Walton County, Georgia

Walton County Education, Geography, and History

Walton County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 83,768. Walton County was created on December 15, 1818. The county seat is Monroe. The county is named in honor of George Walton (1749-1804), one of Georgia's delegates to the Continental Congress who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Walton County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of WaltonCounty Name

Georgia's 46th county was named for George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, serv ed as governor of Georgia and was a US Senator.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Walton County History

Walton County which was created by the Lottery Act of 1818, was organized in 1819. Georgia's 46th county was named for George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, served as governor of Georgia and was a US Senator.

Some of the communities in Walton County have very interesting names. Between was named by a postmaster because it was halfway between Monroe and Loganville, and Social Circle was possibly named for the first group of settlers who considered themselves a social circle and often passed around a "jug" of spirits.

Walton County has an unusually rich assemblage of historic sites and structures. Near Monroe is Jacks Creek, the site of the massacre by whites of a large encampment of Creek Indians in 1787. Some other historical sites worth visiting are the Brodnax House and Thompson's Mill.

Points of Interest

The Walton County courthouse, built in 1883, is an outstanding example of the architectural style known as Second Empire and has been totally restored.

Notable Citizens

There are several famous citizens of Walton County including seven other Georgia governors: James Boynton, Howell Cobb, Alfred Colquitt, Wilson Lumpkin, Henry McDaniel, Richard Russell, Jr., and Clifford Walker. Also, from Walton County was Moira B. Michael, known as the "Poppy Lady." She developed the symbol of the red Flanders Field Poppy as a memorial emblem for the veterans of wars.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 330 square miles (850 km²), of which 326 square miles (840 km²) is land and 4.3 square miles (11 km²) (1.3%) is water.

Walton county is located in north Georgia. The county is in the Ocmulgee River basin and the Oconee River basin.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Barrow County
• East: Oconee County
• Southeast: Morgan County
• Southwest: Newton County; Rockdale County
• Northwest: Gwinnett County

Education

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