Barrow County, Georgia

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Barrow County, Georgia
Barrow County Courthouse in Winder
Location in the state of Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	July 7, 1914 (1914)
Named for	David Crenshaw Barrow Jr.
Seat	Winder
Largest city	Winder
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	163 sq mi (422 km²) 160 sq mi (414 km²) 2.6 sq mi (7 km²), 1.6%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	83,505 534.93/sq mi (110/km²)
Congressional district	10th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.barrowga.org

Barrow County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 83,505. The county seat is Winder.

Barrow County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area that today is Barrow County was settled prior to the start of the 19th century. An Indian trail that ran through the county attracted settlers. To protect the settlers from the Cherokee and Creek Indians, the state built a frontier fort during 1792 called Fort Yargo, now a state park. Winder, the county seat, was known as Jug Tavern during this time.

Barrow County was the scene of one of the few Union defeats during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign known as Stoneman's Raid.

During the 1880s, rail was expanded and Barrow County played host to two railroads, the Seaboard Air Line and the Gainesville and Midland. One of the railroad builders for the Seaboard Air Line Railroad was John H. Winder of North Carolina. Jug Tavern's name was changed to Winder by the Georgia General Assembly on Dec. 20, 1893 to honor the railroad builder.

David Crenshaw Barrow, Jr Barrow County was created from portions of Gwinnett, Jackson, and Walton counties when Georgia voters approved a constitutional amendment on November 3, 1914 making Barrow County the 149th Georgia county out of 159. Barrow County was named after David Crenshaw Barrow, Jr. a University of Georgia mathematics and engineering professor who was later Chancellor serving in that position from 1906 to 1925. Barrow died on January 11, 1929 in Athens and is buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 163 square miles (420 km²), of which 160 square miles (410 km²) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) (1.6%) is water. The entirety of Barrow County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties

• Hall County – north
• Clarke County – east
• Jackson County – east
• Oconee County – southeast
• Walton County – south
• Gwinnett County – west

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 85
• U.S. Route 29
• U.S. Route 29 Business
• State Route 8
• State Route 11
• State Route 53
• State Route 81
• State Route 82
• State Route 124
• State Route 211
• State Route 316
• State Route 324
• State Route 330
• State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	13,188		—
1930	12,401		−6.0%
1940	13,064		5.3%
1950	13,115		0.4%
1960	14,485		10.4%
1970	16,859		16.4%
1980	21,354		26.7%
1990	29,721		39.2%
2000	46,144		55.3%
2010	69,367		50.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,144 people, 16,354 households, and 12,543 families living in the county. The population density was 284 people per square mile (110/km²). There were 17,304 housing units at an average density of 107 per square mile (41/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.84% White, 10.72% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 2.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 3.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Barrow County is considered a part of the Atlanta, GA combined statistical area despite its comparatively small population.

There were 16,354 households, out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.30% were non-families. 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.40% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 34.50% from 25 to 44, 19.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,019, and the median income for a family was $50,722. Males had a median income of $34,510 versus $23,369 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,350. About 6.20% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 69,367 people, 23,971 households, and 18,214 families living in the county. The population density was 432.7 inhabitants per square mile (167.1 /km²). There were 26,400 housing units at an average density of 164.7 per square mile (63.6 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.8% white, 11.4% black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.7% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.6% were American, 10.7% were Irish, 9.1% were German, and 8.5% were English.

Of the 23,971 households, 42.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.0% were non-families, and 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.28. The median age was 33.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,958 and the median income for a family was $55,415. Males had a median income of $42,869 versus $33,175 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,882. About 9.4% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

Barrow County racial composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	55,582	66.56%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	10,141	12.14%
Native American	130	0.16%
Asian	3,233	3.87%
Pacific Islander	17	0.02%
Other/Mixed	3,842	4.6%
Hispanic or Latino	10,560	12.65%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 83,505 people, 27,765 households, and 20,948 families residing in the county.

Education

Main article: Winder, Georgia#Education

Winder-Barrow Cluster:

• Winder-Barrow High School
• Richard B. Russell Middle School
• Winder-Barrow Middle School (1956-2013)
• Bear Creek Middle School (WBMS replacement)
• Holsenbeck Elementary School
• Bramlett Elementary School
• Statham Elementary School
• County Line Elementary

Apalachee Cluster:

• Apalachee High School
• Westside Middle School
• Haymon-Morris Middle School
• Auburn Elementary School
• Kennedy Elementary School
• Bethlehem Elementary School
• Yargo Elementary School

Barrow Arts & Sciences Academy

Communities

Cities

• Auburn
• Statham
• Winder

Towns

• Bethlehem
• Braselton
• Carl

Census-designated place

• Russell

Other unincorporated communities

• Barrow Heights

Politics

United States presidential election results for Barrow County, Georgia

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	26,804	70.64%	10,453	27.55%	689	1.82%
2016	21,108	72.35%	6,580	22.55%	1,486	5.09%
2012	18,725	74.10%	6,028	23.85%	517	2.05%
2008	17,625	71.55%	6,657	27.02%	351	1.42%
2004	13,520	76.17%	4,095	23.07%	135	0.76%
2000	7,925	65.49%	3,657	30.22%	520	4.30%
1996	5,342	51.65%	3,928	37.98%	1,072	10.37%
1992	4,328	43.36%	3,991	39.98%	1,663	16.66%
1988	4,738	65.64%	2,442	33.83%	38	0.53%
1984	4,123	63.53%	2,367	36.47%	0	0.00%
1980	2,284	36.20%	3,876	61.44%	149	2.36%
1976	1,364	22.29%	4,756	77.71%	0	0.00%
1972	3,423	79.79%	867	20.21%	0	0.00%
1968	1,372	26.52%	1,070	20.68%	2,731	52.79%
1964	2,316	50.42%	2,277	49.58%	0	0.00%
1960	577	17.30%	2,759	82.70%	0	0.00%
1956	442	16.32%	2,266	83.68%	0	0.00%
1952	236	9.07%	2,367	90.93%	0	0.00%
1948	155	7.55%	1,554	75.69%	344	16.76%
1944	257	14.52%	1,513	85.48%	0	0.00%
1940	219	11.91%	1,615	87.82%	5	0.27%
1936	172	12.69%	1,181	87.16%	2	0.15%
1932	23	2.01%	1,111	97.03%	11	0.96%
1928	684	58.81%	479	41.19%	0	0.00%
1924	88	11.55%	501	65.75%	173	22.70%
1920	412	36.05%	731	63.95%	0	0.00%
1916	102	10.60%	712	74.01%	148	15.38%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Barrow County, Georgia

External links

• Georgia Encyclopedia - Barrow County entry
• Barrow County Georgia website
• Barrow County Chamber of Commerce
• Barrow County News
• Barrow County historical marker
• Bethabra Baptist Church historical marker