Editing Calhoun County, Georgia

{{Short description|County in Georgia, United States}}
{{Distinguish|Calhoun, Georgia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Calhoun County
 | state                = Georgia
 | seal                 = 
 | founded year         = {{start date and age|1854}}
 | founded date         = February 20
 | seat wl              = Morgan
 | largest city wl      = Morgan
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 284
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 280
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 3.2
 | area percentage      = 1.1%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 5,573
 | density_sq_mi        = 20
 | time zone            = Eastern
 | web                  = calhouncountyga.com
 | ex image             = Calhoun County Georgia Courthouse.jpg
 | ex image cap         = [[Calhoun County Courthouse (Morgan, Georgia)|Calhoun County Courthouse]] in Morgan
 | district             = 2nd
 | named for            = [[John C. Calhoun]]
}}

'''Calhoun County''' is a rural [[County (United States)|county]] in the southwestern part of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. Its [[county seat]] is [[Morgan, Georgia|Morgan]] and its population was 5,573 in 2020.

== History ==
Calhoun County was named for [[John C. Calhoun]], the seventh [[Vice President of the United States]].<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/c.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030710215157/http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/c.pdf |archive-date=July 10, 2003 |url-status=live | title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins | publisher=Winship Press | author=Krakow, Kenneth K. | year=1975 | location=Macon, GA | pages=31 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref> It was created from parts of [[Early County, Georgia|Early]] and [[Baker County, Georgia|Baker]] counties on February 20, 1854.<ref name="New Georgia Encyclopedia">{{cite web|title=Calhoun County|url=https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/calhoun-county/|access-date=November 28, 2021|archive-date=March 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315184321/https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/calhoun-county/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Georgia Historical Society">{{cite web|title=Calhoun County historic marker|url=https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/calhoun-county/|access-date=November 28, 2021|archive-date=December 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208235349/https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/calhoun-county/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rival political factions disagreed about whether the county seat should be in Concord, a community north of present-day [[Leary, Georgia|Leary]], or in [[Dickey, Georgia|Dickey]], then known as Whitney. As a compromise, a spot halfway between Concord and Whitney was chosen for the county seat, and the town of Morgan was established there.<ref name="New Georgia Encyclopedia"/>

In 1923 the [[Georgia General Assembly|state legislature]] moved the county seat to [[Arlington, Georgia|Arlington]] as directed by a county referendum. This decision was reversed in 1929, restoring Morgan as the county seat.<ref name="New Georgia Encyclopedia"/>

Calhoun Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Arlington originally founded as a [[Hill–Burton Act|Hill-Burton]] hospital,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nQvtmKWDx-wC&dq=%22calhoun+memorial+hospital%22+georgia+hill-burton&pg=PA19|title=Report on Hill-Burton Hospitals and Their Obligations|year=1984|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}</ref> closed in 2013 after 62 years of operation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiahealthnews.com/2013/02/small-rural-hospital-closes-doors-follow/|title=Small rural hospital closes doors|date=February 4, 2013|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=October 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004080535/https://www.georgiahealthnews.com/2013/02/small-rural-hospital-closes-doors-follow/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.walb.com/story/20939553/calhoun-memorial-hospital-closes/|title=Calhoun Memorial Hospital closes|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=December 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202230948/https://www.walb.com/story/20939553/calhoun-memorial-hospital-closes/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2008, members of the Downtown Business Authority in Arlington founded the South Georgia Regional [[Information Technology Authority]] (SGRITA) with help from the state government to provide wireless broadband service to several counties in rural southwest Georgia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/georgia-citizens-take-broadband-into-their-own-hands/|title=Georgia citizens take broadband into their own hands|date=April 24, 2009|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=November 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126095725/https://www.fiercewireless.com/tech/georgia-citizens-take-broadband-into-their-own-hands|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.manta.com/c/mm8nv6d/sgrita|title=Sgrita|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=November 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129170320/https://www.manta.com/c/mm8nv6d/sgrita|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2017 SGRITA moved its office to [[Blakely, Georgia|Blakely]] in Early County.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.earlycountynews.com/articles/sgrita-relocating-to-city-hall/|title=SGRITA relocating to City Hall|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=November 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129171959/https://www.earlycountynews.com/articles/sgrita-relocating-to-city-hall/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Geography ==
The county seat is Morgan,<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Calhoun_County,_Georgia |access-date=November 28, 2021 |title=Ballotpedia |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109224743/https://ballotpedia.org/Calhoun_County,_Georgia |url-status=live }}</ref> where the historic [[Calhoun County Courthouse (Morgan, Georgia)|Calhoun County Courthouse]] is located. According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|284|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|280|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|3.2|sqmi}} (1.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990|archive-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The vast majority of Calhoun County is in the [[Ichawaynochaway Creek]] sub-basin of the [[ACF River Basin]] (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The county's western and southwestern corner, from Arlington running northwest to west of [[Edison, Georgia|Edison]], is in the [[Spring Creek (Flint River)|Spring Creek]] sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gaswcc.org/maps/ |title=Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience |publisher=Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission |access-date=November 24, 2015 |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003004639/http://www.gaswcc.org/maps/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[United States Department of Agriculture]] has designated most of the county's land as [[prime farmland]].<ref name="New Georgia Encyclopedia"/> Agricultural, forestry, and wildlife plantations line the county's eastern edge.<ref name="county website">{{cite web|title=Calhoun County Georgia|url=http://calhouncountyga.com/|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=November 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103210246/http://calhouncountyga.com/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Adjacent counties ===
* [[Terrell County, GA|Terrell County]] (northeast)
* [[Dougherty County, GA|Dougherty County]] (east)
* [[Baker County, GA|Baker County]] (southeast)
* [[Early County, GA|Early County]] (southwest)
* [[Clay County, GA|Clay County]] (west)
* [[Randolph County, GA|Randolph County]] (northwest)

== Communities ==
===Cities===
* [[Arlington, Georgia|Arlington]] (Partly in [[Early County, Georgia|Early County]])
* [[Edison, Georgia|Edison]]
* [[Leary, Georgia|Leary]]
* [[Morgan, Georgia|Morgan]]

===Unincorporated communities===
* [[Dickey, Georgia|Dickey]]
* [[Williamsburg, Calhoun County, Georgia|Williamsburg]]

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
| 1860 = 4913
| 1870 = 5503
| 1880 = 7024
| 1890 = 8438
| 1900 = 9274
| 1910 = 11334
| 1920 = 10225
| 1930 = 10576
| 1940 = 10438
| 1950 = 8578
| 1960 = 7341
| 1970 = 6606
| 1980 = 5717
| 1990 = 5013
| 2000 = 6320
| 2010 = 6694
| 2020 = 5573
|estyear=2023
|estimate=5457
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 31, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=}}</ref><br>1790-1880<ref name=1880CensusGACty>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800 |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-08.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1890-1910<ref name=1910CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1910|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref><br> 1920-1930<ref name=1930CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1930-1940<ref name=1940CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia  |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1940-1950<ref name=1950CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia - |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1950|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1960-1980<ref name=1980CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia  |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1980-2000<ref name=2000CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia  |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" 
|+'''Calhoun County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Calhoun County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p004&g=050XX00US13037&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Calhoun County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US13037&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Calhoun County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US13037&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|2,368
|2,250
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,766
|37.47%
|33.61%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31.69%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|3,726
|4,092
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,569
|58.96%
|61.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |64.04%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|9
|9
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8
|0.14%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|4
|30
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19
|0.06%
|0.45%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.34%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|0
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|24
|49
|style='background: #ffffe6; |61
|0.38%
|0.73%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.09%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|189
|262
|style='background: #ffffe6; |149
|2.99%
|3.91%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.67%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''6,320'''
|'''6,694'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''5,573'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 5,573 people, 1,736 households, and 1,152 families residing in the county. Of these people, 4.0% were under 5 years old, 16.9% were under 18, and 16.6% were 65 or over. The population was 39.3% female. The foreign-born population was 4.1% of the total. Of residents aged 5 or older, 7.7% spoke a language other than English at home.

There were 1,736 households. The average household size was 2.56. The county had 2,406 housing units, of which 65.6% were owner-occupied.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=Calhoun County QuickFacts|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/calhouncountygeorgia/POP010220|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 28, 2021}}</ref>

==Economy==
Many farms in Calhoun County grow [[Maize|corn]], [[oat]]s, [[Sorghum bicolor|sorghum]], and [[wheat]].<ref name="New Georgia Encyclopedia" />  [[Calhoun State Prison]] in Morgan is a major employer. Calhoun Nursing Home, a 60-bed long-term care facility in Edison, is now operated by [[Miller County, Georgia|Miller County]].

==Education==
The [[Calhoun County School District (Georgia)|Calhoun County School District]] has an elementary school and a middle-high school all in Edison. The district has about 530 students.<ref name="School Grades">{{cite web|url=https://schoolgrades.georgia.gov/calhoun-county|title=School Grades|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=May 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513191454/https://schoolgrades.georgia.gov/calhoun-county|url-status=live}}</ref>

Pataula Charter Academy opened in 2010 in Edison as a tuition-free public charter school serving several counties in southwest Georgia. It has about 609 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.<ref name="Pataula Charter Academy">{{cite web|url=https://www.pataula.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=953108&type=d&pREC_ID=1279094|title=Pataula Charter Academy|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=February 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230205014930/https://www.pataula.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=953108&type=d&pREC_ID=1279094|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Calhoun County Library in Edison is part of the [[Kinchafoonee Regional Library System]].<ref name="Calhoun County Library">{{cite web|url=https://krlibrary.org/?page_id=18|title=Calhoun County Library|access-date=November 29, 2021|archive-date=May 19, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519033014/https://krlibrary.org/?page_id=18|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Government==

Calhoun County has a [[council-manager government]] with five commissioners elected by district.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://calhouncountyga.com/commissioners|title=Calhoun County Commissioners|access-date=November 30, 2021}}</ref>

==Politics==
Calhoun County is staunchly [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] in US presidential elections. The last [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate to win the county was [[Richard Nixon]] in [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]].{{PresHead|place=Calhoun County, Georgia|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 19, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323225526/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|900|1,153|3|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|923|1,263|12|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|830|1,179|16|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|883|1,298|8|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|862|1,342|8|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|890|1,119|10|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|768|1,107|12|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|541|1,217|110|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|464|1,301|253|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|644|901|6|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|776|1,077|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|652|1,414|21|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|436|1,394|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|892|495|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|234|697|979|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|1,066|289|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|131|803|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|107|1,094|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|147|810|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|36|399|79|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|37|736|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|33|610|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|14|777|2|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|10|483|4|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|91|571|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|66|343|3|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|5|449|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|2|265|9|Georgia}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|70|300|61|Georgia}}

==Transportation==
=== Major highways ===
* [[File:Georgia 37.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 37|State Route 37]]
* [[File:Georgia 41.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 41|State Route 41]]
* [[File:Georgia 45.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 45|State Route 45]]
* [[File:Georgia 55.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 55|State Route 55]]
* [[File:Georgia 62.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 62|State Route 62]]
* [[File:Georgia 216.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 216|State Route 216]]
* [[File:Georgia 234.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 234|State Route 234]]

==See also==
{{Portal|State of Georgia}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Calhoun County, Georgia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/calhoun/calhoun-county Calhoun County] historical marker

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Calhoun County, Georgia
|North     =
|Northeast = [[Terrell County, Georgia|Terrell County]]
|East      = [[Dougherty County, Georgia|Dougherty County]]
|Southeast = [[Baker County, Georgia|Baker County]]
|South     =
|Southwest = [[Early County, Georgia|Early County]]
|West      = [[Clay County, Georgia|Clay County]]
|Northwest = [[Randolph County, Georgia|Randolph County]]
}}
{{Calhoun County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|31.53|-84.62|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Calhoun County, Georgia| ]]
[[Category:1854 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) counties]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1854]]
[[Category:Black Belt (U.S. region)]]
[[Category:Majority-minority counties in Georgia]]