Bleckley County, Georgia


Bleckley County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,583. The county seat is Cochran.

History

The county was named for Logan Edwin Bleckley, a soldier and Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. The state constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed by the Georgia General Assembly on July 30, 1912, and ratified November 5, 1912. Bleckley County was formerly home to Middle Georgia College, the oldest two-year public college in the nation. In 2013 it merged with Macon State College to become Middle Georgia State University.
Bleckley County High School made news in March 2010 for allowing a same-sex couple to attend its senior prom, after another same-sex couple in Mississippi were denied attendance at another senior prom.

Government

Bleckley County is one of eight remaining counties in Georgia that operates under a sole commissioner form of government, with a single county commissioner acting as the county executive and legislative branches. The current County Commissioner is Mike Davis, the Sheriff is Daniel Cape, the Fire Chief is Brock Wilcher, the Clerk of Superior Court is Dianne C. Brown, the Tax Commissioner is Paige Baggs, and the Probate Judge is Hon. Jonathan Fordham.
Bleckly County's sole commissioner form of government was discussed in Holder v. Hall, decided by the United States Supreme Court on June 30, 1994.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Bleckley County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 77% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Bleckley County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Austin Scott. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Bleckley County is part of District 20. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Bleckley County is part of district District 133.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.
The eastern quarter of Bleckley County, roughly in a line from west of Danville running southeast, is located in the Lower Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The central quarter of the county, between Cochran and the previous line, is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. The western half of the county, west of Cochran, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same larger Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

Cities

  • Allentown
  • Cochran

    Census-designated places

  • Empire

    Unincorporated communities

  • Cary
  • Baileys Park
  • Brown Hill
  • Coley Station
  • Five Points
  • Fraizer
  • Goldsboro
  • Paulk
  • Porter
  • Powell
  • Rebie
  • Royal

    Demographics

RaceNum.Perc.
White 8,86770.47%
Black or African American 2,78822.16%
Native American110.09%
Asian1531.22%
Pacific Islander80.06%
Other/Mixed2872.28%
Hispanic or Latino4693.73%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 12,583, with 4,547 households and 2,727 families. Of the residents, 23.6% were under the age of 18 and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 37.3 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.4 males. 48.9% of residents lived in urban areas and 51.1% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 71.7% White, 22.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.7% of the population.
There were 4,547 households in the county, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,176 housing units, of which 12.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.6% were owner-occupied and 29.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

Education

The only school district in the county is the Bleckley County School District.

Points of interest

  • Cochran-Bleckley Cotton & Peanut Museum
  • Cochran Motor Speedway & Kart Track
  • Greene Acres Farm
  • Gully Branch Tree Farm
  • Lil Cochran R/C Speedway
  • Mae Chapel
  • Middle Georgia Equestrian Center
  • Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area
  • Ocmulgee Water Trail
  • Ocmulgee Wildlife Management Area
  • Terry L. Coleman Museum and Archives
  • Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park
  • Old Bleckley County Jail