Dougherty County, Georgia

County in Georgia, United States

Not to be confused with Dougherty, Georgia.

County in Georgia

Dougherty County

County

Dougherty County Government Center

Location within the U.S. state of Georgia

Georgia's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 31°32′N 84°13′W﻿ / ﻿31.54°N 84.22°W﻿ / 31.54; -84.22
Country|  United States
State|  Georgia
Founded| 1853; 172 years ago (1853)
Named after| Charles Dougherty
Seat| Albany
Largest city| Albany
Area

• Total

| 335 sq mi (870 km2)
• Land| 329 sq mi (850 km2)
• Water| 5.9 sq mi (15 km2)  1.8%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 85,790
• Density| 288/sq mi (111/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district| 2nd
Website| www.dougherty.ga.us

Dougherty County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 85,790.[1] The county seat and sole incorporated city is Albany.[2]

Dougherty County is included in the Albany, GA metropolitan statistical area. Historically dominated by cotton plantation agriculture in the nineteenth century, it is part of the Black Belt of the South.

## History

[edit]

The county was created by the Georgia General Assembly on December 15, 1853, from a part of Baker County.[3] It was named after Charles Dougherty,[4] a respected judge and lawyer from Athens, Georgia. In 1854 and 1856 small areas were added from Worth County.

As noted above, the county was developed by European Americans using enslaved African Americans as workers for the production of cotton as a commodity crop. Its county seat of Albany, Georgia is located on the Flint River, which was originally the chief means of transportation for shipped products. Albany was later served by seven railroad lines, adding to its significance as a market center. The city was a center of the Civil Rights Movement, particularly during the early 1960s.

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 335 square miles (870 km2), of which 329 square miles (850 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (1.8%) is water.[5]

The majority of Dougherty County is located in the Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The northeastern corner of the county, northeast of Albany, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the same ACF River basin. A very small portion of Dougherty County, north of Albany, is located in the Kinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of the larger ACF River Basin. The remaining western portion of the county is located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin.[6]

### Major highways

[edit]

* U.S. Route 19

U.S. Route 19 Business
* U.S. Route 82

U.S. Route 82 Business
* State Route 3
* State Route 62
* State Route 91
* State Route 133
* State Route 234
* State Route 300
* State Route 520
* State Route 520 Business

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Lee County – north
* Worth County – east
* Mitchell County – south
* Baker County – southwest
* Calhoun County – west
* Terrell County – northwest

## Communities

[edit]

### City

[edit]

* Albany

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Acree
* Doublegate
* Pecan City
* Pretoria
* Radium Springs

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1860| 8,295| | —
1870| 11,517| | 38.8%
1880| 12,622| | 9.6%
1890| 12,206| | −3.3%
1900| 13,679| | 12.1%
1910| 16,035| | 17.2%
1920| 20,063| | 25.1%
1930| 22,306| | 11.2%
1940| 28,565| | 28.1%
1950| 43,617| | 52.7%
1960| 75,680| | 73.5%
1970| 89,639| | 18.4%
1980| 100,718| | 12.4%
1990| 96,311| | −4.4%
2000| 96,065| | −0.3%
2010| 94,565| | −1.6%
2020| 85,790| | −9.3%
2023 (est.)| 82,645| [7]| −3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1880[9] 1890-1910[10]
1920-1930[11] 1930-1940[12]
1940-1950[13] 1960-1980[14]
1980-2000[15] 2010[16] 2020[17]
Dougherty County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. Race / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop. 2000[18] | Pop. 2010[16] | Pop. 2020[17] | % 2000  | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 35,794  | 27,315  | 20,631  | 37.26%  | 28.88%  | 24.05%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 57,521  | 63,198  | 59,720  | 59.88%  | 66.83%  | 69.61%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 192  | 177  | 128  | 0.20%  | 0.19%  | 0.15%
Asian alone (NH)  | 544  | 719  | 647  | 0.57%  | 0.76%  | 0.75%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 25  | 52  | 20  | 0.03%  | 0.05%  | 0.02%
Other race alone (NH)  | 74  | 84  | 234  | 0.08%  | 0.09%  | 0.27%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)  | 623  | 947  | 1,997  | 0.65%  | 1.00%  | 2.33%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 1,292  | 2,073  | 2,413  | 1.34%  | 2.19%  | 2.81%
Total | 96,065 | 94,565 | 85,790 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 85,790 people, 32,630 households, and 18,213 families residing in the county.

## Education

[edit]

Main article: Albany, Georgia § Education

## Politics

[edit]

Owing in part to its highly African American population, Dougherty County is heavily Democratic. In 2008 and 2012, Barack Obama performed better in the county than any Democrat since Roosevelt in 1944. The county defied national trends in 2024 when it shifted to the left in favor of Kamala Harris, casting over 70% of its vote for her, outperforming Obama's previous record.

United States presidential election results for Dougherty County, Georgia[19] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 9,904  | 29.26%  | 23,831  | 70.40% | 115  | 0.34%
2020 | 10,441  | 29.59%  | 24,568  | 69.62% | 278  | 0.79%
2016 | 10,232  | 29.83%  | 23,311  | 67.96% | 760  | 2.22%
2012 | 11,449  | 30.15%  | 26,295  | 69.24% | 231  | 0.61%
2008 | 12,547  | 32.27%  | 26,135  | 67.21% | 204  | 0.52%
2004 | 13,711  | 40.70%  | 19,805  | 58.79% | 171  | 0.51%
2000 | 12,248  | 42.14%  | 16,650  | 57.29% | 166  | 0.57%
1996 | 11,144  | 39.98%  | 15,600  | 55.97% | 1,128  | 4.05%
1992 | 12,455  | 40.27%  | 15,236  | 49.26% | 3,240  | 10.47%
1988 | 15,520  | 50.86% | 12,579  | 41.22%  | 2,418  | 7.92%
1984 | 16,920  | 56.73% | 12,904  | 43.27%  | 0  | 0.00%
1980 | 12,726  | 47.82%  | 13,430  | 50.46% | 459  | 1.72%
1976 | 9,337  | 44.89%  | 11,461  | 55.11% | 0  | 0.00%
1972 | 12,878  | 78.03% | 3,625  | 21.97%  | 0  | 0.00%
1968 | 5,611  | 29.91%  | 3,834  | 20.43%  | 9,317  | 49.66%
1964 | 12,776  | 70.88% | 5,248  | 29.12%  | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 4,323  | 48.88%  | 4,522  | 51.12% | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 3,248  | 44.05%  | 4,126  | 55.95% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 2,535  | 36.37%  | 4,435  | 63.63% | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 614  | 15.66%  | 2,517  | 64.19% | 790  | 20.15%
1944 | 338  | 9.56%  | 3,199  | 90.44% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 180  | 7.64%  | 2,175  | 92.32% | 1  | 0.04%
1936 | 122  | 4.49%  | 2,591  | 95.40% | 3  | 0.11%
1932 | 95  | 4.49%  | 2,012  | 95.04% | 10  | 0.47%
1928 | 379  | 27.85%  | 982  | 72.15% | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 167  | 12.71%  | 1,065  | 81.05% | 82  | 6.24%
1920 | 105  | 14.46%  | 621  | 85.54% | 0  | 0.00%
1916 | 17  | 1.91%  | 836  | 93.93% | 37  | 4.16%
1912 | 18  | 2.74%  | 617  | 94.05% | 21  | 3.20%

## See also

[edit]

* State of Georgia portal

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Dougherty County, Georgia
* List of counties in Georgia
* W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903) contains two essays that are surveys of race relations in Dougherty County from Reconstruction to the end of the 19th century.
* "Of the Black Belt"
* "Of the Quest of the Golden Fleece"

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Dougherty County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 63\. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 108.
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
8. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
9. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
10. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
11. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
12. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
13. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
14. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
15. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
16. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Dougherty County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
17. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Dougherty County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
18. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Dougherty County, Alabama". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Dougherty County official website
* Official Downtown Albany website
* New Georgia Encyclopedia Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
* Georgia Place Names
* Dougherty County Courthouse history
* Dougherty County historical marker

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Dougherty County, Georgia

| Terrell County | Lee County |

|
|

|  |
Calhoun County |

Dougherty County, Georgia

| Worth County
|  |
Baker County | Mitchell County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States

County seat: Albany

City|

* Albany

Map of Georgia highlighting Dougherty County

CDP|

* Putney

Unincorporated
communities|

* Acree
* Doublegate
* Pecan City
* Pretoria
* Radium Springs

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31°32′N 84°13′W﻿ / ﻿31.54°N 84.22°W﻿ / 31.54; -84.22
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