Oglethorpe County, Georgia

Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,825. The county seat is Lexington.

Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area. It is the largest county in Northeast Georgia.

History
Oglethorpe County was originally part of a large tract of land surrendered by Creek and Cherokee Native Americans to the Colony of Georgia in the treaty of 1773. The county itself was founded on December 19, 1793, and is named for Georgia's founder, General James Oglethorpe.

On September 10, 1919, Obe Cox was accused of murdering a White farmer's wife. He was seized by a White mob taken to the scene of the crime, his body riddled with bullets and burned at the stake. Several thousand persons witnessed the scene. The lynching was controversial as the local black community "thanked" the mob for just killing Cox and not attacking their community. After an investigation the black media of the time reported that the blacks who wrote the letter thanking the lynching "do not stand for much in the town and are excused for their utter ignorance in condoning [lynching]."

See reference "The Lynching Project:Oglethorpe County"

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 442 sqmi, of which 439 sqmi is land and 3.0 sqmi (0.7%) is water. The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

The majority of Oglethorpe County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A narrow western portion of the county, in a line from just north of Woodville, through Crawford, to just south of Winterville, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small part of the southern portion of the county, from Maxeys east, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.

River

 * Broad River

Adjacent counties

 * Elbert County (northeast)
 * Wilkes County (east)
 * Taliaferro County (southeast)
 * Greene County (south)
 * Oconee County (west)
 * Clarke County (west)
 * Madison County (north)

National protected area

 * Oconee National Forest (part)
 * Watson Mill Bridge State Park (part)

Cities

 * Arnoldsville
 * Crawford
 * Lexington

Towns

 * Maxeys

Unincorporated communities

 * Philomath
 * Sandy Cross
 * Stephens
 * Vesta

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,825 people, 5,651 households, and 3,711 families residing in the county.

Recreation
Historic Districts and Heritage Research, Antique Stores in Historic Lexington, Agriculture and Agritourism as well as Oglethorpe Fresh Produce
 * White Water Rafting on the Broad and South Fork Broad Rivers
 * ATV and Motor Bike Park
 * Sportsman Hunting: Seasonal Whitetail Deer, Turkey and Rabbit

In 2016, the Oglethorpe County Recreation Department was named both the District 7 and State Agency of the Year for populations under 20,000 through the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.

Major highways

 * US 78.svg U.S. Route 78
 * Georgia 10.svg State Route 10
 * Georgia 22.svg State Route 22
 * Georgia 77.svg State Route 77

Pedestrians and cycling
The county has limited walkability options available.

Notable people

 * Nathan Crawford Barnett, member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Secretary of State for more than 30 years. Raised in Lexington, and educated at the Lexington Academy
 * William H. Crawford (1772–1834) - U.S. Minister to France, U.S. Secretary of War, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
 * George R. Gilmer (1790–1859) - Twice Governor
 * Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) - leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
 * Wilson Lumpkin (1783–1870) - Governor
 * Joseph H. Lumpkin (1799–1867) First Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and co-founder of the Lumpkin Law School
 * George Mathews (1739–1812) - Revolutionary hero and twice Governor
 * Kenny Rogers - Country music performer