Houston County, Georgia

County in Georgia, United States

Not to be confused with Houston, Georgia.

County in Georgia

Houston County

County

Houston County courthouse in Perry

Location within the U.S. state of Georgia

Georgia's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 32°28′N 83°40′W﻿ / ﻿32.46°N 83.67°W﻿ / 32.46; -83.67
Country|  United States
State|  Georgia
Founded| May 15, 1821; 204 years ago (1821-05-15)
Named after| John Houstoun
Seat| Perry
Largest city| Warner Robins
Area

• Total

| 380 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Land| 376 sq mi (970 km2)
• Water| 4.4 sq mi (11 km2)  1.2%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 163,633
• Density| 373/sq mi (144/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts| 8th, 2nd
Website| www.houstoncountyga.gov

Houston County (/ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən) is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 163,633 at the 2020 census.[1] Its county seat is Perry; the city of Warner Robins is substantially larger in both area and population.[2]

The county was created on May 15, 1821, along with four other counties in the state, and later reduced in size with the formation of Bibb, Crawford, Pulaski, Macon, and Peach counties.[3] It was named after Georgia governor John Houstoun, with the spelling being a common 19th-century variation that later evolved to "Houston".[4] The pronunciation, however, remains to this day "howston."[5] The geographic center of the county was given the name Wattsville, which was later changed to Perry.[5]

Houston County is included in the Warner Robins, GA metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley combined statistical area. Flat Creek Public Fishing Area is in Houston County, south west of Perry.

## Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 380 square miles (980 km2), of which 376 square miles (970 km2) is land and 4.4 square miles (11 km2) (1.2%) is water.[6] The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.

The vast majority of Houston County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very northern edge of the county, north of Centerville and Warner Robins, is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The very southwestern corner of Houston County, well west of Interstate 75, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin).[7]

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Bibb County \- north
* Peach County \- west
* Twiggs County \- east
* Bleckley County \- southeast
* Pulaski County \- south-southeast
* Dooly County \- south
* Macon County \- southwest

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Byron (Partially)
* Centerville
* Perry (Slightly extends into Peach County, Georgia)
* Warner Robins

### Census-designated place

[edit]

* Robins Air Force Base

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Bonaire
* Clinchfield
* Dunbar \- one mile east of U.S. Route 41 at the intersection of Dunbar and Houston Lake Roads.
* Elberta
* Elko
* Grovania
* Haynesville
* Kathleen

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1830| 7,369| | —
1840| 9,711| | 31.8%
1850| 16,450| | 69.4%
1860| 15,611| | −5.1%
1870| 20,406| | 30.7%
1880| 22,414| | 9.8%
1890| 21,613| | −3.6%
1900| 22,641| | 4.8%
1910| 23,609| | 4.3%
1920| 21,964| | −7.0%
1930| 11,280| | −48.6%
1940| 11,303| | 0.2%
1950| 20,964| | 85.5%
1960| 39,154| | 86.8%
1970| 62,924| | 60.7%
1980| 77,605| | 23.3%
1990| 89,208| | 15.0%
2000| 110,765| | 24.2%
2010| 139,900| | 26.3%
2020| 163,633| | 17.0%
2023 (est.)| 171,974| [8]| 5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1880[10] 1890-1910[11]
1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13]
1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15]
1980-2000[16] 2010[17]
Houston County racial composition as of 2020[18] Race  | Num.  | Perc.

|
|

White (non-Hispanic)  | 86,211  | 52.69%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)  | 51,992  | 31.77%
Native American | 339  | 0.21%
Asian | 4,905  | 3.0%
Pacific Islander | 124  | 0.08%
Other/Mixed | 8,255  | 5.04%
Hispanic or Latino | 11,807  | 7.22%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 163,633 people, 58,417 households, and 39,810 families residing in the county.

## Education

[edit]

Houston County Schools headquarters

Houston County Schools operates public schools.[19]

Flat Creek Public Fishing Area

## Politics

[edit]

Houston County voted for conservative Democrats for most of the twentieth century, and gradually switched to voting for conservative Republicans closer to the century's end and into the twenty-first. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, while she did not carry Houston County, Stacey Abrams improved on Democratic margins in the county, improving five percent compared to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run and by four percent compared to Barack Obama's 2008 run. Houston was one of five counties not carried by Abrams which improved their Democratic margins.[20] In 2020, Joe Biden improved Democratic margins to their best since Jimmy Carter carried it in 1980. He also became the first non-Georgian Democrat to win 40 percent of the county's vote since 1960.

United States presidential election results for Houston County, Georgia[21] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 45,090  | 55.14% | 35,907  | 43.91%  | 784  | 0.96%
2020 | 41,540  | 55.48% | 32,239  | 43.06%  | 1,093  | 1.46%
2016 | 35,430  | 58.65% | 22,553  | 37.34%  | 2,423  | 4.01%
2012 | 34,662  | 59.58% | 22,702  | 39.02%  | 811  | 1.39%
2008 | 33,392  | 59.59% | 22,094  | 39.43%  | 548  | 0.98%
2004 | 29,862  | 66.03% | 15,054  | 33.29%  | 310  | 0.69%
2000 | 23,174  | 62.65% | 13,301  | 35.96%  | 513  | 1.39%
1996 | 17,050  | 52.18% | 12,760  | 39.05%  | 2,868  | 8.78%
1992 | 14,119  | 43.11% | 12,270  | 37.47%  | 6,359  | 19.42%
1988 | 15,748  | 64.02% | 8,664  | 35.22%  | 185  | 0.75%
1984 | 14,255  | 60.71% | 9,226  | 39.29%  | 0  | 0.00%
1980 | 9,005  | 43.51%  | 10,915  | 52.74% | 775  | 3.74%
1976 | 5,404  | 29.10%  | 13,164  | 70.90% | 0  | 0.00%
1972 | 13,576  | 84.16% | 2,556  | 15.84%  | 0  | 0.00%
1968 | 4,285  | 29.64%  | 2,833  | 19.60%  | 7,339  | 50.76%
1964 | 6,532  | 60.53% | 4,258  | 39.46%  | 1  | 0.01%
1960 | 1,757  | 30.35%  | 4,033  | 69.65% | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 1,060  | 19.12%  | 4,483  | 80.88% | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 511  | 15.48%  | 2,789  | 84.52% | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 204  | 9.85%  | 1,437  | 69.35% | 431  | 20.80%
1944 | 190  | 26.21%  | 535  | 73.79% | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 149  | 19.30%  | 622  | 80.57% | 1  | 0.13%
1936 | 37  | 4.44%  | 796  | 95.56% | 0  | 0.00%
1932 | 27  | 5.54%  | 460  | 94.46% | 0  | 0.00%
1928 | 92  | 22.17%  | 323  | 77.83% | 0  | 0.00%
1924 | 75  | 4.39%  | 1,611  | 94.27% | 23  | 1.35%
1920 | 39  | 5.12%  | 723  | 94.88% | 0  | 0.00%
1916 | 52  | 5.98%  | 806  | 92.64% | 12  | 1.38%
1912 | 24  | 3.00%  | 760  | 95.00% | 16  | 2.00%
1908 | 27  | 2.58%  | 855  | 81.58% | 166  | 15.84%
1904 | 78  | 8.99%  | 768  | 88.48% | 22  | 2.53%
1900 | 81  | 9.11%  | 798  | 89.76% | 10  | 1.12%
1896 | 192  | 17.63%  | 875  | 80.35% | 22  | 2.02%
1892 | 507  | 20.48%  | 1,953  | 78.88% | 16  | 0.65%
1888 | 466  | 32.86%  | 949  | 66.93% | 3  | 0.21%
1884 | 433  | 24.99%  | 1,300  | 75.01% | 0  | 0.00%
1880 | 909  | 39.68%  | 1,382  | 60.32% | 0  | 0.00%

## Transportation

[edit]

### Major highways

[edit]

* I-75 / SR 401 – SR 401 is the unsigned designation for I-75
* US 41
* US 129 / SR 247
* SR 247 Conn. (Warner Robins)
* SR 247 Spur (Perry)
* US 341
* SR 7
* SR 7 Conn. (Perry)
* SR 11
* SR 11 Bus. (Perry)
* SR 11 Conn. (Perry)
* SR 26
* SR 49
* SR 96
* SR 127
* SR 224
* SR 329

### Pedestrians and cycling

[edit]

* Big Indian Creek Trail (Proposed)[22]
* Walker's Pond Trail
* Wellston Trail
* The Walk at Sandy Run Creek

## See also

[edit]

* State of Georgia portal

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Houston County, Georgia
* Houston County Schools
* List of counties in Georgia

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Houston 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. ^ "Houston County". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council, in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
4. ^ "Houston County, Georgia - Centerville, Perry, Warner Robins - Georgia's Most Progressive County!".
5. ^ a b "Houston County". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council, in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. ^ "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 24, 2015.
8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
9. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
10. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
11. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
12. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
13. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
14. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
15. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
16. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
17. ^ "2016 Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
19. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Houston County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022. \- Text list
20. ^ Regan-Porter, Tim (November 13, 2018). "Is Georgia red, blue or purple? Data shows rural, metro voters more divided than ever". Macon Telegraph. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
22. ^ "Perry, Houston County considering 7.5 mile recreation trail".

## External links

[edit]

* Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Houston. I. A central county of Georgia" . The American Cyclopædia.
* Flint Electric Membership Corporation historical marker
* Houston County historical marker

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Houston County, Georgia

|  | Bibb County |

|
|

|  |
Peach County |

Houston County, Georgia

| Twiggs County
|  |
Macon County | Dooly County | Bleckley County and Pulaski County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Houston County, Georgia, United States

County seat: Perry

Cities|

* Byron‡
* Centerville
* Perry‡
* Warner Robins‡

Map of Georgia highlighting Houston County

CDP|

* Robins AFB

Unincorporated
communities|

* Bonaire
* Clinchfield
* Dunbar
* Echeconnee‡
* Elberta
* Elko
* Grovania
* Hayneville
* Henderson
* Kathleen

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* Georgia portal
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* v
* t
* e

Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley Combined Statistical Area

Principal cities|

* Macon
* Warner Robins
* Fort Valley

Municipalities|

* Allentown
* Byron
* Centerville
* Culloden
* Danville
* Forsyth
* Gray
* Jeffersonville
* Perry
* Roberta

Other
communities|

* Avondale
* Bolingbroke
* Bonaire
* Clinchfield
* Dunbar
* Elberta
* Elko
* Franklinton
* Haddock
* Juliette
* Kathleen
* Knoxville
* Lizella
* Musella
* Robins AFB
* Sofkee
* Smarr
* Walden

Counties|

* Bibb
* Crawford
* Houston
* Jones
* Monroe
* Peach
* Twiggs

CSA
components|

* Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area
* Warner Robins Metropolitan Statistical Area

* v
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32°28′N 83°40′W﻿ / ﻿32.46°N 83.67°W﻿ / 32.46; -83.67
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