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Georgia Counties
Georgia is divided into one hundred and fifty-nine counties. The original eight counties of the State of Georgia were Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Richmond and Wilkes all created on February 5, 1777. The last new county to be established in Georgia was Peach County, established in 1924.Jefferson County, Georgia
Jefferson County Education, Geography, and History
Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 16,930. The county was created on February 20, 1796. The county seat is Louisville. Jefferson county is named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States.
Etymology - Origin of Jefferson County Name
The county is named for Thomas Jefferson.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Jefferson County History
Jefferson County, originally part of Burke and Warren counties, was created in 1796 and named for Thomas Jefferson.
Wadley was originally known as "Shakerag". The name was changed to Wadley in the 1870s in honor of the president of the Central of Georgia Railway. The name change coincided with the designation of Wadley as an official stop on the railroad.
Louisville, the county seat, was named in honor of King Louis XVI of France, because of the support given by France to the Colonials in the Revolution. Louisville was Georgia's third state capital, but its first "permanent" one. The Jefferson County Courthouse, built in 1904, stands on the site of
Georgia's first permanent capitol, constructed in 1795.
Louisville was the site of the Constitutional Convention of 1798 in which the state's pre-Civil War constitution was adopted. Georgia's Great Seal, which is still in use today, was adopted at the same time.
Points of Interest
The Old Market House, the county's major tourist attraction, dates to the 1790s and served as the commercial center for the region during the time that the state capital was in Louisville.
Notable Citizens
One of Georgia's most infamous characters hailed from Jefferson County. James Gunn (1753-1801), who was a US Senator, used intimidation to support the Yazoo Act (1795) in which Georgia sold 35 million acres to four companies, including his own, for one and a half cents per acre. The act was later deemed fraudulent and burned on the site of the present courthouse in Louisville.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 530 square miles (1,400 km2), of which 526 square miles (1,360 km2) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) (0.6%) is water.
Jefferson county is located close to the center of Georgia. The county is in the Ogeechee River basin and the Savannah River basin.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- North: McDuffie County
- Northeast: Richmond County
- East: Burke County
- South: Emanuel County
- Southwest: Johnson County; Washington County
- Northwest: Glascock County; Warren County
Education
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