Editing Taylor County, Georgia

{{Short description|County in Georgia, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Taylor County
 | state                = Georgia
 | seal                 = 
 | founded              = {{start date and age|1852|01|15}}
 | seat wl              = Butler
 | largest city wl      = Butler
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 380
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 377
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 3.0
 | area percentage      = 0.8%
 | census yr            = 2020
 | pop                  = 7816
 | pop_est_as_of        = 2023
 | population_est       = 7758	{{loss}}
 | density_sq_mi        = auto
 | web                  = 
 | named for            = [[Zachary Taylor]]
 | ex image             = Taylor County, GA Courthouse.JPG
 | ex image cap         = [[Taylor County Courthouse (Georgia)|Taylor County Courthouse]] in Butler
 | district             = 2nd
 | time zone            = Eastern }}

'''Taylor County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] located in the west central portion of the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 7,816.<ref>{{cite web|title=Census - Geography Profile: Taylor County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Taylor_County,_Georgia?g=0500000US13269|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 29, 2022}}</ref> The [[county seat]] and largest city is [[Butler, Georgia|Butler]].<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>

==History==
Taylor County was created on January 15, 1852, by an act of the [[Georgia General Assembly]] from portions of [[Macon County, Georgia|Macon]], [[Marion County, Georgia|Marion]] and [[Talbot County, Georgia|Talbot]] counties. The county is named for [[Zachary Taylor]], twelfth [[President of the United States]].<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/t.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030917143007/http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/t.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=222 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref>

Taylor County is also widely known for its history of racism and Jim Crow era subjugation of its African-American populace, which continued long into the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Klibanoff|first=Hank|date=October 13, 2010|title=Maceo Snipes – The Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project|url=https://coldcases.emory.edu/maceo-snipes/|access-date=October 13, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Barry|first=Dan|date=October 13, 2020|title=Killing and Segregated Plaque Divide Town|website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/us/18land.html}}</ref> An especially egregious case is the 1946 lynching of [[Murder of Maceo Snipes|Maceo Snipes]], a World War II veteran and the first African-American to vote in Taylor County, for which he was murdered by the KKK on his doorstep in the hours following. Although not immediately succumbing to his wounds, Mr. Snipes death was eventually caused by the lack of availability of "black blood", or transfusions from a black person, at a [[Butler, Georgia]] hospital to which he was forced to walk three miles with gunshot wounds to his back. The murderers were never tried or otherwise held to account for their crimes, despite the involvement of the FBI. Mr. Snipes' murder was a motivating factor in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s first and only letter to the ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|Atlanta Constitution]]'' at age 17, decrying the terrorism [[Moore's Ford lynchings|experienced by black citizens]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 13, 2020|title=4359004-GBI-Moore-s-Ford-File|url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4359004-GBI-Moore-s-Ford-File.html}}</ref> in the state at that time, which occurred largely at the hands of or with the blessing of the local and state authorities.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaminsky|first=Mia|date=October 13, 2020|title=Self-Defense Alibis and the Myth of Black Criminality|url=https://coldcases.emory.edu/self-defense-alibis-and-the-myth-of-black-criminality/|access-date=October 13, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Black Veterans Killed in Fight for Democracy in U.S.|url=https://www.zinnedproject.org/collection/black-veterans/}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|380|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|377|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|3.0|sqmi}} (0.8%) 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}}</ref>

Taylor County is dissected by the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|Fall Line]] geological formation. The upper half of the county is located in the [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] region and consists of gently rolling hills and [[clay]]-based soils. The lower half of the county is located in the Upper [[Atlantic Coastal Plain]] and is markedly flatter and the soil more sandy. The [[Flint River (Georgia)|Flint River]] marks the entirety of the county's northeastern border.

The county is driven by a largely agricultural economy. [[Peach]]es, [[Strawberry|strawberries]], [[pecan]]s, [[peanut]]s, [[watermelon]]s, and [[cotton]] are the most commonly raised crops. Lumbering is also important to the local economy. The county is heavily forested in most areas due in part to the many large [[plantation]] pine farms. There are also many desirable hardwood forests, especially along the Flint River basin and tributary streams. The southwestern portion of the county is covered with large [[sandhill]]s that have given rise to several stable sand mining operations.

The county supports a very healthy population of animals, including [[white-tailed deer]], [[wild turkey]], [[eastern cottontail]], [[raccoon]], [[coyote]], [[bobcat]], [[nine-banded armadillo]], [[Virginia opossum]], [[red-tailed hawk]], and the federally endangered [[Gopherus polyphemus|Florida gopher tortoise]]. Taylor County is home to five of North America's [[venomous snake]]s ([[Crotalus adamanteus|eastern diamondback rattlesnake]], [[timber rattlesnake]], [[Sistrurus miliarius|Carolina pygmy rattlesnake]], [[Micrurus fulvius|eastern coral snake]], [[Agkistrodon piscivorus|water moccasin]], and [[Agkistrodon contortrix|copperhead]]), representing every North American family of venomous snake.

The dominant tree species are [[Quercus falcata|southern red oak]], [[Quercus stellata|post oak]], [[Pinus palustris|longleaf pine]], [[Pinus taeda|loblolly pine]], [[Liquidambar styraciflua|sweetgum]], and [[Acer rubrum|red maple]]. Taylor County contains the largest stands of [[Chamaecyparis thyoides|Atlantic white cedar]] in the state of Georgia. These stands can be found along much of Whitewater and Little Whitewater creeks and are at the heart of a growing movement to conserve these unique plant communities for posterity.

The vast majority of Taylor County is located in the Upper [[Flint River (Georgia)|Flint River]] sub-basin of the [[ACF River Basin]] (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with the exception of a tiny corner of the county just north of [[Mauk, Georgia|Georgia]], which is located in the Middle [[Chattahoochee River]]-[[Walter F. George Lake]] sub-basin 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 22, 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 80.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 80 in Georgia|U.S. Route 80]]
* [[File:Georgia 3.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 3|State Route 3]]
* [[File:Georgia 22.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 22|State Route 22]]
* [[File:Georgia 90.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 90|State Route 90]]
* [[File:Georgia 96.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 96|State Route 96]]
* [[File:Georgia 127.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 127|State Route 127]]
* [[File:Georgia 128.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 128|State Route 128]]
* [[File:Georgia 137.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 137|State Route 137]]
* [[File:Georgia 208.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 208|State Route 208]]
* [[File:Georgia 540.svg|20px]] [[Fall Line Freeway|State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)]]
{{div col end}}

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Upson County, Georgia|Upson County]] (north)
* [[Crawford County, Georgia|Crawford County]] (northeast)
* [[Peach County, Georgia|Peach County]] (east)
* [[Macon County, Georgia|Macon County]] (southeast)
* [[Schley County, Georgia|Schley County]] (south)
* [[Marion County, Georgia|Marion County]] (southwest)
* [[Talbot County, Georgia|Talbot County]] (northwest)

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

===Town===
* [[Reynolds, Georgia|Reynolds]]

===Census-designated place===
* [[Howard, Georgia|Howard]]

===Unincorporated communities===
* [[Mauk, Georgia|Mauk]]
* [[Rupert, Georgia|Rupert]]
* [[Charing, Georgia|Charing]]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 5998
|1870= 7143
|1880= 8597
|1890= 8666
|1900= 9846
|1910= 10839
|1920= 11473
|1930= 10617
|1940= 10768
|1950= 9113
|1960= 8311
|1970= 7865
|1980= 7902
|1990= 7642
|2000= 8815
|2010= 8906
|2020= 7816
|estyear=2023
|estimate=7758
|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 |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="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13269.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 26, 2014|archive-date=December 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218092430/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13269.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Taylor County racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US13269&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 18, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|4,584
|58.65%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|2,807
|35.91%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|27
|0.35%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|29
|0.37%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|2
|0.03%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|199
|2.55%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|168
|2.15%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 7,816 people, 3,473 households, and 2,208 families residing in the county.

==Politics==
{{PresHead|place=Taylor County, Georgia|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|2,600|1,366|16|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|2,420|1,388|34|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|2,064|1,296|48|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|1,948|1,572|20|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|2,021|1,536|30|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|1,912|1,458|13|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|1,412|1,340|28|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,002|1,450|201|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,078|1,508|286|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|1,145|1,134|5|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|1,292|1,340|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|815|1,845|38|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|504|1,962|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|1,580|514|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|393|691|1,626|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|1,372|1,097|1|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|365|1,201|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|276|1,359|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|277|1,679|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|99|638|364|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|269|773|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|213|796|2|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|147|771|3|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|44|685|3|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|353|590|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|96|370|20|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|211|491|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|113|405|57|Georgia}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|98|342|17|Georgia}}

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

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q3076753|id=tt0463996|title=For One Night (2006)}}
* Official Site: http://taylorcountyga.com

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Taylor County, Georgia
|North     = [[Upson County, Georgia|Upson County]]
|Northeast = [[Crawford County, Georgia|Crawford County]]
|East      = [[Peach County, Georgia|Peach County]]
|Southeast = [[Macon County, Georgia|Macon County]]
|South     = [[Schley County, Georgia|Schley County]]
|Southwest = [[Marion County, Georgia|Marion County]]
|West      =
|Northwest = [[Talbot County, Georgia|Talbot County]]
}}
{{Taylor County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}
{{Zachary Taylor}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|32.55|-84.25|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990}}

[[Category:Taylor County, Georgia| ]]
[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) counties]]
[[Category:1852 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1852]]