Chattahoochee County, Georgia

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Chattahoochee County, Georgia
Chattahoochee County Courthouse in Cusseta
Location in the state of Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1854 (1854)
Named for	Chattahoochee River
Seat	Cusseta
Largest city	Cusseta
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	251 sq mi (650 km²) 249 sq mi (645 km²) 2.4 sq mi (6 km²), 1.0%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	9,565 45/sq mi (17/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	https://www.ugoccc.com/

Chattahoochee County, also known as Cusseta-Chattahoochee County, is a county located on the western border in central Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,565. The county seat is Cusseta, with which the county shares a consolidated city-county government. The city of Cusseta remains a geographically distinct municipality within Chattahoochee County. The county was created on February 13, 1854.

Chattahoochee County is included in the Columbus, GA-AL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

This area was occupied by the historic Muscogee people (also known as the Creek) at the time of European encounter. They had a large confederacy in the Southeast. They were among the Five Civilized Tribes who were forcibly removed to Indian Territory in the 1830s during the administration of President Andrew Jackson. European Americans moved into their former areas, in some cases acquiring land through lotteries run by the state.

The Georgia General Assembly created Chattahoochee County on February 13, 1854, from portions of Muscogee and Marion counties. It is named for the Chattahoochee River that forms its western boundary. The county seat was named Cusseta to commemorate the historic Creek Indian town of that name that long existed nearby. In 2004–2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a 6.2% population decline, making this county at the top of those nationally with shrinking populations.

The original courthouse, built in 1854 by enslaved African Americans, is preserved at the tourist attraction of Westville in Columbus, Georgia.

Since 1918, most of the land in Chattahoochee County has been part of the Fort Benning military reservation.

Geography

According 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 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) (1.0%) is water.

The vast majority of Chattahoochee County is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake subbasin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The very small southeastern corner of the county is located in the Kinchafoonee-Muckalee subbasin of the same larger ACF Basin.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 27
• U.S. Route 280
• State Route 1
• State Route 26
• State Route 355
• State Route 520

Adjacent counties

• Muscogee County (north)
• Talbot County (northeast)
• Marion County (east)
• Stewart County (south)
• Russell County, Alabama (which is west of the border of Central Standard Time border except for Phenix City, Alabama, a part of the Columbus Metropolitan Area)

Demographics

The county population has declined by more than half since its peak in 1970. People have left for job opportunities elsewhere.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	5,797		—
1870	6,059		4.5%
1880	5,670		−6.4%
1890	4,902		−13.5%
1900	5,790		18.1%
1910	5,586		−3.5%
1920	5,266		−5.7%
1930	8,894		68.9%
1940	15,138		70.2%
1950	12,149		−19.7%
1960	13,011		7.1%
1970	25,813		98.4%
1980	21,732		−15.8%
1990	16,934		−22.1%
2000	14,882		−12.1%
2010	11,267		−24.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

Chattahoochee County Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	5,403	56.49%
Black or African American	1,463	15.3%
Native American	35	0.37%
Asian	304	3.18%
Pacific Islander	104	1.09%
Other/Mixed	646	6.75%
Hispanic or Latino	1,610	16.83%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 9,565 people, 2,570 households, and 1,886 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,267 people, 2,686 households, and 2,067 families residing in the county. The population density was 45.3 inhabitants per square mile (17.5 /km²). There were 3,376 housing units at an average density of 13.6 per square mile (5.3 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.8% white, 18.8% black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.7% American Indian, 0.6% Pacific islander, 4.4% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.5% were German, 14.9% were Irish, 10.1% were English, 6.8% were Italian, and 3.1% were American.

Of the 2,686 households, 53.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.0% were non-families, and 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.45. The median age was 24.0 years. Although its population has declined, the county was notable in 2016 for having the highest proportion of millennials (persons 15–34 years old) of any county within the United States: 59.7%.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,089 and the median income for a family was $55,745. Males had a median income of $41,117 versus $31,422 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,202. About 14.7% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 30.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Main article: Cusseta, Georgia#Education

Politics

United States presidential election results for Chattahoochee County, Georgia

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	880	55.63%	667	42.16%	35	2.21%
2016	751	54.03%	594	42.73%	45	3.24%
2012	735	49.23%	729	48.83%	29	1.94%
2008	811	48.97%	830	50.12%	15	0.91%
2004	905	53.55%	773	45.74%	12	0.71%
2000	590	48.88%	600	49.71%	17	1.41%
1996	398	36.78%	565	52.22%	119	11.00%
1992	413	34.47%	604	50.42%	181	15.11%
1988	454	55.57%	362	44.31%	1	0.12%
1984	459	51.75%	428	48.25%	0	0.00%
1980	256	34.04%	476	63.30%	20	2.66%
1976	178	26.02%	506	73.98%	0	0.00%
1972	345	74.03%	121	25.97%	0	0.00%
1968	70	13.44%	148	28.41%	303	58.16%
1964	246	56.29%	191	43.71%	0	0.00%
1960	66	25.78%	190	74.22%	0	0.00%
1956	43	28.67%	107	71.33%	0	0.00%
1952	73	38.62%	116	61.38%	0	0.00%
1948	1	0.86%	46	39.66%	69	59.48%
1944	19	15.97%	100	84.03%	0	0.00%
1940	20	8.93%	204	91.07%	0	0.00%
1936	20	8.85%	206	91.15%	0	0.00%
1932	1	0.53%	186	99.47%	0	0.00%
1928	18	11.32%	141	88.68%	0	0.00%
1924	14	6.17%	208	91.63%	5	2.20%
1920	5	5.43%	87	94.57%	0	0.00%
1916	4	2.42%	156	94.55%	5	3.03%
1912	11	7.38%	137	91.95%	1	0.67%
1908	118	47.97%	111	45.12%	17	6.91%
1904	62	31.79%	107	54.87%	26	13.33%
1900	117	47.18%	114	45.97%	17	6.85%
1896	349	68.16%	157	30.66%	6	1.17%
1892	247	40.10%	243	39.45%	126	20.45%
1888	22	13.17%	145	86.83%	0	0.00%
1884	328	42.43%	445	57.57%	0	0.00%
1880	309	48.89%	323	51.11%	0	0.00%

Communities

Cities

• Cusseta

Former census-designated places

• Fort Benning South (now part of Cusseta)

Unincorporated communities

• Ida Vesper

See also

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

External links

• Columbus Enquirer archive at Digital Library of Georgia
• Chattahoochee County historical marker