Calhoun County, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Calhoun County is a county located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

. It was created on February 20, 1854. As of 2000, the population was 6,320. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 6,098. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Morgan
Morgan, Georgia
Morgan is a city in Calhoun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,464 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County.-Geography:Morgan is located at ....

.

History

Calhoun County is named for John Caldwell Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...

, the seventh Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

.

As the county seat, the city of Morgan boasts a historic Courthouse. Calhoun County hosts a single tri-colored traffic light, located in the city of Arlington, which also showcases north-south and east-west railroad tracks.

The County and its Cities hold several annual festivals. Still Pond Vineyard & Winery, a family-owned and operated Vineyard, bordering Baker County in southern region, hosts 3 festivals including a Bud Break Bash the first Saturday in April, a Grape Stomp the first Saturday in August, and a Holiday Festival the first Saturday in December. The city of Edison hosts the Billie Lane King Cotton Charity Horse Show the second Saturday of May. The city of Arlington hosts the oldest festival in Georgia, May Day, on the first Saturday of May and the city of Leary hosts the Leary Christmas Parade on the second Saturday in December. The city of Morgan holds the Harvest Festival the first Saturday in Morgan. Calhoun County is also proud to participate in the Southwest Georgia High Cotton 65-mile Yard Sale which takes place the second Saturday in November along Georgia Highway 37.

The largest locally governed employer in Calhoun County is the Hospital Authority of Calhoun County which operates 5 health care facilities including Calhoun Memorial Hospital, Calhoun Nursing Home, R.E. Jennings Medical Clinic, Willowood Assisted Living Facility and Calhoun Rehabilitation Services. Calhoun Memorial Hospital is located alongside Jennings Medical Clinic and Calhoun Rehab Services on RE Jennings Avenue in Arlington. The hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital that was founded as a Hill-Burton hospital in 1951. Jennings Medical Clinic hosts 2 physicians and 2 mid-level providers, alongside qualified support staff, for routine primary care practice. Calhoun Nursing Home, a 60-bed long-term care facility, and Willowood Assisted Living, a 15-bed personal care home fostering secure independence for Seniors, are located in Edison.

Calhoun County Elementary School is located in Arlington and Calhoun County Middle & High School is located in Edison, as well as the Calhoun County Library. Calhoun State Prison is located in Morgan and the city of Leary has two peanut buying points. Large farms and Quail Hunting Plantations decorate the pastoral landscape and complete scenic roadways in this rural Georgia community. Calhoun County proudly supports agriculture as the local lifeblood industry.

In 2008, Arlington was proud to become home to SGRITA, a wireless broadband service that is being developed through grant participation to serve the greater Southwest Georgia area.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 283.57 square miles (734.4 km²), of which 280.18 square miles (725.7 km²) (or 98.80%) is land and 3.39 square miles (8.8 km²) (or 1.20%) is water.

Major highways

  • Georgia State Route 37
    Georgia State Route 37
    State Route 37 is a west–east state route located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from Alabama State Route 10 at the Alabama state line west of Fort Gaines east to U.S...

  • Georgia State Route 41
    Georgia State Route 41
    State Route 41 is a north–south state route located in the western part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from State Route 45 north of Morgan north to U.S. Route 29/State Route 14 in Moreland.-Route description:...

  • Georgia State Route 45
    Georgia State Route 45
    State Route 45 is a north–south state route located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from U.S. Route 84/State Route 38 east of Donalsonville north to U.S. Route 280/State Route 27 in Plains.-Route description:...

  • Georgia State Route 55
    Georgia State Route 55
    State Route 55 is a north–south state route located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from State Route 37/State Route 62 in Leary north to U.S. Route 82/State Route 520 in Dawson.-Route description :...

  • Georgia State Route 62
    Georgia State Route 62
    Georgia State Route 62 is a state route in southwest Georgia that runs from the Georgia-Alabama line near Hilton to State Route 234 in Albany.- Routing :...


Adjacent counties

  • Terrell County (northeast)
  • Dougherty County (east)
  • Baker County (southeast)
  • Early County (southwest)
  • Clay County (west)
  • Randolph County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 6,320 people, 1,962 households, and 1,347 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 2,305 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 38.26% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 60.60% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.14% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.06% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.44% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.49% from two or more races. 2.99% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 1,962 households out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.70% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 23.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.10% under the age of 18, 11.30% from 18 to 24, 33.30% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 130.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 139.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,588, and the median income for a family was $31,019. Males had a median income of $25,552 versus $16,554 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $11,839. About 23.20% of families and 26.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.20% of those under age 18 and 26.50% of those age 65 or over.

It should be noted, however, that Calhoun County is the location of a state prison. There are approximately 1200 males residing at the institution and are included in the census figures.

Incorporated Cities

  • Arlington
    Arlington, Georgia
    Arlington is a city in Calhoun County and Early County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,602 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Arlington is located at ....

  • Edison
    Edison, Georgia
    Edison is a city in Calhoun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,340 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Edison is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

  • Leary
    Leary, Georgia
    Leary is a city in Calhoun County, Georgia in the United States. The population was 666 at the 2000 census. Seattle Mariners third baseman Chone Figgins was born in Leary.-Geography:Leary is located at ....

  • Morgan
    Morgan, Georgia
    Morgan is a city in Calhoun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,464 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Calhoun County.-Geography:Morgan is located at ....


Unincorporated Towns

  • Burmuda
  • Commissary Hill
  • Cordrays Mill
  • Dickey
  • Folks
  • Holt
  • Moye
  • Oak Hill
  • Parksville
  • Turman
  • Williamsburg

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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