Randolph County, Georgia
Randolph County is a county located in the Georgia |western portion] of the U.S. state of Georgia and is considered part of the Black Belt, historically an area of plantations. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,425, roughly one-third of its peak population in 1910, when there were numerous agricultural workers. The county seat is Cuthbert.
History
Randolph County was created on December 20, 1828, and named after the Virginia planter and politician John Randolph.He was honored originally as the namesake of present-day Jasper County but, because of his opposition to U.S. entry into the War of 1812, the Georgia General Assembly changed the county name on December 10, 1812. Eventually, John Randolph's reputation was restored. In 1828, the General Assembly organized the current Randolph County in the west of the state. Most of the historic tribe of Muscogee people were forced from the area to Indian Territory during Indian Removal.
Lumpkin, Georgia was the original county seat. It was within the portion of Randolph County that was reassigned in 1830 to form Stewart County, and Lumpkin was designated as the latter's county seat.
This area is considered part of the Black Belt, upland areas across the Deep South that were developed in the 19th century as plantations after invention of the cotton gin made processing of short-staple cotton profitable. Enslaved Blacks made up the vast majority of workers on the plantations, with hundreds of thousands being transported through the domestic slave trade from the coast and Upper South. After the American Civil War, many freedmen and their descendants continued to work on plantations in the county and region, comprising the majority of county population until the 1930s.
Like other areas of the rural South, workers in Randolph County lost jobs due to mechanization, invasion of the boll weevil, and the decline in agriculture. In the 20th century, many black families moved from the county to cities in the North and Midwest for work and less oppressive conditions during the Great Migration. However, the rural counties of the Black Belt continue to have substantial African-American populations. Agriculture has been industrialized and depends on relatively few workers.
By mid April 2020 Randolph County hosted the third highest density of COVID-19 outbreaks in the nation, and as of May 2020, next to the New York Metro Area, and Boston, Massachusetts and metro area. Health department records showed an infection rate of 1.9 for every 100 citizens in Randolph County. The Randolph county outbreak was largely composed of an outbreak in a nursing home and may have had connections to the Procter & Gamble toilet paper factory in Albany, Georgia, which was deemed an essential service.
This county also has a history of poverty and has recently been ranked as the 2nd poorest county in the entire United States, behind Issaquena County, Mississippi. The county poverty rate is 26.7%, while the median household income is $25,425.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.More than half of Randolph County, roughly east of U.S. Route 27, is located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the ACF River Basin. The northwestern portion of the county, from just south of Cuthbert north, is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River–Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The southwestern corner, centered on Coleman, is located in the Lower Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin.
Major highways
U.S. Route 27 Business- U.S. Highway 82
- State Route 1
- State Route 1 Business |State Route 1 Business]
- State Route 41
- State Route 50
- State Route 216
- State Route 266
Adjacent counties
- Stewart County – north
- Webster County – northeast
- Terrell County – east
- Calhoun County – southeast
- Clay County – southwest
- Quitman County – west
Communities
Cities
- Cuthbert
- Shellman
Census-designated place
- Coleman
Other unincorporated communities
- Benevolence
- Carnegie
- Springvale
Demographics
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | % 2000 | % 2010 | ||
| White alone | 3,016 | 2,781 | 2,250 | 38.71% | 36.03% | 35.02% |
| Black or African American alone | 4,609 | 4,747 | 3,862 | 59.16% | 61.50% | 60.11% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 27 | 5 | 9 | 0.35% | 0.06% | 0.14% |
| Asian alone | 12 | 22 | 21 | 0.15% | 0.29% | 0.33% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0.12% | 0.00% | 0.05% |
| Race and ethnicity in [the United States census|Other race] alone | 4 | 4 | 23 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.36% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | 22 | 41 | 114 | 0.28% | 0.53% | 1.77% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 92 | 119 | 143 | 1.18% | 1.54% | 2.23% |
| Total | 7,791 | 7,719 | 6,425 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 6,425, 2,690 households, and 1,611 families residing in the county.The median age was 41.9 years, 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.6 males age 18 and over. No residents lived in urban areas while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 35.1% White, 60.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.4% from some other race, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.2% of the population.
Of the 2,690 households, 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 41.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 3,438 housing units, of which 21.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.2% were owner-occupied and 36.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.
2010 census
In 2010, there were 7,719 people, 3,187 households, and 2,011 families living in the county.Among its 2010 population, the racial makeup of the county was 61.8% black or African American, 36.6% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population.
In terms of European-American ancestry, 11.7% identified as English, 8.1% were Irish, and 2.4% were American.
Politics
As of the 2020s, Randolph County is a Democratic voting county, voting 53% for Kamala Harris in 2024. Like most majority African American counties, Randolph County leans Democratic, and has done so for decades. The last Republican to carry the county was Reagan in 1984.For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Randolph County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Randolph County is part of District 12. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Randolph County is part of Georgia's 154th [House of Representatives district|District 154].