Baker County, Georgia

Baker County
County
Baker County Courthouse in Newton.
Baker County Courthouse in Newton.
Official seal of Baker County
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Baker County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°20′N 84°27′W / 31.33°N 84.45°W / 31.33; -84.45
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 12, 1825; 199 years ago (1825)
Named forJohn Baker
SeatNewton
Largest cityNewton
Area
 • Total349 sq mi (900 km2)
 • Land342 sq mi (890 km2)
 • Water7.2 sq mi (19 km2)  2.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,876
 • Density8/sq mi (3/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district2nd

Baker County is a county in Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,876, making it the fifth-least populous county in Georgia.[1] The county seat and only city is Newton.[2] The county was created December 12, 1825, from the eastern portion of Early County by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and is named for Colonel John Baker, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.[3]

Baker County is included in the Albany, GA metropolitan statistical area.

The Baker County Courthouse (Georgia) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three other properties in Newton are also listed on the register: Notchaway Baptist Church and Cemetery, Pine Bloom Plantation, and Tarver Plantation.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 349 square miles (900 km2), of which 342 square miles (890 km2) is land and 7.2 square miles (19 km2) (2.1%) is water.[4]

The eastern half of Baker County is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The western half of the county is located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.[5]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Communities

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City

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Unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18301,253—
18404,226237.3%
18508,12092.1%
18604,985−38.6%
18706,84337.3%
18807,3076.8%
18906,144−15.9%
19006,7049.1%
19107,97318.9%
19208,2984.1%
19307,818−5.8%
19407,344−6.1%
19505,952−19.0%
19604,543−23.7%
19703,875−14.7%
19803,808−1.7%
19903,615−5.1%
20004,07412.7%
20103,451−15.3%
20202,876−16.7%
2023 (est.)2,743[7]−4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1880[9]1890-1910[10]
1920-1930[11] 1930-1940[12]
1940-1950[13] 1960-1980[14]
1980-2000[15] 2010[16]
Baker County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2010[17] Pop 2020[18] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 1,642 1,514 47.58% 52.64%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1,600 1,128 46.36% 39.22%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 9 1 0.26% 0.03%
Asian alone (NH) 24 18 0.70% 0.63%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 2 0 0.06% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 1 2 0.03% 0.07%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 28 70 0.81% 2.43%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 145 143 4.20% 4.97%
Total 3,451 2,876 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 2,876 people, 1,425 households, and 788 families residing in the county.

Education

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Baker County School System school building

Baker County School System operates public schools.[19]

Politics

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Like most Deep South counties, Baker County is historically Democratic. Starting in 1964, the county began to see a realignment, with Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixon carrying it in 1964 and 1972, and American Independent candidate George Wallace winning the county in 1968 as a third-party candidate. In 1956, Adlai Stevenson received over 96 percent of the county's vote.[20] The county voted Democratic consistently from 1976 until 2012, but by closer margins than in 1956, and the county shifted more to the right throughout the early 2000s. In 2008 Barack Obama won with just 50.1 percent to John McCain's 49.1 percent,[21] while Donald Trump won the county by almost ten percent in 2016, despite declining on Mitt Romney’s performance statewide. Brian Kemp repeated this feat by double digits in the 2018 gubernatorial race, and in 2020, Trump won Baker County by nearly sixteen percentage points.[22]

United States presidential election results for Baker County, Georgia[23]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 897 57.68% 652 41.93% 6 0.39%
2016 775 53.82% 650 45.14% 15 1.04%
2012 785 49.34% 794 49.91% 12 0.75%
2008 828 49.02% 846 50.09% 15 0.89%
2004 821 46.52% 936 53.03% 8 0.45%
2000 615 40.49% 893 58.79% 11 0.72%
1996 408 27.66% 955 64.75% 112 7.59%
1992 391 26.63% 864 58.86% 213 14.51%
1988 629 46.66% 707 52.45% 12 0.89%
1984 675 49.41% 691 50.59% 0 0.00%
1980 510 32.61% 1,035 66.18% 19 1.21%
1976 305 20.79% 1,162 79.21% 0 0.00%
1972 965 73.66% 345 26.34% 0 0.00%
1968 99 5.78% 548 31.97% 1,067 62.25%
1964 914 60.33% 600 39.60% 1 0.07%
1960 66 8.40% 720 91.60% 0 0.00%
1956 32 3.93% 783 96.07% 0 0.00%
1952 155 13.36% 1,005 86.64% 0 0.00%
1948 7 2.47% 218 77.03% 58 20.49%
1944 31 6.09% 478 93.91% 0 0.00%
1940 30 5.10% 557 94.73% 1 0.17%
1936 13 2.12% 599 97.72% 1 0.16%
1932 2 0.31% 647 99.23% 3 0.46%
1928 99 17.65% 462 82.35% 0 0.00%
1924 21 7.69% 245 89.74% 7 2.56%
1920 80 36.20% 141 63.80% 0 0.00%
1916 94 17.77% 435 82.23% 0 0.00%
1912 5 2.66% 183 97.34% 0 0.00%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Baker County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Candler, Allen Daniel; Evans, Clement Anselm (1906). Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons. State historical association. p. 114.
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  5. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  6. ^ Baker County Historical Society (1991). The History of Baker County. Newton, Baker County, Georgia, USA: Baker County Historical Society. pp. 54–69. LCCN 92080765.
  7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  9. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  10. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1910.
  11. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  12. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  13. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1950.
  14. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  15. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  16. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  17. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Baker County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Baker County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ^ Baker County School System Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  20. ^ David Leip's Presidential Atlas: 1956 statistics
  21. ^ The New York Times Electoral Map (Zoom in on Georgia)
  22. ^ "Pivot Counties in Georgia", ballotpedia.org, retrieved September 23, 2024
  23. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.

Further reading

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31°20′N 84°27′W / 31.33°N 84.45°W / 31.33; -84.45

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