Treutlen County, Georgia

Treutlen County is a county located in the east central and Magnolia midlands portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,406. The county seat is Soperton. Treutlen County is host to the Million Pines Arts and Crafts Festival which takes place during the first weekend in November.

History
Before colonization, the area was home to the Muscogee. Following the American Revolution, the location's wiregrass (Aristida stricta) attracted settlers, and a timber industry began to develop around the area's longleaf pine forests, supporting occupations from cabinetmaking and milling to turpentine and other naval stores production.

The area's landscape made it difficult to build roads, resulting in a sparse population until after the Civil War when railroads arrived. In 1902, the Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railroad completed its extension from Macon to Vidalia and constructed a railroad depot near Lothair. The newly-incorporated town of Soperton quickly outgrew Lothair due to the new rail link.

An official process to create Treutlen County was spearheaded by Neil L. Gillis, known as the "father of Treutlen County" due to his efforts. The state constitutional amendment to create Treutlen County was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on August21, 1917, and ratified November5, 1918, officially making it Georgia's 154th county. The county is made up of former sections of Emanuel and Montgomery counties, and is named for John A. Treutlen, Georgia's first state governor following adoption of the state Constitution of 1777. By this time, as Soperton had become larger than Lothair, it was the clear choice for county seat.

During the 1920s, a local cotton farmer named James Fowler planted over 7million pine trees across 10,000 acres of land. Fowler worked together with scientist Charles Herty, who developed a process to use pine pulp to create paper.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 202 sqmi, of which 199 sqmi is land and 3.0 sqmi (1.5%) is water. Approximately 90% of the county is forested.

The western portion of Treutlen County, west of Soperton, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the larger Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

 * I-16.svg Interstate 16
 * US 221.svg U.S. Route 221
 * Georgia 15.svg State Route 15
 * Georgia 29.svg State Route 29
 * Georgia 46.svg State Route 46
 * Georgia 56.svg State Route 56
 * Georgia 78.svg State Route 78
 * Georgia 86.svg State Route 86
 * Georgia 171.svg State Route 171
 * Georgia 199.svg State Route 199
 * Georgia 199 Spur.svg State Route 199 Spur
 * Georgia 227.svg State Route 227
 * Georgia 297.svg State Route 297
 * Georgia 298.svg State Route 298
 * Georgia 404.svg State Route 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)

Adjacent counties

 * Emanuel County (northeast)
 * Montgomery County (southeast)
 * Wheeler County (southwest)
 * Laurens County (west)
 * Johnson County (northwest)

City

 * Soperton (county seat)

Unincorporated community

 * Lothair

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,406 people, 2,490 households, and 1,654 families residing in the county.