Heard County, Georgia
County in Georgia, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heard County is a county located in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,412, down from 11,834 in 2010.[1] The county seat is Franklin.[2] The county was created on December 22, 1830.
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Heard County, Georgia | |
|---|---|
Heard County courthouse in Franklin | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: 33°18′N 85°08′W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 22, 1830 |
| Named after | Stephen Heard |
| Seat | Franklin |
| Largest city | Franklin |
| Area | |
• Total | 301 sq mi (780 km2) |
| • Land | 296 sq mi (770 km2) |
| • Water | 5.1 sq mi (13 km2) 1.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,412 |
| • Density | 38/sq mi (15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | heardcountyga |
Heard County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA.
History
Heard County was created by Act of the Legislature on December 22, 1830.[3] It was named for Stephen Heard,[4] elected President of the Council on February 18, 1781, thus, in the absence of Governor Howley, becoming Governor de facto. Heard moved to Wilkes County from Hanover County, Virginia, and fought in the American Revolutionary War where he distinguished himself at Kettle Creek. The first sheriff, Jonathan Mewsick, was commissioned in 1832.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 301 square miles (780 km2), of which 296 square miles (770 km2) is land and 5.1 square miles (13 km2) (1.7%) is water.[5]
The vast majority of Heard County is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Lake Harding sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a very small northwestern corner of the county, west of Ephesus, located in the Upper Tallapoosa River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin).[6]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Carroll County (north)
- Coweta County (east)
- Troup County (south)
- Randolph County, Alabama (west/Central Time border)
Communities
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 5,329 | — | |
| 1850 | 6,923 | 29.9% | |
| 1860 | 7,805 | 12.7% | |
| 1870 | 7,866 | 0.8% | |
| 1880 | 8,769 | 11.5% | |
| 1890 | 9,557 | 9.0% | |
| 1900 | 11,177 | 17.0% | |
| 1910 | 11,189 | 0.1% | |
| 1920 | 11,126 | −0.6% | |
| 1930 | 9,102 | −18.2% | |
| 1940 | 8,610 | −5.4% | |
| 1950 | 6,975 | −19.0% | |
| 1960 | 5,333 | −23.5% | |
| 1970 | 5,354 | 0.4% | |
| 1980 | 6,520 | 21.8% | |
| 1990 | 8,628 | 32.3% | |
| 2000 | 11,012 | 27.6% | |
| 2010 | 11,834 | 7.5% | |
| 2020 | 11,412 | −3.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 12,119 | [7]  | 6.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1880[9] 1890-1910[10] 1920-1930[11] 1930-1940[12] 1940-1950[13] 1960-1980[14] 1980-2000[15] 2010[1] 2020[16] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 9,589 | 84.03% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 930 | 8.15% |
| Native American | 33 | 0.29% |
| Asian | 53 | 0.46% |
| Pacific Islander | 4 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 550 | 4.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 253 | 2.22% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 11,412, 4,278 households, and 3,254 families residing in the county. The median age was 41.0 years, with 23.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 16.0% aged 65 years or older.[18][19]
For every 100 females there were 97.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.1 males age 18 and over. None of the residents lived in urban areas while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[18]
The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% White, 8.3% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.2% of the population.[20]
There were 4,278 households in the county, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[19]
There were 4,742 housing units, of which 9.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.5% were owner-occupied and 28.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.[19]
Politics
Heard County is a Republican stronghold which voted 85.7% for Donald Trump in 2024.
For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Heard County is part of Georgia's 3rd congressional district.
For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Heard County is a part of District 6.[21] For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Heard County is part of District 72.[22]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 11 | 1.83% | 526 | 87.38% | 65 | 10.80% |
| 1916 | 11 | 2.15% | 439 | 85.74% | 62 | 12.11% |
| 1920 | 14 | 2.95% | 461 | 97.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 35 | 9.49% | 327 | 88.62% | 7 | 1.90% |
| 1928 | 390 | 44.17% | 493 | 55.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 24 | 2.36% | 989 | 97.34% | 3 | 0.30% |
| 1936 | 155 | 17.55% | 725 | 82.11% | 3 | 0.34% |
| 1940 | 221 | 25.40% | 647 | 74.37% | 2 | 0.23% |
| 1944 | 185 | 24.93% | 557 | 75.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 77 | 9.63% | 670 | 83.75% | 53 | 6.63% |
| 1952 | 184 | 13.40% | 1,189 | 86.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 194 | 14.92% | 1,106 | 85.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 181 | 12.88% | 1,224 | 87.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 807 | 43.18% | 1,061 | 56.77% | 1 | 0.05% |
| 1968 | 303 | 16.72% | 356 | 19.65% | 1,153 | 63.63% |
| 1972 | 1,239 | 81.78% | 276 | 18.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 433 | 21.37% | 1,593 | 78.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 875 | 38.33% | 1,348 | 59.05% | 60 | 2.63% |
| 1984 | 1,492 | 64.81% | 810 | 35.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 1,551 | 63.77% | 874 | 35.94% | 7 | 0.29% |
| 1992 | 1,190 | 36.36% | 1,456 | 44.49% | 627 | 19.16% |
| 1996 | 1,170 | 41.14% | 1,248 | 43.88% | 426 | 14.98% |
| 2000 | 1,947 | 60.88% | 1,178 | 36.84% | 73 | 2.28% |
| 2004 | 2,788 | 70.48% | 1,148 | 29.02% | 20 | 0.51% |
| 2008 | 3,133 | 74.05% | 1,042 | 24.63% | 56 | 1.32% |
| 2012 | 3,160 | 75.63% | 948 | 22.69% | 70 | 1.68% |
| 2016 | 3,370 | 79.41% | 743 | 17.51% | 131 | 3.09% |
| 2020 | 4,519 | 83.78% | 824 | 15.28% | 51 | 0.95% |
| 2024 | 5,335 | 85.70% | 859 | 13.80% | 31 | 0.50% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 4,413 | 82.83% | 802 | 15.05% | 113 | 2.12% |
| 2020 | 3,895 | 83.32% | 780 | 16.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 2,542 | 48.45% | 592 | 11.28% | 2,113 | 40.27% |
| 2020 | 3,877 | 82.88% | 801 | 17.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2022 | 3,877 | 83.47% | 675 | 14.53% | 93 | 2.00% |
| 2022 | 3,407 | 84.21% | 639 | 15.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2022 | 3,858 | 86.44% | 568 | 12.73% | 37 | 0.83% |