Pickens County, Georgia

Pickens 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 33,216. The county seat is Jasper. Pickens County is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.

History
The Georgia General Assembly passed an act on December 5, 1853, to create Pickens County from portions of Cherokee and Gilmer Counties. Pickens received several more land additions from Cherokee (1869) and Gilmer Counties (1858 and 1863); however, several sections of Pickens County have also been transferred to other counties: Dawson County (1857), Gordon County (1860), and Cherokee County (1870).

Pickens County is named for American Revolutionary War General Andrew Pickens.

During the Civil War, Company D of the 1st Georgia Infantry Battalion of the Union Army was raised in Pickens County.

Most of Pickens County's early industry revolved around marble. Georgia Marble Company is located in Marble Hill near Tate. The Tate elementary school is built out of marble. The marble was also used to make the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. Most of the marble is white, but it is one of the few places in the world where pink marble is found. The marble is also used for tombstones for the United States military.

Pickens County has seen very rapid growth with the building of Georgia State Route 515, locally referred to as the "four-lane". Many new businesses and residents continue to move to Pickens County.

Pickens County is home the Georgia Marble Festival.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 233 sqmi, of which 232 sqmi are land and 0.7 sqmi (0.3%) is covered by water.

The county is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest point in Pickens County is the 3,288-ft summit of Mount Oglethorpe, the southernmost peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and for a number of years, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Other notable peaks in Pickens County include Sharp Top Mountain and Sharp Mountain. One of the best viewpoints of Sharp Top Mountain is from Grandview Lake Dam on Grandview Road.

The eastern half of Pickens County is located in the Etowah River subbasin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The western half of the county is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same larger ACT River Basin.

Adjacent counties

 * Gilmer County - north
 * Dawson County - east
 * Cherokee County - south
 * Bartow County - southwest
 * Gordon County - west

County government
The government of Pickens County consists of a board of commissioners. Kris Stancil is the board's chairman while Josh Tatum represents the county's east end and Josh Tippens represents the county's west end.

Politics
Politically, Pickens County is an outlier in Georgia, one of the few ancestrally Republican counties of the state, due to Unionist sentiment in the county during the Civil War.

Major highways

 * I-575.svg Interstate 575
 * Georgia 5.svg State Route 5
 * Georgia 53.svg State Route 53
 * Georgia 53 Business.svg State Route 53 Business
 * Georgia 108.svg State Route 108
 * Georgia 136.svg State Route 136
 * Georgia 136 Connector.svg State Route 136 Connector
 * Georgia 372.svg State Route 372
 * Georgia 417.svg State Route 417 (unsigned designation for I-575)
 * Georgia 515.svg State Route 515

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 33,216 people, 11,868 households, and 8,539 families residing in the county.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, 29,431 people, 11,291 households, and 8,423 families resided in the county. The population density was 126.8 PD/sqmi. The 13,692 housing units averaged 59.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% White, 1.1% African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.8% were American, 13.2% were English, 12.3% were Irish, and 10.0% were German.

Of the 11,291 households, 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.4% were not families, and 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 42.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,945 and for a family was $59,955. Males had a median income of $46,773 versus $34,394 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,892. About 8.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, 22,983 people, 8,960 households, and 6,791 families lived in the county. The population density was 99 PD/sqmi. The10,687 housing units averaged 46 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.21% White, 1.27% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. About 2.03% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 8,960 households, 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were not families. About20.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the county, the population was distributed as 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,387, and for a family was $47,123. Males had a median income of $32,039 versus $22,866 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,774. About 6.20% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

 * Jasper
 * Nelson (partially in Cherokee County)

Town

 * Talking Rock

Unincorporated communities

 * Tate
 * Marble Hill
 * Blaine
 * Hinton

Private communities
A significant portion of the county population resides in gated master-planned communities that function similar to a municipality, with HOA fees to provide many municipal-type services independently from the county government.


 * Bent Tree
 * Big Canoe (partially in Dawson County)
 * The Preserve at Sharp Mountain

Notable residents

 * Farish Carter Tate, U.S. congressman
 * John Bozeman, frontiersman; co-founder of Bozeman, Montana