Jefferson County, Georgia

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,709. The county seat and largest city is Louisville. The county was created on February 20, 1796, and named for Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the Declaration of Independence who became the third president of the United States.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 530 sqmi, of which 526 sqmi is land and 3.2 sqmi (0.6%) is water.

The small northern portion of Jefferson County, defined by a line running from Stapleton southeast and just south of State Route 80, is located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. The entire rest of the county is located in the Upper Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.

Major highways
U.S. Route 1 Business (Louisville) U.S. Route 1 Business (Wadley)
 * US 1.svg U.S. Route 1
 * Business plate.svg
 * Business plate.svg
 * US 221.svg U.S. Route 221
 * US 319.svg U.S. Route 319
 * Georgia 4.svg State Route 4
 * Georgia 4 Business.svg State Route 4 Business (Louisville)
 * Georgia 4 Business.svg State Route 4 Business (Wadley)
 * Georgia 17.svg State Route 17
 * Georgia 24.svg State Route 24
 * Georgia 47.svg State Route 47
 * Georgia 78.svg State Route 78
 * Georgia 80.svg State Route 80
 * Georgia 88.svg State Route 88
 * Georgia 102.svg State Route 102
 * Georgia 171.svg State Route 171
 * Georgia 242.svg State Route 242
 * Georgia 296.svg State Route 296
 * Georgia 540.svg State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

Adjacent counties

 * McDuffie County - north
 * Richmond County - northeast
 * Burke County - east
 * Emanuel County - south
 * Johnson County - southwest
 * Glascock County - northwest
 * Washington County - west
 * Warren County - northwest

Cities

 * Avera
 * Louisville (county seat)
 * Stapleton
 * Wadley
 * Wrens

Towns

 * Bartow

Census-designated place

 * Matthews

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 15,709 people, 5,664 households, and 3,598 families residing in the county.

Politics
Jefferson County trends Democratic in presidential elections; having last supported a Republican in 1988 when it voted for George HW Bush. George W. Bush came within 381 votes of carrying the county in 2004. In the 2022 midterms, Governor Brian Kemp is presumably the first Republican to win statewide in Jefferson County since Sonny Perdue's re-election in 2006. It is now a Democratic-leaning swing county