Clay County, Georgia

Clay County, Georgia
Clay County Courthouse in Fort Gaines, Georgia
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1854
Seat	Fort Gaines
Largest city	Fort Gaines
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	216.99 sq mi (562 km²) 195.21 sq mi (506 km²) 21.79 sq mi (56 km²), 10.04%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	3,183 17/sq mi (7/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,183. The county seat is Fort Gaines.

History

This area was historically occupied by the Creek Indians until Indian Removal in the 1830s. European Americans pushed them out and developed the land for cotton, bringing in thousands of African slaves to work the land.

The County is named in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United States Senate from Kentucky and United States Secretary of State in the 19th century. Part of what became the Black Belt of Georgia, prior to the American Civil War the county's chief commodity crop was cotton, cultivated and processed by African-American slaves. After the war, the economy continued to be agricultural, but timber was also harvested.

Clay was created by a February 16, 1854, act of the Georgia General Assembly, and organized from portions of Early and Randolph counties.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 216.99 square miles (562.0 km²), of which 195.21 square miles (505.6 km²) (or 89.96%) is land and 21.79 square miles (56.4 km²) (or 10.04%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. highways

• U.S. Route 27

State routes

• State Route 1
• State Route 37
• State Route 39
• State Route 266

Adjacent counties

• Quitman County, Georgia - north
• Randolph County, Georgia - northeast
• Calhoun County, Georgia - east
• Early County, Georgia - south
• Henry County, Alabama - west
• Barbour County, Alabama - northwest

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	4,893		—
1870	5,493		12.3%
1880	6,650		21.1%
1890	7,817		17.5%
1900	8,568		9.6%
1910	8,960		4.6%
1920	7,557		−15.7%
1930	6,943		−8.1%
1940	7,064		1.7%
1950	5,844		−17.3%
1960	4,551		−22.1%
1970	3,636		−20.1%
1980	3,553		−2.3%
1990	3,364		−5.3%
2000	3,357		−0.2%
2010	3,183		−5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,357 people, 1,347 households, and 928 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 1,925 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 60.47% Black or African American, 38.43% White, 0.12% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,347 households out of which 25.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.70% were married couples living together, 23.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.10% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 21.00% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 83.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $21,448, and the median income for a family was $27,837. Males had a median income of $26,557 versus $17,083 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,819. About 28.10% of families and 31.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 43.40% of those under age 18 and 23.90% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Main article: Fort Gaines, Georgia#Education

Incorporated Cities

• Bluffton
• Fort Gaines

Unincorporated Towns

• Bellville
• Bethel
• Cotton Hill
• Days Crossroads
• Garnersville
• Harrisons Mill
• Jeff
• Jones Crossing
• Moores Crossroads
• Oakland
• Pecan
• Ricks Place
• Suttons Corner
• Watson Crossroads
• Zetto

Ghost Towns

• Oketeyeconne

See also

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

References

• Georgia Snapshots - Clay County
• GeorgiaInfo Clay County Courthouse history

External links

• Official Website of Clay County Georgia