Echols County, Georgia

Echols County, Georgia
File:EcholsCoCourthouse.jpg Echols County Courthouse in Statenville
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 13, 1858
Named for	Robert Milner Echols
Seat	Statenville
Largest community	Statenville
Area
• Total	421 sq mi (1,090 km2)
• Land	415 sq mi (1,075 km2)
• Water	5.8 sq mi (15 km2), 1.4%
Population
• (2010)	4,034
• Density	10/sq mi (4/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.echolscountygeorgia.com

Echols County /ˈɛkʊz/ is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,034. The county seat is Statenville. Statenville is a disincorporated municipality. Echols and Webster County 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 (1798–1847).

Echols County is part of the Valdosta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Echols County has become notable in recent years 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. Few criminals have been documented as actually moving to Echols. This is because almost all banished criminals choose to leave the state instead of move to Echols County.

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 Ga Supreme Court upheld the banishment of a drug dealer from seven counties. The most recent time banishment was upheld, in 2011, the Ga 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 nobody was injured) from all but one county in Georgia.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 421 square miles (1,090 km²), of which 415 square miles (1,070 km²) is land and 5.8 square miles (15 km²) (1.4%) is water. The county contains a notable swamp, Whitehead Bay.

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.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 41
• U.S. Route 129
• U.S. Route 441
• State Route 7
• State Route 11
• State Route 89
• State Route 94
• State Route 135
• State Route 187
• State Route 376

Major waterways

• Alapaha 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
• 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

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	1,491		—
1870	1,978		32.7%
1880	2,553		29.1%
1890	3,079		20.6%
1900	3,209		4.2%
1910	3,309		3.1%
1920	3,313		0.1%
1930	2,744		−17.2%
1940	2,964		8.0%
1950	2,494		−15.9%
1960	1,876		−24.8%
1970	1,924		2.6%
1980	2,297		19.4%
1990	2,334		1.6%
2000	3,754		60.8%
2010	4,034		7.5%
Est. 2014	4,003		−0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,754 people, 1,264 households, and 936 families residing in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 1,482 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 77.14% White, 6.93% Black or African American, 1.15% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 13.69% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 19.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,264 households out of which 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.60% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.90% were non-families. 18.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the county, the population was spread out with 29.30% under the age of 18, 12.50% from 18 to 24, 30.80% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 116.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,851, and the median income for a family was $27,700. Males had a median income of $24,650 versus $17,297 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,727. 28.70% of the population and 22.30% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 33.10% are under the age of 18 and 29.80% are 65 or older.

2005 Estimates

In 2005 63.1% of the county population was non-Hispanic whites, 27.3% Hispanics, 8.8% African-Americans and 1.0% Native Americans.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 4,034 people, 1,329 households, and 1,029 families residing in the county. The population density was 9.7 inhabitants per square mile (3.7/km²). There were 1,558 housing units at an average density of 3.8 per square mile (1.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.9% white, 4.2% black or African American, 1.8% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 15.8% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 29.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 11.8% were German, 8.6% were Irish, 5.8% were American, and 5.3% were English.

Of the 1,329 households, 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 22.6% were non-families, and 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.04 and the average family size was 3.33. The median age was 31.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,390 and the median income for a family was $33,664. Males had a median income of $28,613 versus $20,208 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,201. About 21.4% of families and 32.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.8% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Main article: Echols County School District

Communities

• Alexis
• Alexanderville
• Bamberg
• Barnes Still
• Bohannon
• Christian
• Dayton
• Finlayson
• Fruitland
• Statenville
• Haylow
• Howell
• Levere
• Mercer
• Moonlight
• Needmore
• Mayday
• Paul
• Potter
• Prescott
• Tarver (formerly Statenville Station and Huckleberry)
• Troublesome
• Valentine

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Echols County, Georgia