
1990	16,250		39.1%
2000	24,757		52.4%
2010	29,298		18.3%
Est. 2014	29,191		−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 24,757 people, 8,229 households, and 6,797 families residing in the county. The population density was 70 people per square mile (27/km²). There were 8,813 housing units at an average density of 25 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.24% White, 15.50% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.84% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 1.21% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,229 households out of which 48.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.80% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.40% were non-families. 14.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the county the population was spread out with 30.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 33.20% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 6.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 102.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,600, and the median income for a family was $53,132. Males had a median income of $39,848 versus $25,715 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,897. About 6.50% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 28,298 people, 9,706 households, and 7,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 79.5 inhabitants per square mile (30.7/km²). There were 10,276 housing units at an average density of 28.9 per square mile (11.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.9% white, 18.6% black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.1% were American, 12.3% were Irish, 10.3% were German, and 9.1% were English.

Of the 9,706 households, 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 20.3% were non-families, and 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 36.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $59,811 and the median income for a family was $67,943. Males had a median income of $49,213 versus $34,880 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,867. About 7.5% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The county has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1972, with the exception of 1976.

Communities

• Leesburg
• Smithville

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lee County, Georgia

External links

• Official Website