Union County, Georgia

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Union County, Georgia
Old Union County Courthouse in Blairsville
Location in the state of Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1832
Seat	Blairsville
Largest city	Blairsville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	329 sq mi (852 km²) 322 sq mi (834 km²) 7.1 sq mi (18 km²), 2.2
Population  - (2010)  - Density	21,356 66/sq mi (25/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	http://www.unioncountyga.gov/
Footnotes: Vanishing site of Kristi Cornwell

Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,356. The county seat is Blairsville.

Its Sole commissioner is Lamar Paris, who has served since 2001.

History

Union County was carved from Cherokee County territory during the Georgia Land Lottery of 1832. Originally inhabited by Native Americans, the area became more desirable to white settlers with the discovery of gold in the 1820s.

The Union Party, a political group that supported removing the Indians and opening the area to white settlers, is the probable inspiration for the county’s name. Upon entering the town of Blairsville, Georgia, one can see a plaque crediting John Thomas (former Justice of the Inferior Court and serving Union County in the Georgia House of Representatives in 1833) for giving the county the name of Union. When asked to suggest a name, he is reported to have said, "Name it Union, for none but union-like men reside in it." Since the county was founded almost 30 years before the U.S. Civil War, Union County obviously was not named in sympathy for the North, as is sometimes thought. County residents, however, were largely pro-Union in the years leading up to the war, as was true of much of Georgia's mountainous north, and the county's delegates to the state convention of 1861 voted against secession. When the state seceded, most Union County residents supported the Confederacy, and the majority of its Civil War soldiers fought on the Confederate side, although a significant minority fought for the Union. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the county's memorial to its generations of war dead may be the only one in the South that specifically includes homage to Union soldiers and to American Indians who fought white settlement.

Union County is sometimes called "The Top of Georgia" because Brasstown Bald is partly in the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 329 square miles (850 km²), of which 322 square miles (830 km²) is land and 7.1 square miles (18 km²) (2.2%) is water. Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia, rises in southeast Union County, straddling the Towns County line. The central and northern portion of Union County is located in the Hiwassee River sub-basin of the Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee basin, while the southwestern portion of the county is located in the Ocoee River sub-basin of the same larger watershed. A very small portion of the county's southeastern corner is located in the Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, also listed as simply the Apalachicola Basin by USGS). This is also where the source of the Chattahoochee is found.

Adjacent counties

• Cherokee County, North Carolina (north)
• Clay County, North Carolina (northeast)
• Towns County (east)
• White County (southeast)
• Lumpkin County (south)
• Fannin County (west)

National protected area

• Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Route 19
• U.S. Route 76
• U.S. Route 129
• State Route 2
• State Route 11
• State Route 60
• State Route 180
• State Route 325
• State Route 348
• State Route 515

Other roads

• Blue Ridge Highway (Old US 76/Old SR 2)
• Skeenah Gap Road
• Town Creek School Road
• Mulky Gap Road
• Owltown Road
• Spiva Bridge Way
• Gumlog Road
• Loving Road
• Nottely Dam Road (Old SR 325). Not all of Nottely Dam Road remains a state route.
• Pat Haralson Memorial Drive
• Trackrock Gap Road

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	3,152		—
1850	7,234		129.5%
1860	4,413		−39.0%
1870	5,267		19.4%
1880	6,431		22.1%
1890	7,749		20.5%
1900	8,481		9.4%
1910	6,918		−18.4%
1920	6,455		−6.7%
1930	6,340		−1.8%
1940	7,680		21.1%
1950	7,318		−4.7%
1960	6,510		−11.0%
1970	6,811		4.6%
1980	9,390		37.9%
1990	11,993		27.7%
2000	17,289		44.2%
2010	21,356		23.5%
Est. 2016	22,928		32.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,289 people, 7,159 households, and 5,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 10,001 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.94% White, 0.58% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Union County was mentioned as an "Extreme Whitopia", a place with a high concentration of white residents, in Rich Benjamin's book, Searching for Whitopia. (Because American Indians were forced out, and black slavery was virtually nonexistent in this part of the Georgia mountains, the county has had a minuscule nonwhite population for almost 200 years.)

There were 7,159 households out of which 24.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.90% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the county, the population was spread out with 20.00% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 28.20% from 45 to 64, and 21.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,893, and the median income for a family was $39,776. Males had a median income of $29,127 versus $20,871 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,845. About 9.30% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.10% of those under age 18 and 15.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 21,356 people, 9,116 households, and 6,382 families residing in the county. The population density was 66.3 inhabitants per square mile (25.6 /km²). There were 14,052 housing units at an average density of 43.6 per square mile (16.8 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.8% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.0% were English, 15.8% were Irish, 15.0% were American, and 13.2% were German.

Of the 9,116 households, 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age was 50.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,298 and the median income for a family was $50,772. Males had a median income of $42,330 versus $29,176 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,182. About 9.5% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and Communities

Incorporated Cities

• Blairsville

Unincorporated Communities

• Suches
• Jones Creek (formerly known as Youngcane)
• Choestoe
• Ivy Log
• Canal Lake
• Dooley
• Trackrock Gap
• Owltown

Politics

Previous Presidential Elections Results

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third Parties
2016	81.7% 9,852	16.3% 1,963	2.1% 248
2012	79.0% 8,773	19.3% 2,139	1.8% 197
2008	75.0% 8,013	23.3% 2,486	1.8% 191
2004	74.1% 6,847	25.2% 2,327	0.8% 71
2000	65.7% 4,567	32.1% 2,230	2.3% 159
1996	48.7% 2,685	39.5% 2,175	11.8% 653
1992	44.8% 2,533	40.7% 2,304	14.5% 819
1988	65.4% 2,396	34.3% 1,258	0.3% 10
1984	63.3% 1,914	36.8% 1,112
1980	46.7% 1,546	51.3% 1,700	2.0% 65
1976	29.2% 1,154	70.8% 2,795
1972	75.7% 2,317	24.3% 742
1968	39.4% 1,221	31.4% 974	29.2% 906
1964	40.8% 1,473	59.2% 2,135
1960	56.5% 1,537	43.5% 1,185
1956	49.5% 1,360	50.5% 1,386
1952	49.4% 1,330	50.6% 1,360
1948	2.7% 75	51.1% 1,420	46.2% 1283
1944	37.1% 760	62.9% 1,288
1940	36.9% 557	63.0% 950	0.1% 2
1936	40.6% 783	59.5% 1,148
1932	37.6% 810	62.4% 1,344
1928	82.2% 2,873	17.8% 623
1924	45.9% 719	50.6% 793	3.5% 55
1920	54.5% 562	45.5% 469
1916	0.0% 0	50.4% 532	49.6% 523
1912	38.1% 250	48.6% 319	13.4% 88

See also

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

External links

• Union County Government Website
• City of Blairsville Government Website
• Blairsville and Union County Website
• Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce
• Documents from Union County in the Digital Library of Georgia
• North Georgia News (county legal organ) Website