Wheeler County, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Wheeler 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...

. As of 2000, the population was 6,179. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 6,830. 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 Alamo
Alamo, Georgia
Alamo is a city in Wheeler County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,943 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Wheeler County. Alamo was founded in 1909. Alamo's courthouse was built in 1913 and is on the National Register of Historical Places...

.

History

Wheeler County is named after Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 General Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler
Joseph Wheeler was an American military commander and politician. He has the rare distinction of serving as a general during war time for two opposing forces: first as a noted cavalry general in the Confederate States Army in the 1860s during the American Civil War, and later as a general in the...

. The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed August 14, 1912, and ratified November 5, 1912.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 300.14 square miles (777.4 km²), of which 297.72 square miles (771.1 km²) (or 99.19%) is land and 2.42 square miles (6.3 km²) (or 0.81%) is water.

Major highways

  • U.S. Highway 280
  • U.S. Highway 441
  • Georgia State Route 19
    Georgia State Route 19
    State Route 19 is a northwest-southeast route in the U.S. state of Georgia.-Route description:From its southern terminus at US 1/SR 4 north of Alma, the route travels north, cosigned with US 23. In Hazlehurst, US 341 and SR 27, also join the two routes...

  • Georgia State Route 46
    Georgia State Route 46
    State Route 46 is a west–east state route located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from U.S. Route 23/State Route 87 in Eastman east to State Route 67 northwest of Pembroke. The route mostly runs in close proximity to Interstate 16 and serves mostly to...


Adjacent counties

  • Treutlen County
    Treutlen County, Georgia
    Treutlen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 6,854. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 6,938. The county seat is Soperton...

     (north)
  • Montgomery County
    Montgomery County, Georgia
    Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 8,270. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 9,060...

     (east)
  • Jeff Davis County
    Jeff Davis County, Georgia
    Jeff Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on August 18, 1905. As of 2000, the population was 12,684. It was named for the only President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 13,291...

     (southeast)
  • Telfair County
    Telfair County, Georgia
    Telfair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 11,794. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 13,366...

     (southwest)
  • Dodge County
    Dodge County, Georgia
    Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 19,171. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,042. The county seat is Eastman. Dodge County lies in the Historic South region of Georgia, an area that has architectural wonders and shows the...

     (west)
  • Laurens County
    Laurens County, Georgia
    Laurens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 10, 1807. As of 2000, the population was 44,874. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 47,520...

     (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 6,179 people, 2,011 households, and 1,395 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 21 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 2,447 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.56% 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...

, 33.18% 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...

, 0.13% 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...

, 0.10% 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...

, 1.25% 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 0.79% from two or more races. 3.54% 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 2,011 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% 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, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.60% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.80% 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 3.08.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.40% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 128.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 139.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,053, and the median income for a family was $29,696. Males had a median income of $27,203 versus $22,679 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 $13,005. About 21.60% of families and 25.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.20% of those under age 18 and 26.70% of those age 65 or over.

See also

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