Jackson County, Georgia

Jackson County Education, Geography, and History

Jackson County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 60,485. Jackson County was created on February 11, 1796 from Franklin County. The county seat is Jefferson. The county is named in honor of General James Jackson (1757-1806), a hero of the Revolutionary War.

Jackson County comprises the Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Jackson County Name

The county is named for Revolutionary War General, Congressman, and Senator James Jackson.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Jackson County History

Jackson County, the 22nd county of Georgia, was created in 1796 from part of Franklin County. It is named for Revolutionary War General, Congressman, and Senator James Jackson.

The county seat is Jefferson, named for President Thomas Jefferson. It was originally located on the site of an Indian village, Thomocoggan.

The Jackson County Courthouse was constructed in 1879 and is a prime example of the neoclassical architecture of that time. A clock tower was added in 1906, and renovations were completed in 1978. The courthouse is one of the few examples of such architecture still in use in Georgia.

Points of Interest

Commerce, the most populous city in the county, has become a major retail center featuring outlet malls.

State high school track and field championships are held in Jefferson, which has one of the top track facilities in the state.

Jackson is also home to the Peach State Motorspeedway.

Braselton is home of the Chateau Elan Winery, Panoz Motorsports, golf, equestrian center, resort and spa.

Notable Citizens

One notable person from Jackson County is Crawford W. Long, the doctor who discovered using ether as an anesthetic. He was studying in Jefferson when he made this revolutionary discovery. The Crawford W. Long Museum displays important artifacts and information recognizing his discovery. Long's statue is one of two Georgians in the US Capitol.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 343 square miles (890 km²), of which 340 square miles (880 km²) is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) (1.0%) is water.

 Jackson county is located in north Georgia. The county is mostly in the Oconee River basin and a very small portion is in the Savannah River basin.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• North: Banks County
• East: Madison County
• Southeast: Clarke County; Oconee County
• Southwest: Barrow County
• Northwest: Hall County

Education

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