Echols County, Georgia

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Echols County (Template:IPAc-en) is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,697. The county seat is Statenville.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Since 2008,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Statenville is a disincorporated municipality. Echols and Webster counties are the only two counties in Georgia to currently have no incorporated municipalities. The county was established in 1858 and named in honor of Robert Milner Echols<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (1798–1847). Echols County is part of the Valdosta, GA metropolitan statistical area.

History

On December 13, 1858, the Georgia General Assembly passed a bill establishing Echols County from a south-eastern section of Lowndes County and a south-western section Clinch County. The original borders of the county were a line from the mouth of the Suwanoochee Creek directly south to the state line, then along the state line, then north to the junction of Grand Bay Creek and Mud Swamp, then up the course of Grand Bay Creek to Carter's Ford, then a direct line to where Cow's Creek enters the Alapaha River, then up the creek to Griffins' Mill, then a direct line to Jack's Fort on Suwanoochee Creek, and then down Suwanoochee Creek to its mouth. With the exception of some minor adjustments of the border Echols shares with Lowndes and the loss of a thin strip to Florida following Florida v. Georgia, the borders of Echols County has changed little since its establishment. Statenville was declared the county seat in 1859.

At the time of the 1860 census, Echols County had a white population of 1,177, with 314 slaves, and no free people of color.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Echols County became notable as it has served as a place of banishment for many of Georgia's criminals. As the Georgia State Constitution forbids banishment beyond the borders of the state, officials instead ban the offender from 158 of Georgia's 159 counties, with Echols remaining as their only option.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Few criminals have been documented as actually moving to Echols.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This is because almost all banished criminals choose to leave the state instead of moving to Echols County.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Banishment, including 158-county banishment, has repeatedly been upheld by Georgia courts. The first case when banishment was upheld was in the 1974 case State v Collett, when the Georgia Supreme Court upheld the banishment of a drug dealer from seven counties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The most recent time banishment was upheld, in 2011, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional to banish David Nathan Thompson (a mentally ill man who was convicted of firing a gun into a home, although no one was injured) from all but one county in Georgia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 (1.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The county contains a notable swamp, Whitehead Bay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The western half of Echols County is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern half of the county, from well east of Statenville to just west of Fargo, is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

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Major waterways

Alapaha River
Alapahoochee River
Grand Bay Creek (known in the 1800s as Irwin's River and later as Irwin's Creek)
Suwannee River
Suwanoochee Creek

Railways

Georgia Southern and Florida Railway
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Plant System (now part of CSX)
Statenville Railway (Defunct, it was used from 1910 to 1924. It ran from Statenville to Haylow, Georgia)

Adjacent counties

Clinch County – northeast
Columbia County, Florida – southeast
Hamilton County, Florida – south
Lowndes County – west
Lanier County – north

Unincorporated communities

Extinct town

Tarver (formerly Statenville Station and Huckleberry)

Demographics

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**Echols 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)	2,688	2,555	2,328	71.60%	63.34%	62.97%
Black or African American alone (NH)	252	163	147	6.71%	4.04%	3.98%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	43	55	37	1.15%	1.36%	1.00%
Asian alone (NH)	3	12	8	0.08%	0.30%	0.22%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	1	0	0.00%	0.02%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	1	9	2	0.03%	0.22%	0.05%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	28	56	84	0.75%	1.39%	2.27%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	739	1,183	1,091	19.69%	29.33%	29.51%
Total	3,754	4,034	3,697	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,697 people, 1,561 households, and 1,097 families residing in the county.

Education

File:Echols County Board of Education.jpg

Echols County School District headquarters

Template:Main Echols County School District, the only school district in the county,<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> operates public schools.

Politics

Echols County is one of the most Republican counties in Georgia, having voted over 90% for Donald Trump in 2024.

Notes

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References

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External links

Echols County historical marker
Wayfare or Cow Creek Church historical marker

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