Lumpkin County, Georgia

History

This area was settled by the Cherokee, who also occupied areas of what became delimited as southeastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.

Lumpkin County was created on December 3, 1832. The county was named for Wilson Lumpkin, who at the time was Governor of Georgia. Lumpkin's daughter, Martha Wilson Lumpkin Compton, was the namesake of the town named Marthasville, the early-1840s name for Atlanta in Fulton County; this was designated as the capital of the state after the Civil War.

In the 1830s, gold was discovered in the county near Auraria, leading to a rush of miners and development. The U.S. government established a mint in Dahlonega, operating for 23 years until the outbreak of the American Civil War. State contractors later acquired gold from Lumpkin County to gild the dome of the current state capitol building in Atlanta.

20th century to present

Agriculture and agritourism are top business industries. In addition, vineyards have been developed here and, since the mid-1990s, Lumpkin County has been recognized as "the heart of Georgia wine country." The county features several vineyards and five licensed wineries, which attract many tourists. In 2015, state senator Steve Gooch introduced Georgia Senate Resolution 125, officially recognizing Lumpkin County as the Wine Tasting Room Capital of Georgia.

The historic Dahlonega Square is also a popular destination. It has gift shops, restaurants, art galleries and artists' studios, and additional tasting rooms.

Lumpkin County is the home of the U.S. Army's Camp Frank D. Merrill, the base of the 5th Ranger Training Battalion of the U.S. Army Ranger School's mountain phase. Camp Frank D. Merrill is located in the northern end of the county, within the Blue Ridge Wildlife Management Area of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Three veterans' organizations are located in Lumpkin County, to serve the veterans and the community: the Heyward Fields American Legion Post 239, the US Army Mountain Ranger Association, and the Lumpkin and White County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5533.

Lumpkin County has an agency to help veterans, the Lumpkin County Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee. This group is in charge of the Lumpkin County Veterans Memorial and the twice yearly veterans' memorial crosses, which are installed to line both sides of the major roads in Dahlonega from mid-May through the Fourth of July, and again for the month of November. The crosses are adorned with the names of the county's veterans who have died, some in combat (marked with KIA), and those who returned home and later died.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 284 sqmi, of which 283 sqmi is land and 1.3 sqmi (0.4%) is water.

The county is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The summit of Blood Mountain, which Lumpkin County shares with Union County to the north, is the highest point in the county. At 4,458 ft, Blood Mountain is the fifth-highest peak in Georgia and the highest point on Georgia's portion of the Appalachian Trail.

The western 40% of Lumpkin County is located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin), while the eastern 60% of the county is located in the Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).

Penitentiary Cove is located in the north/northwest part of Lumpkin County.

Major highways

• [[File:US 19.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 19
• [[File:Business plate.svg|20px]]
• [[File:US 129.svg|23px]] U.S. Route 129
• [[File:Georgia 9.svg|20px]] State Route 9
• [[File:Georgia 11.svg|20px]] State Route 11
• [[File:Georgia 52.svg|20px]] State Route 52
• [[File:Georgia 60.svg|20px]] State Route 60
• [[File:Georgia 60 Business.svg|20px]] State Route 60 Business
• [[File:Georgia 115.svg|20px]] State Route 115
• [[File:Georgia 400.svg|20px]] State Route 400

Adjacent counties

• Union County – north
• White County – east
• Hall County – southeast
• Dawson County – west
• Fannin County – northwest

National protected area

• Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Communities

City

• Dahlonega

Ghost town

• Auraria

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 33,488 people, 11,676 households, and 7,800 families residing in the county.

The median age was 36.7 years, with 17.3% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.2% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over. About 19.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 80.6% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 88.8% White, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.1% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 5.3% of the population.

There were 11,676 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 13,006 housing units, of which 10.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.4% were owner-occupied and 27.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.2%.

Education

Lumpkin County School System manages and operates the public schools. There is one high school (Lumpkin County High School), one middle school (Lumpkin County Middle School), and three elementary schools (Long Branch Elementary School, Blackburn Elementary School, and Cottrell Elementary). The University of North Georgia has its campus in Lumpkin County.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Lumpkin County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 80% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Lumpkin County is part of Georgia's 7th congressional district, currently represented by Rich McCormick. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Lumpkin County is part of District 50. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Lumpkin County is part of District 9.

References

References

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2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
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4. State of Georgia. (2012). "Lumpkin County". State of Georgia.
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6. "Lumpkincountyveteransadvisory.com".
7. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
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14. (1930). "1930 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
15. (1940). "1940 Census of Population - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
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17. (1980). "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
18. (2000). "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
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20. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
21. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
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