Jackson County, Georgia

Jackson County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,907. The county seat is Jefferson.

Jackson County comprises the Jefferson, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

History
Most of the first non-Native American settlers came from Effingham County in 1786. On February 11, 1796, Jackson County was split off from part of Franklin County, Georgia. The new county was named in honor of Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel, Congressman, Senator and Governor James Jackson. The county originally covered an area of approximately 1800 sqmi, with Clarksboro as its first county seat.

In 1801, the Georgia General Assembly granted 40,000 acre of land in Jackson County for a state college. Franklin College (now University of Georgia) began classes the same year, and the city of Athens was developed around the school. Also the same year, a new county was developed around the new college town, and Jackson lost territory to the new Clarke. The county seat was moved to an old Indian village called Thomocoggan, a location with ample water supply from Curry Creek and four large springs. In 1804, the city was renamed Jefferson, after Thomas Jefferson.

Jackson lost more territory in 1811 in the creation of Madison County, in 1818 in the creation of Walton, Gwinnett, and Hall counties, in 1858 in the creation of Banks County, and in 1914 in the creation of Barrow County.

The first county courthouse, a log and wooden frame building with an attached jail, was built on south side of the public square; a second, larger, two-story brick courthouse with a separate jailhouse was built in 1817. In 1880, a third was built on a hill north of the square. This courthouse was the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the United States until 2004, when the current courthouse was constructed north of Jefferson.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 343 sqmi, of which 340 sqmi is land and 3.4 sqmi (1.0%) is water.

The vast majority of Jackson County is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin, with just a small portion of the county's northern edge, between Maysville to just east of Commerce, located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.

Rivers and creeks

 * North Oconee River
 * Sandy Creek (Georgia)
 * Curry Creek
 * Middle Oconee River
 * Pond Fork
 * Allen Creek (Holders Creek)
 * Mulberry River

Adjacent counties

 * Banks County - north
 * Madison County - east
 * Clarke County - southeast
 * Barrow County - west
 * Hall County - northwest

Cities

 * Arcade
 * Commerce
 * Hoschton
 * Jefferson
 * Nicholson
 * Pendergrass

Towns

 * Braselton (partly in Gwinnett, Barrow and Hall)
 * Maysville (partly in Banks)
 * Talmo

Unincorporated communities

 * Apple Valley
 * Attica
 * Brockton
 * Center
 * Clarksboro

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 75,907 people, 25,180 households, and 19,467 families residing in the county.

Education
Most of the county is in the Jackson County School District. Portions in Commerce and Jefferson are in, respectively, Commerce City School District and Jefferson City School District.

Attractions

 * Chateau Elan (Braselton)
 * La Vaquita Flea Market (Pendergrass)
 * Mayfield Dairy Visitors Center (Braselton)
 * Sandy Creek Golf Course (Commerce)
 * Tanger Outlet Center (Commerce)

National Historic Places

 * Braselton Historic District
 * Commerce Commercial Historic District
 * Governor L. G. Hardman House (Commerce)
 * Hillcrest-Allen Clinic and Hospital (Hoschton)
 * Holder Plantation (Jefferson)
 * Hoschton Depot
 * Old Jackson County Courthouse (Jefferson)
 * Jefferson Historic District
 * Oak Avenue Historic District(Jefferson)
 * Paradise Cemetery (Jefferson)
 * Seaborn M. Shankle House (Commerce)
 * Shields-Etheridge Farm
 * Talmo Historic District
 * Williamson-Maley-Turner Farm (Jefferson)

Parks and cultural institutions

 * Crawford W. Long Museum (Jefferson)
 * Hurricane Shoals Park

Events

 * Daisy Festival - May (first full weekend) (Nicholson)
 * Mule Days - May (Shields-Etheridge Farm)
 * Annual City Lights Festival - mid-June (Commerce)
 * Celebrate Braselton - July 4 (Braselton)
 * Art in the Park - mid-September (Hurricane Shoals)
 * Annual Fall Festival - September (last weekend) (Hoschton)
 * Jefferson High School and Jefferson Middle School Band Concerts - throughout the year (Jefferson)
 * Jackson County Comprehensive High School, East Jackson Comprehensive High School, East Jackson Middle School, West Jackson Middle School, and Legacy Knoll Middle School Band Concerts - throughout the year

Major highways

 * I-85.svg Interstate 85
 * US 129.svg U.S. Route 129
 * Business plate.svg US 129.svg U.S. Route 129 Business
 * US 441.svg U.S. Route 441
 * Business plate.svg US 441.svg U.S. Route 441 Business
 * Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
 * Georgia 11 Business.svg State Route 11 Business
 * Georgia 11 Connector.svg State Route 11 Connector
 * Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
 * Georgia 15 Alternate.svg State Route 15 Alternate
 * Georgia 53.svg State Route 53
 * Georgia 59.svg State Route 59
 * Georgia 60.svg State Route 60
 * Georgia 82.svg State Route 82
 * Georgia 82 Connector.svg State Route 82 Connector
 * Georgia 98.svg State Route 98
 * Georgia 124.svg State Route 124
 * Georgia 330.svg State Route 330
 * Georgia 332.svg State Route 332
 * Georgia 334.svg State Route 334
 * Georgia 335.svg State Route 335
 * Georgia 346.svg State Route 346 (former)
 * Georgia 403.svg State Route 403 (unsigned designation for I-85)

Pedestrians and cycling

 * Fox Smallwood Dr Trail
 * American Veterans Memorial Park Trail
 * Commerce Middle School Track
 * Curry Creek Reservoir Trail
 * Jefferson Memorial Stadium Track
 * East Jackson Park Walking Trail
 * South Jackson Elementary Nature Trail & Walking Track
 * Hurricane Shoals Nature Trail
 * Sells Mill Nature Trail
 * Sandy Creek Park Walking Trail
 * Braselton Riverwalk Trail
 * East Jackson High School Track
 * W Jackson Middle School Track
 * West Jackson Park Walking Track
 * Jackson County High School Track & Nature Trail