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Berrien County, Georgia

Coordinates: 31°16′N 83°14′W / 31.27°N 83.23°W / 31.27; -83.23
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Berrien County
County
Berrien County courthouse in Nashville
Berrien County courthouse in Nashville
Official seal of Berrien County
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Berrien 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°16′N 83°14′W / 31.27°N 83.23°W / 31.27; -83.23
Country United States
State Georgia
Founded1856; 168 years ago (1856)
Named forJohn M. Berrien
SeatNashville
Largest cityNashville
Area
 • Total
458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
 • Land452 sq mi (1,170 km2)
 • Water6.0 sq mi (16 km2)  1.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
18,160
 • Density40/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitewww.berriencountygeorgia.com

Berrien County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,160.[1] The county seat is Nashville.[2] The county was created February 25, 1856, out of portions of Coffee, Irwin and Lowndes counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. It is named after Georgia senator John M. Berrien.[3]

History

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Establishment

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The citizens of the area of Lowndes County and Irwin County that would become Berrien County had to travel long distances to get the county courthouse at Franklinville, Georgia and later Troupville, Georgia for those in Lowndes County, and Irwinville, Georgia for those in Irwin County. By at least June 1853, citizens had petitioned to form a new county.[4] The 1853 attempt of a new county failed. By 1856, a renewed attempt at the creation of a new county was successful.

World War I

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Berrien County lost a disproportionate number of men in World War I in part because companies at that time were organized by militia districts at home. Eight weeks before the Armistice, 25 Berrien County men were among the 200 recently enlisted soldiers who perished at sea off the coast of Scotland.[5] Many of the bodies were returned to the soldiers' hometowns for burial, and the names of the dead were engraved on a memorial located on the courthouse grounds in Nashville. The memorial was the first in a series of pressed copper sculptures by artist E. M. Viquesney entitled The Spirit of the American Doughboy.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 458 square miles (1,190 km2), of which 452 square miles (1,170 km2) is land and 6.0 square miles (16 km2) (1.3%) is water.[6]

The western portion of Berrien County, from just north of U.S. Route 82 and roughly west of U.S. Route 129 heading south, is located in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.[7]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Unincorporated communities

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18603,475—
18704,51830.0%
18806,61946.5%
189010,69461.6%
190019,44081.8%
191022,72216.9%
192015,573−31.5%
193014,646−6.0%
194015,3704.9%
195013,966−9.1%
196012,038−13.8%
197011,556−4.0%
198013,52517.0%
199014,1534.6%
200016,23514.7%
201019,28618.8%
202018,160−5.8%
2023 (est.)18,570[8]2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1880[10]1890-1910[11]
1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13]
1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15]
1980-2000[16] 2010[17]
Berrien County racial composition as of 2020[18]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 14,396 79.27%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,934 10.65%
Native American 22 0.12%
Asian 80 0.44%
Pacific Islander 10 0.06%
Other/Mixed 673 3.71%
Hispanic or Latino 1,045 5.75%

At the 2020 United States census, there were 18,160 people, 7,367 households, and 5,055 families residing in the county, down from 19,286 at the 2010 census. Previously, the county had a historic-high population of 22,722 in 1910, although in 1860, Berrien County's population was 3,475.

According to the American Community Survey in 2022, its median household income was $48,670 with a per capita income of $25,100.[19] Approximately 51% of its population made less than $50,000 a year; 30% from $50,000-100,000; 17% from $100,000-200,000; and 2% more than $200,000 annually. Of the county, 23.2% lived at or below the poverty line, and an estimated 30% of children under 18 years of age were at or below the poverty line. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $108,300.

The Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted the largest religion in the area is Christianity.[20] The largest Christian groups within the county are Baptists and non or interdenominational Protestants, followed by Methodists and Pentecostals. Within Berrien County, the largest single Christian denomination as of 2020 has been the Southern Baptist Convention.

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Berrien County, Georgia[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 6,841 84.79% 1,209 14.99% 18 0.22%
2020 6,419 82.89% 1,269 16.39% 56 0.72%
2016 5,422 81.99% 1,047 15.83% 144 2.18%
2012 4,843 77.81% 1,273 20.45% 108 1.74%
2008 4,901 75.95% 1,471 22.80% 81 1.26%
2004 3,917 69.87% 1,638 29.22% 51 0.91%
2000 2,718 61.63% 1,640 37.19% 52 1.18%
1996 1,950 42.87% 2,066 45.42% 533 11.72%
1992 1,637 36.03% 2,103 46.29% 803 17.68%
1988 2,030 59.36% 1,381 40.38% 9 0.26%
1984 2,395 58.92% 1,670 41.08% 0 0.00%
1980 1,487 33.76% 2,869 65.15% 48 1.09%
1976 555 14.05% 3,394 85.95% 0 0.00%
1972 2,285 86.03% 371 13.97% 0 0.00%
1968 566 14.79% 452 11.81% 2,810 73.41%
1964 4,073 60.51% 2,658 39.49% 0 0.00%
1960 368 11.66% 2,787 88.34% 0 0.00%
1956 165 6.44% 2,398 93.56% 0 0.00%
1952 364 14.27% 2,187 85.73% 0 0.00%
1948 107 5.03% 1,772 83.31% 248 11.66%
1944 217 12.78% 1,481 87.22% 0 0.00%
1940 23 1.95% 1,156 97.97% 1 0.08%
1936 53 3.02% 1,700 96.98% 0 0.00%
1932 19 1.28% 1,447 97.44% 19 1.28%
1928 105 12.50% 735 87.50% 0 0.00%
1924 13 3.01% 409 94.68% 10 2.31%
1920 58 8.52% 623 91.48% 0 0.00%
1916 49 2.24% 2,102 96.29% 32 1.47%
1912 70 8.60% 709 87.10% 35 4.30%

Education

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All residents of the county are in the Berrien County School District.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Berrien County, Georgia". 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. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 17. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  4. ^ "Flat Creek, June 18 1853". Albany Patriot. Albany, Georgia. July 1, 1853. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  5. ^ Otranto Sunk in Collision," New York Times, October 12, 1918.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "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 27, 2015.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  10. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  11. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1910.
  12. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  13. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  14. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1950.
  15. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  16. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  17. ^ "State & County QuickFacts".
  18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  19. ^ "Berrien County, GA". CensusReporter. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  20. ^ "Congregational Membership Reports | US Religion". www.thearda.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  22. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Berrien County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 26, 2024. - Text list
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31°16′N 83°14′W / 31.27°N 83.23°W / 31.27; -83.23

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