Floyd County, Georgia

History

The county was established on December 3, 1832, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, and was created from land that was part of Cherokee County at the time. The county is named after United States Congressman John Floyd.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 518 sqmi, of which 510 sqmi are land and 8.6 sqmi (1.7%) are covered by water.

The northern third of Floyd County is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The eastern third of the county is located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the larger ACT River Basin, while the western third of Floyd County is located in the Upper Coosa River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin.

Lakes and reservoirs

• Antioch Lake
• Lake Conasauga
• DeSoto Lake
• Heath Lake
• Lake Marvin
• Powers Lake
• Weiss Lake

Adjacent counties

• Walker County – north
• Gordon County – northeast
• Bartow County – east
• Polk County – south
• Cherokee County, Alabama – west (CST)
• Chattooga County – northwest

National protected area

• Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

Pedestrians and cycling

• Heritage Trail System
• Kingfisher Trail
• Silver Creek Trail
• Simms Mountain Trail
• Snow Loop
• The Goat
• Thornwood Trail
• Viking Trail

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 98,584 people, 36,883 households, and 23,561 families residing in the county. The median age was 38.6 years; 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older, while for every 100 females there were 95.3 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.6 males.

61.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 38.7% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 70.5% White, 14.3% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.9% from some other race, and 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.6% of the population.

Of the 36,883 households, 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 40,475 housing units, of which 8.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.6% were owner-occupied and 38.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, 96,317 people, 35,930 households, and 24,916 families were living in the county.{{cite web |access-date=December 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213012233/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US13115 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213234557/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US13115 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213011229/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US13115 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

Of the 35,930 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.7% were not families; 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58, and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 37.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,066, and for a family was $49,310. Males had a median income of $40,269 versus $29,587 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,640. About 13.3% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.{{cite web |access-date=December 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213035356/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US13115 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |url-status=dead

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, 90,565 people, 34,028 households, and 24,227 were families living in the county. The population density was 176 /mi2. The 36,615 housing units averaged 71 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 81.34% White, 13.31% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 2.88% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. About 5.50% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 34,028 households, 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55, and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was distributed as 24.60% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,615, and for a family was $42,302. Males had a median income of $31,659 versus $23,244 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,808. About 10.80% of families and 14.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.40% of those under age 18 and 13.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The county government is housed in the Floyd County Administration Building in Rome, Georgia, the county seat. This was the former US Post Office and Courthouse.

The county has a council-manager form of government, with five county council members elected at-large. Two members are elected as representatives of the city of Rome and must reside there; the other three are elected from the county as residents outside the city limits. The at-large voting tends to reward candidates who can muster majority votes from across the whole county, which requires more money and organization for campaigns. The council hires a professional county manager to manage daily operations.

Politics

Like most rural counties, Floyd County is a Republican stronghold. It has not voted for a Democrat since Georgian Jimmy Carter last ran in 1980. Southerner Bill Clinton was the last Democratic candidate to reach 40% of the vote, off the back of Ross Perot's third party support splitting Republican election. Floyd County voted 70% for Donald Trump in 2024.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Floyd County is part of Georgia's 14th congressional district, currently represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Floyd County is covered by District 52 and District 53. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Floyd County is divided by districts 5, 12 and 13.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Berry College
• Shorter University
• Georgia Highlands College
• Georgia Northwestern Technical College

Primary and secondary schools

Floyd County School District operates schools in most of the county. Its high schools are Armuchee High School, Coosa High School, Model High School, and Pepperell High School.

Rome City School District serves areas in the Rome city limits. Rome High School is its high school.

; Private schools

• Unity Christian School
• Darlington School
• St. Mary's Catholic School (of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta)
• Berry College Elementary & Middle School
• Montessori School of Rome

Law enforcement

The Bob Richards Regional Youth Detention Center, part of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, is in Rome.

the Floyd County Sheriff's Office employs 162 people. The current Floyd County Jail was built in 1982 and renovated in 1996. It is the largest building owned by the county government, being 256 thousand square feet in area. In 2020, the jail's average daily population was 507 inmates.

Notable people

• Linda Anderson, according to NPR considered "one of the foremost living memory painters".

Communities

Cities

• Cave Spring
• Rome

Census-designated places

• Berry College
• Lindale
• Shannon

Unincorporated communities

• Armuchee
• Coosa
• Krannert
• Livingston
• Mount Berry
• Silver Creek

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. US 2020 Census Bureau report, Floyd County, Georgia
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/histcountymaps/floydhistmaps.htm Historical Atlas of Georgia Counties] accessed June 10, 2012
5. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
6. Krakow, Kenneth K.. (1975). "Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins". Winship Press.
7. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
9. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
11. (1880). "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800". United States Census Bureau.
12. (1910). "1910 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
13. (1930). "1930 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
14. (1940). "1940 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
15. (1950). "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -". United States Census Bureau.
16. (1980). "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
17. (2000). "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
18. "Explore Census Data".
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
20. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
22. "Georgia General Assembly".
23. "Georgia General Assembly".
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
25. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Floyd County, GA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
26. "Bob Richards RYDC".
27. "Government".
28. "Jail Operations".
29. (April 7, 2019). "Linda Anderson".