Barrow County, Georgia

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 metropolitan statistical area.

History
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 sqmi, of which 160 sqmi is land and 2.6 sqmi (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

Cities

 * Auburn
 * Statham
 * Winder

Towns

 * Bethlehem
 * Braselton
 * Carl

Census-designated place

 * Russell

Other unincorporated communities

 * Barrow Heights
 * Whistelville

Demographics
At the 2020 United States census, there were 83,505 people, 27,765 households, and 20,948 families residing in the county. In 2010, there here were 69,367 people, 23,971 households, and 18,214 families living in the county. The population density was 432.7 PD/sqmi. There were 26,400 housing units at an average density of 164.7 /sqmi.

In 2000, 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. In 2010, the racial and ethnic 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.

In 2010, 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.

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

Major highways

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