Richmond County, Georgia

Richmond County is located in the state of Georgia in the U.S. As of the 2020 census, the population was 206,607.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created on February 5, 1777. Following an election in 1995, Augusta (the county seat) consolidated governments with Richmond County. The consolidated entity is known as Augusta-Richmond County, or simply Augusta. Exempt are the cities of Hephzibah and Blythe, in southern Richmond County, which voted to remain separate. Richmond County is included in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metropolitan statistical area.

History

The county is named for Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond, a British politician and office-holder sympathetic to the cause of the American colonies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Richmond was also a first cousin to King George III.

Richmond County was established in 1777 by the first Constitution of the (newly independent) State of Georgia. As such, it is one of the original counties of the state. It was formed from a portion of the colonial Parish of St. Paul after the Revolution disestablished the Church of England in the (former) Royal Province of Georgia.

Geography

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 (1.3%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

The vast majority of Richmond County is located in the Middle Savannah River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, with just the southwestern corner of the county, from a line running north from Blythe through the middle of Fort Eisenhower, located in the Brier Creek sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

• Edgefield County, South Carolina (north)
• Aiken County, South Carolina (northeast)
• Burke County (south)
• Jefferson County (southwest)
• McDuffie County (west)
• Columbia County (northwest)

Pedestrians and cycling

• Augusta Canal Historic Trail
• New Bartram Trail
• Phinizy Swamp Constructed Wetlands Trail
• River Levee Trail
• Riverwalk Augusta Trail

Communities

Cities

• Augusta (county seat)
• Blythe
• Hephzibah

Army installation

• Fort Eisenhower

Demographics

Richmond County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
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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)	88,660	76,236	68,397	44.38%	38.01%	33.10%
Black or African American alone (NH)	98,584	107,365	112,947	49.35%	53.54%	54.67%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	506	570	511	0.25%	0.28%	0.25%
Asian alone (NH)	2,949	3,278	3,907	1.48%	1.63%	1.89%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	228	374	391	0.11%	0.19%	0.19%
Other race alone (NH)	361	310	905	0.18%	0.15%	0.44%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	2,942	4,209	8,100	1.47%	2.10%	3.92%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5,545	8,207	11,449	2.78%	4.09%	5.54%
Total	199,775	200,549	206,607	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 206,607 people, 68,361 households, and 42,363 families residing in the county.

Politics

Similar to most urban counties in the state with majority African American populations, Richmond County has backed the Democratic Party candidate by increasing margins since 1992. However, in every presidential election from 1952 to 1988 which did not have Georgian Jimmy Carter on the ballot, the county backed the Republican candidate for president. In 1968 it was one of only eight counties in Georgia where George Wallace came in third. Prior to 1952, the county voted like a typical Solid South county, voting for Democratic presidential candidates by landslide margins until backing Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond in 1948. 1928 was an exception to this rule with Herbert Hoover beating Al Smith handily due to anti-Catholic sentiment. 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

Transportation

Major highways

• Template:Jct (Interstate 20)
• Template:Jct (Interstate 520)
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• Template:Jct (Augusta)
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• Template:Jct (Augusta)
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• Template:Jct (unsigned designation for I-20)
• Template:Jct (unsigned designation for I-520)
• Template:Jct (Fall Line Freeway)
• Template:Jct (Savannah River Parkway)

Education

All of Richmond County is in the Richmond County School System.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Notable people

• David E. Twiggs
• John Twiggs
• Levi Twiggs

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Richmond County, Georgia
• Richmond County School System
• New Savannah, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia

Further reading

• A. Ray Rowland (ed.), Historical Markers of Richmond County, Georgia. Augusta, GA: Richmond County Historical Society, 1966.
• Richmond County History. Augusta, GA: Richmond County Historical Society, 1969-date. —Journal, established Winter 1969.

External links

• Official website of Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government
• Documents from Richmond County in the Digital Library of Georgia
• Georgia Department of Transportation map of Richmond County (Note: map uses pre-consolidation city boundaries)