Newton County, Georgia

Newton County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,483. The county seat is Covington.

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

History
Newton county is named after Sgt. John Newton, who served under Gen. Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox", in the American Revolutionary War. It was created on December 24, 1821.

During the American Civil War, the county provided the Lamar Infantry, which was a part of Cobb's Legion. The 1860 census shows the enslaved population was nearly half, 45.2 percent. Newton County adjoins Jasper County: Georgia is one of many states that have a Newton County and a Jasper County that border each other.

In late 1978, the first five episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard were filmed in and around Covington, Georgia. The TV series In The Heat of the Night was filmed in Covington from 1988 to 1995. Also, in Remember the Titans, there were many scenes shot on "The Square" and the final football scene was shot at Homer Sharp Stadium, which is located near downtown Covington. Currently part of the new series The Vampire Diaries is being filmed on "The Square". Additionally, major films including My Cousin Vinny, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives and Halloween II, Rob Zombie's sequel to his 2007 film Halloween, were also filmed near and around "The Square" in downtown Covington.

Newton County claims to be the birthplace of Georgia 4-H. Actually, the Girls Canning and Boys Corn Clubs in 1904 by G.C. Adams was renamed the 4-H Club in 1906, after the original 4-H Club that opened in Iowa in 1905.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 279 sqmi, of which 272 sqmi is land and 7.0 sqmi (2.5%) is water. The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

The majority of Newton County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small eastern portion of the county, from southwest of Social Circle to southwest of Newborn, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

 * I-20.svg Interstate 20
 * US 278.svg U.S. Route 278
 * Georgia 11.svg State Route 11
 * Georgia 12.svg State Route 12
 * Georgia 20.svg State Route 20
 * Georgia 36.svg State Route 36
 * Georgia 81.svg State Route 81
 * Georgia 138.svg State Route 138
 * Georgia 142.svg State Route 142
 * Georgia 162.svg State Route 162
 * Georgia 162 Connector.svg State Route 162 Connector
 * Georgia 212.svg State Route 212
 * Georgia 402.svg State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)

Adjacent counties

 * Walton County (north)
 * Morgan County (east)
 * Jasper County (southeast)
 * Butts County (south)
 * Henry County  (West southwest)
 * Rockdale County (northwest)

Cities

 * Covington (county seat)
 * Mansfield
 * Oxford
 * Social Circle

Towns

 * Newborn
 * Porterdale

Unincorporated community

 * Starrsville

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 112,483 people, 37,867 households, and 28,095 families residing in the county.

Education
Most of Newton County is in the Newton County School System. Portions in Social Circle are in the Social Circle City School District.

Politics
For the first half of the 20th century, Newton County followed the regular Solid South pattern of voting Democratic. It would later become a state bellwether from 1968 to 2004—meaning that Newton's voting was an accurate predictor of the overall statewide winner. From 2008 to 2016 Newton had been narrowly won by Democrats thanks to its location within the Atlanta metro and the influx of progressive voters both the region and Newton have experienced in recent years. This margin ballooned to a double digit percentage in 2020 as Joe Biden flipped the state as a whole back into the Democratic column.