Newton County, Georgia
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Newton 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 112,483.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Covington.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Newton County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA.
History
[edit]Newton county is named after Sgt. John Newton, who served under Gen. Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox", in the American Revolutionary War. It was created on December 24, 1821.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
During the American Civil War, the county provided the Lamar Infantry, which was a part of Cobb's Legion. The 1860 census shows the enslaved population was nearly half, 45.2 percent.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Newton County adjoins Jasper County: Georgia is one of many states that have a Newton County and a Jasper County that border each other.
In late 1978, the first five episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard were filmed in and around Covington, Georgia. The TV series In The Heat of the Night was filmed in Covington from 1988 to 1995. Also, in Remember the Titans, there were many scenes shot on "The Square" and the final football scene was shot at Homer Sharp Stadium, which is located near downtown Covington. Currently part of the new series The Vampire Diaries is being filmed on "The Square". Additionally, major films including My Cousin Vinny, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives and Halloween II, Rob Zombie's sequel to his 2007 film Halloween, were also filmed near and around "The Square" in downtown Covington.
Newton County claims to be the birthplace of Georgia 4-H. Actually, the Girls Canning and Boys Corn Clubs in 1904 by G.C. Adams was renamed the 4-H Club in 1906, after the original 4-H Club that opened in Iowa in 1905.
Geography
[edit]According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (2.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.
The majority of Newton County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small eastern portion of the county, from southwest of Social Circle to southwest of Newborn, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major highways
[edit]- Template:Jct (Interstate 20)
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- Template:Jct (Porterdale)
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- Template:Jct (unsigned designation for I-20)
Adjacent counties
[edit]- Walton County (north)
- Morgan County (east)
- Jasper County (southeast)
- Butts County (south)
- Henry County (West southwest)
- Rockdale County (northwest)
Communities
[edit]Cities
[edit]- Covington (county seat)
- Mansfield
- Oxford
- Social Circle
Towns
[edit]Unincorporated community
[edit]Demographics
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000<ref name="2000CensusP004">Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2000 | % 2010 | Template:Partial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 46,007 | 51,995 | 46,746 | 74.20% | 52.02% | 41.56% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 13,690 | 40,371 | 52,246 | 22.08% | 40.39% | 46.45% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 131 | 199 | 175 | 0.21% | 0.20% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 444 | 881 | 1,044 | 0.72% | 0.88% | 0.93% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 9 | 34 | 114 | 0.01% | 0.03% | 0.10% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 70 | 169 | 734 | 0.11% | 0.17% | 0.65% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 493 | 1,674 | 4,260 | 0.80% | 1.67% | 3.79% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,157 | 4,635 | 7,164 | 1.87% | 4.64% | 6.37% |
| Total | 62,001 | 99,958 | 112,483 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 112,483 people, 37,867 households, and 28,095 families residing in the county.
Education
[edit]Most of Newton County is in the Newton County School System. Portions in Social Circle are in the Social Circle City School District.<ref>Template:Cite web – Text list</ref>
Politics
[edit]For the first half of the 20th century, Newton County followed the regular Solid South pattern of voting Democratic. It would later become a state bellwether from 1968 to 2004—meaning that the county's voting intention was an accurate predictor of the overall statewide winner. From 2008 to 2016, Newton County had been narrowly won by Democrats thanks to its location within the Atlanta metro as well as the influx of progressive voters both the region and Newton proper have experienced in recent years. This margin ballooned to a double-digit percentage in 2020 when Joe Biden flipped the state back into the Democratic column; Kamala Harris built upon this margin four years later, winning Newton by just over 15% even as she narrowly lost Georgia and the election. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
| Board of Commissioners | ||
|---|---|---|
| District | Commissioner | Party |
| CHAIR (at-large) | Marcello Banes (chairman) | Democratic |
| District 1 | Stan Edwards | Republican |
| District 2 | T. Demond Mason | Democratic |
| District 3 | Stephanie Lindsey | Democratic |
| District 4 | J.C. Henderson | Democratic |
| District 5 | LeAnne Long | Republican |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Covington and Newton County Living
- The City of Covington official site
- Downtown Covington
- The Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce
- The Center for Community Preservation and Planning
- The Covington News
- The Newton Citizen
- Turner Scrapbook Collection from the Digital Library Collection
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