Editing Sumter County, Georgia

{{Short description|County in Georgia, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Sumter County
 | state                = Georgia
 | seal                 = SumterCountyGeorgiaLogo.png
 | seal size            = 85px
 | logo                 = SumterCountyGeorgiaLogo.svg
 | logo size            = 135px
 | founded year         = {{start date and age|1831}}
 | founded date         = December 26
 | seat wl              = Americus
 | largest city wl      = Americus
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 493
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 483
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 10
 | area percentage      = 2.0%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 29616
 | density_sq_mi        = 61
 | time zone            = Eastern
 | footnotes            = 
 | website              = {{URL|https://www.sumtercountyga.us/|sumtercountyga.us}}
 | ex image             = Sumter County Courthouse, Americus.JPG
 | ex image cap         = Sumter County Courthouse in Americus
 | named for            = [[Thomas Sumter]]
 | district             = 2nd
}}

'''Sumter County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the [[West Georgia (region)|west-central portion]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], its population was 29,616.<ref>{{cite web|title=Census - Geography Profile: Sumter County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Sumter_County,_Georgia?g=0500000US13261|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 28, 2022}}</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Americus, Georgia|Americus]].<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> The county was created on December 26, 1831.

Sumter County is part of the Americus [[Americus micropolitan area|micropolitan statistical area]].

==History==

=== Foundation and antebellum years ===
Sumter County was established by an act of the [[Georgia state legislature|state legislature]] on December 26, 1831, four years after the [[Creek Indians]] were forced from the region when the state acquired the territory from them in the 1825 [[Treaty of Indian Springs (1825)|Treaty of Indian Springs]]. Sumter, the state's 80th county, was created after population increases by a division of [[Lee County, Georgia|Lee County]], now situated to its south. The county was named for former General and [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[Thomas Sumter]] (1734–1832) of South Carolina.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA216 | title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States | publisher=Routledge | date=May 13, 2013 | access-date=November 30, 2013 | author=Hellmann, Paul T. | pages=216| isbn=978-1135948597 }}</ref> When the county was organized, Sumter was 97 years old and the last surviving general of the [[American Revolution]] (1775–1783).

Shortly thereafter, a committee chose a central site for the county seat, and laid out what became the town of [[Americus, Georgia|Americus]]. Many of the county's earliest white residents acquired their land through an 1827 state [[land lottery]]. Like many other white settlers, they quickly developed their property for cotton cultivation. Since the invention of the cotton gin at the end of the 18th century, short-staple cotton was the crop of choice throughout the [[Black Belt in the American South|Black Belt of the South]].

The rich, black soil, combined with ready market access via the [[Flint River (Georgia)|Flint River]] (bordering the county on the east) or the [[Chattahoochee River]] (farther west), put Sumter among the state's most prosperous Black Belt counties by the 1840s and 1850s. Cotton agriculture was economically dependent on [[Slavery in the United States|enslaved African Americans]]. By the [[1850 United States census|1850 census]], the demographic makeup of the county had become 6,469 whites, 3,835 enslaved African Americans, and 18 [[free people of color]]. By the [[1860 United States census|1860 census]], the county had 4,536 whites, 4,890 enslaved African Americans and two free people of color.

===Civil War years===
During the American Civil War (1861–65), the small village named Andersonville, {{convert|9|mi|km|abbr=on}} north of Americus on the county's northern edge, was selected by Confederate authorities as the site for a [[prisoner-of-war]] camp. The [[Andersonville prison]] was built in neighboring [[Macon County, Georgia|Macon County]], and became the largest such prison in the South. During the camp's 14 months of operations, some 45,000 Union prisoners suffered some of the worst conditions and highest casualties of any of the camps. Today, the [[Andersonville National Historic Site]] serves as a memorial to all American prisoners of war throughout the nation's history. The {{convert|495|acre|km2|adj=on}} park lies in both Macon and Sumter Counties and consists of the historic prison site and the National Cemetery, which originally was reserved for the Union dead.

===Into modernity===
Other areas of the county have attracted national attention in the 20th century for very different reasons. In 1942, two [[Baptist church|Baptist]] ministers chose a farm in the western part of the county as the location for a Christian commune named [[Koinonia Partners|Koinonia]], where Black and White workers lived and worked together for nearly 50 years, generating some hostility among local residents during its early years.

Sumter County counts a U.S. president among its native sons. [[Jimmy Carter]] was born and raised on a peanut farm in [[Plains, Georgia|Plains]], a small community on the county's western edge. His election to the presidency in 1976 brought the small town considerable attention from journalists and tourists, which it continues to receive as the Carters lived in Plains until their respective deaths and much of their family still makes Plains their home. The [[Jimmy Carter National Historical Park]], which includes Carter's birthplace, childhood home, high school, train depot that served as his campaign headquarters along with the Carter family home and burial site, is located in and around Plains. All of the sites at the park are open for tours except for the Carter home and burial site, which are under renovation.

The headquarters of [[Habitat for Humanity International]], a nonprofit organization whose mission is to eliminate [[homelessness]], is located in Americus, the home of its founder, [[Millard Fuller]]. In addition to Habitat's socially impactful activities, Koinonia Partners publishes a bimonthly newsletter for the Prison and Jail Project promoting prisoner reform and education. Americus is also home to two colleges. [[Georgia Southwestern State University]], a public four-year institution established in 1906, is part of the [[University System of Georgia]]. [[South Georgia Technical College]], which stands near [[Souther Field]], was a training base for American and British aviators during [[World War I]] (1917–18). [[Charles Lindbergh]] learned to fly here and assembled a military surplus "Jenny" aircraft with the help of mechanics at Souther Field. Downtown Americus boasts two prominent examples of historic restoration: the [[Windsor Hotel (Americus, Georgia)|Windsor Hotel]], built in 1892, and the Rylander Theatre, which originally opened in 1921.

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|493|sqmi|abbr=on}}, of which {{convert|483|sqmi|abbr=on}} are land and {{convert|10|sqmi|abbr=on}} (2.0%) are covered by 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}}</ref>

[[Muckalee Creek]] flows through Sumter County, which also contains [[Lake Blackshear]] and [[Kinchafoonee Creek]].

The western two-thirds of Sumter County, from northeast of Americus to southwest of [[Leslie, Georgia|Leslie]], is located in the [[Kinchafoonee Creek|Kinchafoonee]]-[[Muckalee Creek|Muckalee]] subbasin of the [[ACF River Basin]] (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The eastern third of the county is located in the Middle [[Flint River (Georgia)|Flint River]] subbasin of the same 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}}</ref>

===Major highways===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[File:US 19.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 19 in Georgia|U.S. Route 19]]
* [[File:US 280.svg|23px]] [[U.S. Route 280 in Georgia|U.S. Route 280]]
* [[File:Georgia 3.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 3|State Route 3]]
* [[File:Georgia 27.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 27|State Route 27]]
* [[File:Georgia 30.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 30|State Route 30]]
* [[File:Georgia 45.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 45|State Route 45]]
* [[File:Georgia 49.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 49|State Route 49]]
* [[File:Georgia 118.svg|23px]] [[Georgia State Route 118|State Route 118]]
* [[File:Georgia 153.svg|23px]] [[Georgia State Route 153|State Route 153]]
* [[File:Georgia 195.svg|23px]] [[Georgia State Route 195|State Route 195]]
* [[File:Georgia 228.svg|23px]] [[Georgia State Route 228|State Route 228]]
* [[File:Georgia 271.svg|23px]] [[Georgia State Route 271|State Route 271]]
* [[File:Georgia 308.svg|23px]] [[Georgia State Route 308|State Route 308]]
* [[File:Georgia 377.svg|23px]] [[Georgia State Route 377|State Route 377]]
{{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties===
{{div col}}
* [[Macon County, Georgia|Macon County]] (northeast)
* [[Dooly County, Georgia|Dooly County]] (east)
* [[Crisp County, Georgia|Crisp County]] (southeast)
* [[Lee County, Georgia|Lee County]] (south)
* [[Terrell County, Georgia|Terrell County]] (southwest)
* [[Webster County, Georgia|Webster County]] (west)
* [[Marion County, Georgia|Marion County]] (northwest)
* [[Schley County, Georgia|Schley County]] (north)
{{div col end}}

===National protected areas===
* [[Andersonville National Historic Site]] (part)
* [[Jimmy Carter National Historical Park]]

==Communities==
===Cities===
* [[Americus, Georgia|Americus]] (county seat)
* [[Andersonville, Georgia|Andersonville]]
* [[De Soto, Georgia|De Soto]]
* [[Leslie, Georgia|Leslie]]
* [[Plains, Georgia|Plains]]

===Unincorporated community===
* [[Cobb, Georgia|Cobb]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1840 = 5759
| 1850 = 10322
| 1860 = 9428
| 1870 = 16559
| 1880 = 18239
| 1890 = 22107
| 1900 = 26212
| 1910 = 29092
| 1920 = 29640
| 1930 = 26800
| 1940 = 24502
| 1950 = 24208
| 1960 = 24652
| 1970 = 26931
| 1980 = 29360
| 1990 = 30228
| 2000 = 33200
| 2010 = 32819
| 2020 = 29616
|estyear=2023
|estimate=28890
|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;"
|+'''Sumter 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 – Jefferson County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=050XX00US13261|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) – Sumter County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=050XX00US13261&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|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) – Sumter County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=050XX00US13261&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|15,672
|13,413
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |11,528
|47.20%
|40.87%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |38.92%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|16,196
|16,894
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |15,051
|48.78%
|51.48%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |50.82%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|73
|95
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |40
|0.22%
|0.29%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |0.14%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|193
|418
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |503
|0.58%
|1.27%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |1.70%
|-
|[[Native Hawaiian]] or [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|6
|9
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |4
|0.02%
|0.03%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |0.01%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|10
|12
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |55
|0.03%
|0.04%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |0.19%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|159
|261
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |665
|0.48%
|0.80%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |2.25%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|891
|1,717
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |1,770
|2.68%
|5.23%
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |5.98%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''33,200'''
|'''32,819'''
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |'''29,616'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
| style="background: #ffffe6; " |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 29,616 people, 11,510 households, and 7,256 families residing in the county.

==Economy==
Sumter remains largely a rural county. According to USDA/Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service 2001 figures, cotton remains its major crop, with up to {{convert|35000|acre|km2}} under cultivation, followed by wheat, peanuts, and corn, which when combined, roughly equal the county's acreage in cotton.

Its major employers include [[Cooper Lighting]], [[Georgia Southwestern State University]], Magnolia Manor, Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, and [[Walmart]].<ref>Sumter County at a Glance, ''The [[New Georgia Encyclopedia]]'' (citing the [[Georgia Department of Labor]] (2008)).</ref>

==Politics==
Sumter County was a swing county in presidential elections. Since 1960, it has voted Democratic eight times, including in 1976, when Sumter County native [[Jimmy Carter]] was elected, Republican six times, and for a third-party candidate ([[George Wallace]]) once. The last candidate to carry the county by more than 10 points was [[Bill Clinton]] in 1996.

The county voted for the winner of the presidential election each year from 1984 to 2012, sticking with the Democrats (Carter's party) in 2016 when [[Hillary Clinton]] won a plurality of the vote. In 2024, [[Kamala Harris]] won the county with a majority, despite losing Georgia and the presidential election.

{{PresHead|place=Sumter 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|5,869|6,136|112|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|5,733|6,314|103|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|5,276|5,520|251|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|5,378|6,375|103|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|5,717|6,454|84|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|5,688|5,562|48|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|4,847|4,748|102|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|3,358|4,239|467|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|3,616|4,489|1,063|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|4,289|3,332|47|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|4,607|3,725|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|2,957|4,956|147|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,053|5,328|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|4,533|1,268|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|1,383|1,701|3,489|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|3,774|1,727|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|962|2,274|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|730|2,149|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|1,068|2,455|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|256|1,018|870|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|194|1,550|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|118|1,561|13|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|58|1,870|6|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|57|1,619|16|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|294|1,237|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|124|1,225|113|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|296|1,076|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|40|1,065|38|Georgia}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|19|1,004|24|Georgia}}

==Education==
[[Sumter County School District (Georgia)|Sumter County School District]] operates public schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13261_sumter/DC20SD_C13261.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sumter County, GA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-01}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13261_sumter/DC20SD_C13261_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

[[Southland Academy]] is a private school in Americus.

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

==References==
:{{NGE|John C. Inscoe|the University of Georgia|January 2, 2008|703}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{AmCyc Poster|Sumter|Sumter County, Georgia}}
* Jimmy Carter, ''An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood'' (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001).
* Jack F. Cox, ''History of Sumter County, Georgia'' (Roswell, Ga.: W. H. Wolfe, 1983).
* ''Freedomways: A Newsletter of the Prison and Jail Project'' (Americus, Ga.: Koinonia Partners, 1995– ).
* William Marvel, ''Andersonville: The Last Depot'' (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1994).

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Sumter County, Georgia
|North     = [[Schley County, Georgia|Schley County]]
|Northeast = [[Macon County, Georgia|Macon County]]
|East      = [[Dooly County, Georgia|Dooly County]]
|Southeast = [[Crisp County, Georgia|Crisp County]]
|South     = [[Lee County, Georgia|Lee County]]
|Southwest = [[Terrell County, Georgia|Terrell County]]
|West      = [[Webster County, Georgia|Webster County]]
|Northwest = [[Marion County, Georgia|Marion County]]
}}
{{Sumter County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|32.04|-84.20|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Sumter County, Georgia| ]]
[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) counties]]
[[Category:1831 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1831]]
[[Category:Americus, Georgia micropolitan area]]
[[Category:Articles containing material imported from the New Georgia Encyclopedia]]
[[Category:Black Belt (U.S. region)]]
[[Category:Majority-minority counties in Georgia]]