Haralson County, Georgia

Haralson County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,919, up from 28,780 in 2010. The county seat is Buchanan. The county was created on January 26, 1856, and was named for Hugh A. Haralson, a former Georgia congressman.

Haralson County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan statistical area.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 283 sqmi, of which 282 sqmi is land and 1.0 sqmi (0.4%) is water. Much of the county is located within the upper Piedmont region of the state, with a few mountains in the county that are considered part of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.

The vast majority of Haralson County is located in the Upper Tallapoosa River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). Just the very northwestern corner of the county is located in the Upper Coosa River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin.

Major highways
U.S. Route 27 Business
 * I-20.svg Interstate 20
 * US 27.svg U.S. Route 27
 * Business plate.svg
 * US 78.svg U.S. Route 78
 * Georgia 1.svg State Route 1
 * Georgia 1 Business.svg State Route 1 Business
 * Georgia 8.svg State Route 8
 * Georgia 16.svg State Route 16
 * Georgia 100.svg State Route 100
 * Georgia 113.svg State Route 113
 * Georgia 120.svg State Route 120
 * Georgia 402.svg State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)

Adjacent counties

 * Polk County - north
 * Paulding County - northeast
 * Carroll County - south
 * Cleburne County, Alabama - west (CST)

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 29,919 people, 11,259 households, and 7,960 families residing in the county.

2010 census
As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 28,780 people, 10,757 households, and 7,820 families living in the county. The population density was 102.0 PD/sqmi. There were 12,287 housing units at an average density of 43.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% white, 4.7% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 37.1% were American, 14.1% were Irish, 11.1% were English, and 6.0% were German.

Of the 10,757 households, 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.3% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 38.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,996 and the median income for a family was $45,339. Males had a median income of $39,452 versus $32,170 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,033. About 15.6% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Public education in the county is largely provided by the Haralson County School District. However, the City of Bremen, which straddles the border of Haralson and Carroll Counties, operates the independent Bremen City School District.

Cities

 * Bremen
 * Buchanan (county seat)
 * Tallapoosa
 * Waco

Unincorporated communities

 * Besma
 * Budapest
 * Draketown
 * Felton

Law and government
The county was originally governed by a sole Commissioner of Roads and Revenues. The last occupant of this office was Charles Sanders (D). The county is now governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, which replaced the single-commissioner form beginning with the term starting in January 2005. The chairman of the board is elected county-wide. The acting occupant of this office is Ronnie Ridley (R). There are four other commissioners, one elected from each of four geographical districts. The current occupants of these offices are District 1's David Tarpley (R), District 2's Danny Elsberry (R), District 3's John Daniel (R) and District 4's Ryan Farmer (R). The current sheriff of Haralson County is Stacy Williams. Judge J. Edward "Eddie" Hulsey Jr. is the current probate judge.