Pulaski County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,855.[1] The county seat is Hawkinsville.[2]
Pulaski County | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
 Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 32°14′N 83°28′W / 32.24°N 83.47°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | December 13, 1808 |
| Named for | Kazimierz Pułaski |
| Seat | Hawkinsville |
| Largest city | Hawkinsville |
| Area | |
• Total | 251 sq mi (650 km2) |
| • Land | 249 sq mi (640 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (6 km2) 0.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 9,855 |
| • Density | 40/sq mi (20/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | hawkinsville-pulaski |
History
editPulaski County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 13, 1808, from a portion of Laurens County.[3] In the antebellum years, it was developed for cotton cultivation and is part of the Black Belt of Georgia, an arc of highly fertile soil.
In 1870, Dodge County was partially created from a section of Pulaski County by another legislative act. In 1912, the northeastern half of Pulaski County was used to create Bleckley County via a constitutional amendment approved by Georgia voters.
The county was named for Count Kazimierz Pułaski of Poland who fought and died for United States independence in the American Revolutionary War.
The county population fell by more than half from 1910 to 1930, as residents moved to cities. African Americans especially joined the Great Migration to northern and midwestern cities, both to gain work and to escape the Jim Crow racial oppression of the South.
Geography
editAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 251 square miles (650 km2), of which 249 square miles (640 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (0.9%) is water.[4] The entirety of Pulaski County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.[5]
Major highways
edit
Adjacent counties
edit- Bleckley County - northeast
- Dodge County - east
- Wilcox County - south
- Dooly County - west
- Houston County - northwest
Communities
editCity
edit- Hawkinsville (county seat)
Unincorporated community
editDemographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 2,093 | — | |
| 1820 | 5,283 | 152.4% | |
| 1830 | 4,906 | −7.1% | |
| 1840 | 5,389 | 9.8% | |
| 1850 | 6,627 | 23.0% | |
| 1860 | 8,744 | 31.9% | |
| 1870 | 11,940 | 36.6% | |
| 1880 | 14,058 | 17.7% | |
| 1890 | 16,559 | 17.8% | |
| 1900 | 18,489 | 11.7% | |
| 1910 | 22,835 | 23.5% | |
| 1920 | 11,587 | −49.3% | |
| 1930 | 9,005 | −22.3% | |
| 1940 | 9,829 | 9.2% | |
| 1950 | 8,808 | −10.4% | |
| 1960 | 8,204 | −6.9% | |
| 1970 | 8,066 | −1.7% | |
| 1980 | 8,950 | 11.0% | |
| 1990 | 8,108 | −9.4% | |
| 2000 | 9,588 | 18.3% | |
| 2010 | 12,010 | 25.3% | |
| 2020 | 9,855 | −17.9% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 10,095 | [6] | 2.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1880[8] 1890-1910[9] 1920-1930[10] 1930-1940[11] 1940-1950[12] 1960-1980[13] 1980-2000[14] 2010[15] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,022 | 61.11% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 3,161 | 32.08% |
| Native American | 8 | 0.08% |
| Asian | 92 | 0.93% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 242 | 2.46% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 327 | 3.32% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,855 people, 3,687 households, and 2,479 families residing in the county.
Government and infrastructure
editPulaski County is one of only a handful of counties in Georgia with the sole commissioner form of county government, in which the county is governed by a single elected official. Georgia is the only state that permits this form of government. In 2018, Jenna Mashburn was elected to the office of sole commissioner.[17]
The Georgia Department of Corrections operates the Pulaski State Prison in Hawkinsville.[18]
Politics
edit| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 2,815 | 68.98% | 1,230 | 30.14% | 36 | 0.88% |
| 2016 | 2,437 | 67.60% | 1,104 | 30.62% | 64 | 1.78% |
| 2012 | 2,444 | 66.32% | 1,219 | 33.08% | 22 | 0.60% |
| 2008 | 2,553 | 64.44% | 1,377 | 34.76% | 32 | 0.81% |
| 2004 | 2,202 | 62.61% | 1,294 | 36.79% | 21 | 0.60% |
| 2000 | 1,922 | 57.44% | 1,390 | 41.54% | 34 | 1.02% |
| 1996 | 1,196 | 39.47% | 1,554 | 51.29% | 280 | 9.24% |
| 1992 | 1,075 | 31.15% | 1,756 | 50.88% | 620 | 17.97% |
| 1988 | 1,400 | 48.48% | 1,476 | 51.11% | 12 | 0.42% |
| 1984 | 1,509 | 51.17% | 1,440 | 48.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,153 | 35.67% | 1,997 | 61.79% | 82 | 2.54% |
| 1976 | 485 | 17.30% | 2,318 | 82.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 1,966 | 81.58% | 444 | 18.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 595 | 22.22% | 514 | 19.19% | 1,569 | 58.59% |
| 1964 | 1,768 | 64.86% | 953 | 34.96% | 5 | 0.18% |
| 1960 | 334 | 22.42% | 1,156 | 77.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 171 | 10.73% | 1,422 | 89.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 165 | 9.50% | 1,572 | 90.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 64 | 8.06% | 567 | 71.41% | 163 | 20.53% |
| 1944 | 55 | 8.50% | 592 | 91.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 38 | 7.31% | 478 | 91.92% | 4 | 0.77% |
| 1936 | 38 | 4.45% | 808 | 94.61% | 8 | 0.94% |
| 1932 | 14 | 1.42% | 973 | 98.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 105 | 14.11% | 639 | 85.89% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 29 | 5.89% | 442 | 89.84% | 21 | 4.27% |
| 1920 | 57 | 14.43% | 338 | 85.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 23 | 5.49% | 383 | 91.41% | 13 | 3.10% |
| 1912 | 39 | 3.43% | 1,080 | 95.07% | 17 | 1.50% |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Pulaski County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 182. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
- ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
- ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
- ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
- ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
- ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ Garrett, Miles (December 4, 2018). "'Thank you so much': Mashburn to serve as Pulaski County's sole commissioner". WGXA. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
- ^ "Pulaski State Prison Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine." Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 14, 2010.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.