Pierce County, Georgia

Pierce County, Georgia
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 18, 1857
Named for	Franklin Pierce
Seat	Blackshear
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	343.90 sq mi (891 km²) 343.25 sq mi (889 km²) 0.65 sq mi (2 km²),
PopulationEst.  - (2004)  - Density	16,720
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Pierce County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,636. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 17,881. The county seat is Blackshear.

Pierce County is part of the Waycross Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Pierce County is named for Franklin Pierce, fourteenth President of the United States. It was created December 18, 1857, from Appling and Ware counties.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 343.90 square miles (890.7 km²), of which 343.25 square miles (889.0 km²) (or 99.81%) is land and 0.65 square miles (1.7 km²) (or 0.19%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 84
• Georgia State Route 15
• Georgia State Route 32
• Georgia State Route 121
• Georgia State Route 203

Adjacent counties

• Appling County, Georgia - north
• Wayne County, Georgia - northeast
• Brantley County, Georgia - southeast
• Ware County, Georgia - west
• Bacon County, Georgia - northwest

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,636 people, 5,958 households, and 4,438 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile (18/km²). There were 6,719 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.90% White, 10.91% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 2.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,958 households out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.50% were non-families. 23.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.70% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,895, and the median income for a family was $35,903. Males had a median income of $28,331 versus $19,771 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,230. About 14.40% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.50% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over.

Local Media Outlets

• The Blackshear Times (Weekly Newspaper)
• The Pierce County Press (Weekly Newspaper)
• Waycross Journal-Herald (Daily Newspaper)
• WKUB 105.1FM (Country Radio)
• WWUF 97.7FM (Oldies Radio)
• WSFN AM 1350 (Sports Radio)
• WAYX AM 1230 (News Talk Radio)

Cities and towns

• Blackshear
• Offerman
• Patterson
• Waycross (small business portion)

Unincorporated communities

• Blue Lake
• Bristol
• Hacklebarney
• Jot Em Down Store
• Mershon
• Otter Creek
• Sandy Bottom
• Walkerville
• Zirkle's Landing, Georgia

See also

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