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Pulaski County, Georgia

Coordinates: 32°14′N 83°28′W / 32.24°N 83.47°W / 32.24; -83.47
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Pulaski County
Pulaski County Courthouse
Map of Georgia highlighting Pulaski County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°14′N 83°28′W / 32.24°N 83.47°W / 32.24; -83.47
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 13, 1808; 215 years ago (1808-12-13)
Named forKazimierz Pułaski
SeatHawkinsville
Largest cityHawkinsville
Area
 • Total251 sq mi (650 km2)
 • Land249 sq mi (640 km2)
 • Water2.2 sq mi (6 km2)  0.9%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total9,855
 • Density40/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitehawkinsville-pulaski.org

Pulaski County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,855.[1] The county seat is Hawkinsville.[2]

History

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Pulaski County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 13, 1808, from a portion of Laurens County.[3] In the antebellum years, it was developed for cotton cultivation and is part of the Black Belt of Georgia, an arc of highly fertile soil.

In 1870, Dodge County was partially created from a section of Pulaski County by another legislative act. In 1912, the northeastern half of Pulaski County was used to create Bleckley County via a constitutional amendment approved by Georgia voters.

The county was named for Count Kazimierz Pułaski of Poland who fought and died for United States independence in the American Revolutionary War.

The county population fell by more than half from 1910 to 1930, as residents moved to cities. African Americans especially joined the Great Migration to northern and midwestern cities, both to gain work and to escape the Jim Crow racial oppression of the South.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 251 square miles (650 km2), of which 249 square miles (640 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) (0.9%) is water.[4] The entirety of Pulaski County is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.[5]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Communities

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City

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Unincorporated community

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18102,093
18205,283152.4%
18304,906−7.1%
18405,3899.8%
18506,62723.0%
18608,74431.9%
187011,94036.6%
188014,05817.7%
189016,55917.8%
190018,48911.7%
191022,83523.5%
192011,587−49.3%
19309,005−22.3%
19409,8299.2%
19508,808−10.4%
19608,204−6.9%
19708,066−1.7%
19808,95011.0%
19908,108−9.4%
20009,58818.3%
201012,01025.3%
20209,855−17.9%
2023 (est.)10,095[6]2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1880[8] 1890-1910[9]
1920-1930[10] 1930-1940[11]
1940-1950[12] 1960-1980[13]
1980-2000[14] 2010[15]
Pulaski County racial composition as of 2020[16]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 6,022 61.11%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 3,161 32.08%
Native American 8 0.08%
Asian 92 0.93%
Pacific Islander 3 0.03%
Other/Mixed 242 2.46%
Hispanic or Latino 327 3.32%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,855 people, 3,687 households, and 2,479 families residing in the county.

Government and infrastructure

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Pulaski County is one of only a handful of counties in Georgia with the sole commissioner form of county government, in which the county is governed by a single elected official. Georgia is the only state that permits this form of government. In 2018, Jenna Mashburn was elected to the office of sole commissioner.[17]

The Georgia Department of Corrections operates the Pulaski State Prison in Hawkinsville.[18]

Main Street in Hawkinsville, Pulaski County, GA circa 1908

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Pulaski County, Georgia[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 2,815 68.98% 1,230 30.14% 36 0.88%
2016 2,437 67.60% 1,104 30.62% 64 1.78%
2012 2,444 66.32% 1,219 33.08% 22 0.60%
2008 2,553 64.44% 1,377 34.76% 32 0.81%
2004 2,202 62.61% 1,294 36.79% 21 0.60%
2000 1,922 57.44% 1,390 41.54% 34 1.02%
1996 1,196 39.47% 1,554 51.29% 280 9.24%
1992 1,075 31.15% 1,756 50.88% 620 17.97%
1988 1,400 48.48% 1,476 51.11% 12 0.42%
1984 1,509 51.17% 1,440 48.83% 0 0.00%
1980 1,153 35.67% 1,997 61.79% 82 2.54%
1976 485 17.30% 2,318 82.70% 0 0.00%
1972 1,966 81.58% 444 18.42% 0 0.00%
1968 595 22.22% 514 19.19% 1,569 58.59%
1964 1,768 64.86% 953 34.96% 5 0.18%
1960 334 22.42% 1,156 77.58% 0 0.00%
1956 171 10.73% 1,422 89.27% 0 0.00%
1952 165 9.50% 1,572 90.50% 0 0.00%
1948 64 8.06% 567 71.41% 163 20.53%
1944 55 8.50% 592 91.50% 0 0.00%
1940 38 7.31% 478 91.92% 4 0.77%
1936 38 4.45% 808 94.61% 8 0.94%
1932 14 1.42% 973 98.58% 0 0.00%
1928 105 14.11% 639 85.89% 0 0.00%
1924 29 5.89% 442 89.84% 21 4.27%
1920 57 14.43% 338 85.57% 0 0.00%
1916 23 5.49% 383 91.41% 13 3.10%
1912 39 3.43% 1,080 95.07% 17 1.50%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Pulaski County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 182. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  5. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  7. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  8. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  9. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  10. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  11. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  12. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  13. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  14. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  15. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  16. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  17. ^ Garrett, Miles (December 4, 2018). "'Thank you so much': Mashburn to serve as Pulaski County's sole commissioner". WGXA. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  18. ^ "Pulaski State Prison Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine." Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 14, 2010.
  19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
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32°14′N 83°28′W / 32.24°N 83.47°W / 32.24; -83.47