Editing Rockdale County, Georgia

{{Short description|County in Georgia, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Rockdale County
 | state                = Georgia
 | flag                 = Flag of Rockdale County, Georgia.png
 | flag size            = 105px
 | seal                 = Seal of Rockdale County, Georgia.png
 | seal size            = 90px
 | founded              = {{start date and age|1870|10|18}}
 | seat wl              = Conyers
 | largest city wl      = Conyers
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 132
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 130
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 2.3
 | area percentage      = 1.7%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 93570
 | density_sq_mi        = 
 | website              = {{URL|https://www.rockdalecountyga.gov/|rockdalecountyga.gov}}
 | ex image             = Rockdale-county-courthouse.jpg
 | ex image cap         = [[Rockdale County Courthouse]] in Conyers
 | district             = 4th
 | time zone            = Eastern
 | named for            = Rockdale Baptist Church
}}

'''Rockdale County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the North Central portion in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 93,570 up from 85,215 in 2010.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13247.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 25, 2014|archive-date=July 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703090558/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13247.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>US Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Rockdale County, Georgia</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Conyers, Georgia|Conyers]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>

Rockdale County is included in [[Metro Atlanta]].

==History==
[[File:Rockdale-baptist-church-fog.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Rockdale Baptist Church]]

Rockdale County was formed on October 18, 1870<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockdalecounty.org/main.cfm?id=2581|title=History of Rockdale County|publisher=Rockdale County|access-date=June 28, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625103720/http://rockdalecounty.org/main.cfm?id=2581|archive-date=June 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://georgia.gov/cities-counties/rockdale-county|title=Rockdale County|publisher=Georgia.gov|access-date=June 28, 2014}}</ref> and received its name from Rockdale Baptist Church (est. 1846), which was named after the [[granite]] strata that rests under the county's red [[clay]] top soil.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/r.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030917130018/http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/r.pdf |archive-date=September 17, 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=191 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref>  A bill introduced by John F. Hardin and John Harris carved Rockdale out of the northern portion of [[Newton County, Georgia|Newton County]]; parts of Rockdale County also came from neighboring [[Henry County, Georgia|Henry]], [[Walton County, Georgia|Walton]], [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]], and [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb]] counties.  [[Conyers, Georgia|Conyers]], Rockdale's only incorporated town and urban center, became the county seat.

Prior to Rockdale becoming a county, the land had been inhabited by the [[Muscogee (Creek)|Creek]] and [[Cherokee]]; the boundary between the two native nations, the Hightower Trail, ran directly through the area. Burial remains have been discovered in the Honey Creek and Hi-Roc areas. Whites began migrating to the area in the early 19th century and initial white settlers suffered from Indian raids. Early white settlements developed along Big Haynes Creek in the northern part of the county, the Yellow River in the middle portion of the county, and Honey Creek in the south.

Communities formed around grist mills and newly formed churches such as Haralson Mill, Costleys Mill, Dial Mill, Zacharys Mill, McElroys Mill, Union Grove Baptist Church, Ebenezer Methodist Church, Philadelphia Methodist Church, Salem Baptist Church, Smyrna Presbyterian Church, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Bethel Christian Church, Honey Creek Baptist Church, and Whites Chapel Methodist Church. Other communities included Magnet and Zingara. These settlers were largely subsistence farmers.

During the [[American Civil War]], General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] marched the [[Union Army]] north of Conyers on his way to [[Covington, Georgia|Covington]] from [[Lithonia, Georgia|Lithonia]]. Seizure and destruction of property accompanied his army's march through the area. Many of the residents of Conyers, fearing Sherman would raze the city, fled to nearby [[Social Circle, Georgia|Social Circle]] in Walton County, since Conyers was an important stop on the Georgia Railroad, but Conyers remained unscathed by the war.

The city is a fine example of residential and commercial architecture of the 19th century. According to a historical marker on U.S. Highway 278 west of Conyers, Major General [[Joseph Wheeler]] of the [[Confederate States Army]] and part of his staff were captured by Union troops pursuing [[Jefferson Davis]] on May 9, 1865. Wheeler was later released in [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] only to be recaptured again. He was wounded three times and had his horse shot out from under him sixteen times.

During [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], Conyers and Rockdale County experienced tremendous growth. According to the local newspaper, ''The Weekly Farmer'', the population of Conyers increased from 300 to 2,000. The number of stores, businesses, schools, and churches of the county rapidly multiplied as well. Parts of the county were infamous for [[moonshining]] and the county became dry in 1882, prohibiting the sale and manufacture of liquor except by a licensed pharmacist as prescribed by a physician. The economy of the county was still based primarily on agriculture into the early 20th century. The [[PBS]] documentary ''The Lost Children of Rockdale County'' is about a [[syphilis]] outbreak which occurred in the county during the 1990s.

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|132|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|130|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|2.3|sqmi}} (1.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> It is the second-smallest county in Georgia by area, ahead of [[Clarke County, Georgia|Clarke County.]]

The entirety of Rockdale County is located in the Upper [[Ocmulgee River]] sub-basin of the [[Altamaha 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 18, 2015}}</ref>

===Adjacent counties===

* [[Newton County, Georgia|Newton County]] –  Southeast
* [[Henry County, Georgia|Henry County]] – southwest
* [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb County]] – west
* [[Walton County, Georgia|Walton County]] – northeast
* [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett County]] – north

==Communities==
===City===
* [[Conyers, Georgia|Conyers]]

===Census-designated places===
* [[Lakeview Estates, Georgia|Lakeview Estates]]
* [[Milstead, Georgia|Milstead]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1880 = 6838
| 1890 = 6813
| 1900 = 7515
| 1910 = 8916
| 1920 = 9521
| 1930 = 7247
| 1940 = 7724
| 1950 = 8464
| 1960 = 10572
| 1970 = 18152
| 1980 = 36747
| 1990 = 54091
| 2000 = 70111
| 2010 = 85215
| 2020 = 93570
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 95987
| 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 Decade|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 |publisher=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  |publisher=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  |publisher=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  |publisher=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 - |publisher=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  |publisher=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  |publisher=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;"
|+'''Rockdale County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br /><small>{{nobold|''Note: the U.S. 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 – Rockdale County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=050XX00US13247|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</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) - Rockdale County, Georgia |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2010.P2?q=p2&g=050XX00US13247|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</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) - Rockdale County, Georgia |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=p2&g=050XX00US13247|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|50,967
|34,826
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |24,500
|72.69%
|40.87%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |26.18%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|12,670
|38,996
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |53,785
|18.07%
|45.76%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |57.48%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|166
|179
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |168
|0.24%
|0.21%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |0.18%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|1,339
|1,498
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |1,532
|1.91%
|1.76%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |1.64%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|36
|52
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |72
|0.05%
|0.06%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |0.08%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|100
|230
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |617
|0.14%
|0.27%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |0.66%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|651
|1,371
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |3,356
|0.93%
|1.61%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |3.59%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|4,182
|8,063
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |9,540
|5.96%
|9.46%
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |10.20%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''70,111'''
|'''85,215'''
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |'''93,570'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
| style="background: #ffffe6;" |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 93,570 people, 32,792 households, and 23,533 families residing in the county.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $53,599, and the median income for a family was $60,065. Males had a median income of $41,087 versus $29,189 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $22,300. About 5.70% of families and 8.20% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 10.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

== Education ==
{{Main|Rockdale County School District}}

==Government and policing==
===Rockdale County Sheriff===
The Sheriff's Office provides police patrol to the county areas other than in Conyers which has a municipal police department. The Sheriff also protects the court, maintains the county prison, and provides administration services.

==Politics==
A former [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] stronghold, Rockdale County has undergone a massive shift towards the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] in recent decades, primarily due to large growth of the [[Black flight|African-American population]]. In [[2000 United States presidential election in Georgia|2000]], Republican presidential nominee [[George W. Bush]] won 62.64% of the county's vote, defeating Democrat [[Al Gore]] by 29 percentage points. However, [[2020 United States presidential election in Georgia|just 20 years later]], Democratic nominee [[Joe Biden]] won 69.88% of the county's vote, defeating Republican incumbent [[Donald Trump]] by nearly 41 percentage points. Contrary to national and statewide trends, Rockdale County delivered a larger margin for Democratic nominee [[Kamala Harris]] in [[2024 United States presidential election in Georgia|2024]], who defeated Republican nominee [[Donald Trump]] by 47 percentage points even as Trump narrowly flipped the state of Georgia back to the GOP column.

{{PresHead|place=Rockdale 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 22, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|11,711|33,165|595|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|13,014|31,237|448|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|13,478|23,255|1,354|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|15,716|22,023|417|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|16,921|20,526|337|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|18,856|12,136|214|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|15,440|8,295|914|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|13,006|7,656|2,034|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|11,945|7,003|3,742|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|12,413|4,330|83|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|10,121|3,291|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|5,300|4,395|372|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,974|4,640|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,560|791|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|1,195|1,213|2,215|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,503|1,972|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|496|1,765|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|484|1,779|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|321|1,665|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|146|1,209|126|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|96|946|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|86|1,291|3|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|73|837|1|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|18|461|4|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|156|472|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|24|382|28|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|201|488|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|56|490|73|Georgia}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|51|432|11|Georgia}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="3" | Board of Commissioners
|-
! District
! Commissioner
!Party
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| CHAIR (at-large)
| JaNice Van Ness (chairwoman)
|Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| Post 1
| Tuwanya Smith
|Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| Post 2
| Doreen Williams
|Democratic
|}

==Recreation==
* [[Georgia International Horse Park]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=The Conyers |date=2023 |title=Georgia International Horse Park |url=https://www.georgiahorsepark.com  |access-date=September 29, 2023 |website=Georgia International Horse Park}}</ref>
* Black Shoals Lake and Covered Bridge
* Old Towne Conyers Historic District
* [[Monastery of the Holy Spirit]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trappist.net/|title=Monastery of the Holy Spirit &#124;|website=www.trappist.net|accessdate=February 17, 2024}}</ref>
* Salem Campground<ref>[http://www.salemcampground.org Salem Campground website]</ref>
* Smyrna Campground
* Milstead Historic Mill Village
* [[Panola Mountain State Park]]
* Rockdale Baptist Church
* [[Georgia Revolution]] FC <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.georgiarevsfc.com/|title=Soccer &#124; Georgia Revolution &#124; Mcdonough|website=Georgia Revolution|accessdate=February 17, 2024}}</ref>

==Transportation==
===Major highways===
* {{jct|I|20|US|278|GA|12|GA|402|state=GA}}
* {{jct|GA|20|state=GA}}
* {{jct|GA|138|state=GA}}
* {{jct|GA|162|state=GA}}
* {{jct|GA|212|state=GA}}

===Pedestrians and cycling===
{{div col}}
* [[Arabia Mountain Path]]
* Conyers Trail
* Deer Run Trial
* Rockdale River Trail
* S River Trail
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
* [[Jill Arrington]], [[ESPN]] college football reporter
* [[Billy Buckner]], former Major League Baseball player
* Pop-punk band [[Cartel (band)|Cartel]]'s [[Cartel (band)#Will Pugh|Will Pugh]], [[Joseph Pepper]], [[Jeff Lett]], [[Nic Hudson]], & [[Kevin Sanders (musician)|Kevin Sanders]]
* [[Dave Elder (baseball)|David Elder]], former Major League Baseball player
* [[Dakota Fanning]], actress
* [[Elle Fanning]], actress
* [[Holly Hunter]], actress
* [[John Mark Karr]], [[JonBenét Ramsey]]'s falsely claimed murderer
* [[Clint Mathis]], [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] soccer player
* [[Jack McBrayer]], actor
* [[Kevin Ware]], current college basketball player
* [[E.R. Shipp]] - Pulitzer Prize recipient
* [[Grady Jarrett]] - NFL player

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

==Sources==
* Margaret G. Barksdale, E. L. Cowan, Francis A. King, eds.  ''A History of Rockdale County'' (Conyers, Ga., 1978).
* ''The Heritage of Rockdale County, Georgia'' (Waynesville, N.C., 1998).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050305103605/http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/histcountymaps/rockdalehistmaps.htm Rockdale County Historical Maps]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050304001254/http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/courthouses/rockdaleCH.htm Rockdale County Courthouse]
*[http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/ ''The Rockdale Citizen'' Serving the citizens of Rockdale and Newton Counties]
* [http://www.rockdalenews.net/ The Rockdale News] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323053146/http://rockdalenews.net/ |date=March 23, 2018 }}
* Conyers-Rockdale Chamber of Commerce [https://web.archive.org/web/20041212221939/http://conyers-rockdale.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-2-pid-41.html Wayback Machine]
* Conyers Convention and Visitor's Bureau [https://web.archive.org/web/20040714151436/http://www.conyersga.com/visiting/cvb.aspx Conyers Convention & Visitor's Bureau]
*[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/georgia/ The Lost Children Of Rockdale County] PBS

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Rockdale County, Georgia
|North     = [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett County]]
|Northeast = [[Walton County, Georgia|Walton County]]
|East      = [[Newton County, Georgia|Newton County]]
|Southeast =
|South     = [[Henry County, Georgia|Henry County]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb County]]
|Northwest =
}}
{{Rockdale County, Georgia}}
{{Atlanta Metro}}
{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|33.65|-84.03|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Rockdale County, Georgia| ]]
[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) counties]]
[[Category:Counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area|Rockdale]]
[[Category:1870 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1870]]
[[Category:Black Belt (U.S. region)]]
[[Category:Majority-minority counties in Georgia]]