Heard County, Georgia

Heard County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,412, down from 11,834 in 2010. The county seat is Franklin. The county was created on December 22, 1830.

Heard County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA.

History
Heard County was created by Act of the Legislature on December 22, 1830. It was named for Stephen Heard, elected President of the Council on February 18, 1781, thus, in the absence of Governor Howley, becoming Governor de facto. Heard moved to Wilkes County from Hanover County, Virginia, and fought in the American Revolutionary War where he distinguished himself at Kettle Creek. The first sheriff, Jonathan Mewsick, was commissioned in 1832.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 301 sqmi, of which 296 sqmi is land and 5.1 sqmi (1.7%) is water.

The vast majority of Heard County is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Lake Harding sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with just a very small northwestern corner of the county, west of Ephesus, located in the Upper Tallapoosa River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin).

Major highways

 * US 27.svg U.S. Route 27
 * Georgia 1.svg State Route 1
 * Georgia 34.svg State Route 34
 * Georgia 100.svg State Route 100
 * Georgia 219.svg State Route 219

Adjacent counties

 * Carroll County (north)
 * Coweta County (east)
 * Troup County (south)
 * Randolph County, Alabama (west/Central Time border)

Cities

 * Ephesus
 * Franklin (county seat)

Towns

 * Centralhatchee

Census-designated places

 * Glenn

Unincorporated communities

 * Corinth (part)
 * Texas

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,412 people, 4,502 households, and 3,254 families residing in the county.