Hall County, Georgia

Hall County is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 203,136, up from 179,684 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Gainesville. The entirety of Hall County comprises the Gainesville, Georgia, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, Combined Statistical Area.

History
Hall County was created on December 15, 1818, from Cherokee lands ceded by the Treaty of Cherokee Agency (1817) and Treaty of Washington (1819).

The county is named for Lyman Hall, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and governor of Georgia as both colony and state.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 429 sqmi, of which 393 sqmi is land and 37 sqmi (8.5%) is water. The county is located in the upper Piedmont region of the state in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north.

Slightly more than half of Hall County, the eastern portion of the county, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, while the western half of the county is located in the Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).

The Chattahoochee River gathers strength in Hall County, as immortalized in Sidney Lanier's poem, "Song of the Chattahoochee":

OUT of the hills of Habersham, Down the valleys of Hall, I hurry amain to reach the plain, Run the rapid and leap the fall, Split at the rock and together again,

Adjacent counties

 * White County – north
 * Habersham County – northeast
 * Banks County – east
 * Jackson County – southeast
 * Barrow County – south
 * Gwinnett County – southwest
 * Forsyth County – west
 * Dawson County – northwest
 * Lumpkin County – northwest

Attractions

 * Atlanta Botanical Garden (Gainesville)
 * Brenau Downtown Center (Gainesville)
 * Don Carter State Park
 * Elachee Nature Science Center (Gainesville)
 * Falcons Complex (Flowery Branch)
 * Gainesville Theatre Alliance (Gainesville)
 * Interactive Neighborhood for Kids (Gainesville)
 * Lake Lanier Islands (Buford)
 * Lake Sidney Lanier
 * Quinlan Visual Arts Center
 * Road Atlanta (Braselton)

Major highways

 * I-985.svg Interstate 985
 * US 23.svg U.S. Route 23
 * US 129.svg U.S. Route 129
 * Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
 * Georgia 11 Business.svg State Route 11 Business
 * Georgia 13.svg State Route 13
 * Georgia 51.svg State Route 51
 * Georgia 52.svg State Route 52
 * Georgia 53.svg State Route 53
 * Georgia 53 Connector.svg State Route 53 Connector
 * Georgia 60.svg State Route 60
 * Georgia 82.svg State Route 82
 * Georgia 115.svg State Route 115
 * Georgia 136.svg State Route 136
 * Georgia 211.svg State Route 211
 * Georgia 254.svg State Route 254
 * Georgia 283.svg State Route 283
 * Georgia 284.svg State Route 284
 * Georgia 323.svg State Route 323
 * Georgia 332.svg State Route 332
 * Georgia 347.svg State Route 347
 * Georgia 365.svg State Route 365
 * Georgia 365 Business.svg State Route 365 Business
 * Georgia 369.svg State Route 369
 * Georgia 419.svg State Route 419 (unsigned designation for I-985)

Mass transit

 * The Gainesville AMTRAK station is situated at 116 Industrial Boulevard. Amtrak's Crescent train connects Gainesville with the cities of New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Greensboro, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans.
 * Gainesville has a bus transit system, the Gainesville Connection, with 130 stops along three routes through Gainesville. The Hall Area Transit Transportation System began operations in January 2001 with three buses and four mini-buses.

Pedestrians and cycling

 * Chicopee Woods Bike Trail
 * Wilshire Trail

Demographics
Hall County remains extremely rural and many of its residents reside in unincorporated areas, accounting for more than half of the county's population.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, 139,277 people, 80,381 households and 80,009 families resided in the county. The population density was 354 PD/sqmi. There were 51,046 housing units at an average density of 130 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 80.75% White, 7.27% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.35% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 8.75% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. About 19.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 80,381 households, 37.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.20% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were not families. About 19.20% 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 2.89 and the average family size was 3.26.

Age distribution was 26.90% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 32.30% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.90 males.

The median household income was $44,908, and the median family income was $50,100. Males had a median income of $31,769 versus $24,550 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,690. About 8.50% of families and 12.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 14.70% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 179,684 people, 60,691 households, and 45,275 families residing in the county. The population density was 457.5 PD/sqmi. There were 68,825 housing units at an average density of 175.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 74.1% white, 7.4% black or African American, 1.8% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 13.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 26.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.8% were American, 10.6% were Irish, 9.3% were English, and 8.9% were German.

Of the 60,691 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.4% were non-families, and 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.35. The median age was 34.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,876 and the median income for a family was $57,774. Males had a median income of $38,671 versus $31,378 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,675. About 11.3% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 203,136 people, 65,625 households, and 48,776 families residing in the county.

Education
Most of the county is in the Hall County School District. Portions in the city limits of Buford and Gainesville are in the Buford City School District and the Gainesville City School District, respectively.

Colleges and universities

 * Brenau University
 * Lanier Technical College
 * University of North Georgia, Gainesville Campus (formerly Gainesville State College)

High schools

 * Cherokee Bluff High School
 * Chestatee High School
 * East Hall High School
 * Flowery Branch High School
 * Gainesville High School
 * Johnson High School
 * Lakeview Academy
 * North Georgia Christian School
 * North Hall High School
 * Riverside Military Academy
 * West Hall High School

Middle schools

 * Academies of Discovery at South Hall
 * Alternative Learning Center/International Center
 * C. W. Davis Middle School
 * Cherokee Bluff Middle School
 * Chestatee Middle School
 * East Hall Middle School
 * Gainesville Middle School
 * Lanier Career Academy
 * North Georgia Christian School
 * North Hall Middle School
 * West Hall Middle School
 * World Language Middle School (shares building with South Hall)

Cities

 * Buford (mostly in Gwinnett County)
 * Flowery Branch
 * Gainesville
 * Gillsville (partly in Banks County)
 * Lula (partly in Banks County)
 * Oakwood

Towns

 * Braselton (partly in Jackson, Barrow, and Gwinnett Counties)
 * Clermont

Unincorporated communities

 * Belmont
 * Candler
 * Chestnut Mountain
 * Murrayville (partly in Lumpkin and White Counties)
 * Chicopee
 * Rabbittown

Politics
Hall County had voting patterns similar to the Solid South, voting Democrat in all presidential elections until 1968, with the exception of narrowly supporting Herbert Hoover against Catholic Democrat Al Smith in 1928. Since then, it has been won by the GOP by landslide margins, in stark contrast to nearby inner suburban counties of Atlanta, with the exception of segregationist George Wallace in 1968 and favorite son Jimmy Carter in both of his campaigns. As a measure of how rapidly it turned to the GOP, Carter’s 21-point victory in 1980 is the last time a Democrat managed even 40 percent of the county's vote. However, conservative Democrats held most state and local offices as late as 2000.

In 2022, local media reported that Hall County Solicitor General Stephanie Woodard was under investigation for allegations of theft and misuse of public funds.