Talbot County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. The 2020 census showed a population of 5,733. The county seat and largest city is Talbotton.

History Talbot County was created from a portion of Muscogee County by a December 14, 1827, act of the Georgia General Assembly. It was named after the late Georgia governor Matthew Talbot. Taylor County was created from a portion of Talbot County in 1852.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water.

The county straddles the fall line of the Eastern U.S., and thus northern areas of the county are hillier compared to southern areas of the county. The Fall Line Freeway runs across the southern portion of the county, following Georgia State Route 96 from Geneva to Junction City. The far northern portion of the county is part of the Pine Mountain Range, with elevations in this areas exceeding 1,000 ft on the highest peaks of the mountains.

The northeastern three-quarters of Talbot County is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. The southwestern quarter, west of Junction City, is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake sub-basin, while a narrow sliver of the western border, east of Waverly Hall, is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Lake Harding sub-basin.

Major highways

U.S. Route 27 Alternate U.S. Route 80 State Route 22 State Route 36 State Route 41 State Route 85 State Route 85 Alternate State Route 96 State Route 116 State Route 190 State Route 208 State Route 240 State Route 315 State Route 540 (Fall Line Freeway)

Adjacent counties Upson County - northeast Taylor County - southeast Marion County - south Chattahoochee County - southwest Muscogee County - west-southwest Harris County - west Meriwether County - north

Railroads CSX Fitzgerald Subdivision Norfolk Southern Columbus District

Communities Cities Talbotton (county seat) Woodland Manchester (part)

Towns Geneva Junction City

Census-designated place

Box Springs

Unincorporated communities Centerville Po Biddy Crossroads Tax Crossroads

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Talbot County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)2,2942,4122,3542,6392,42735.10%36.97%36.23%38.44%42.33%Black or African American alone (NH)4,1604,0453,9744,0393,05663.65%62.00%61.16%58.83%53.31%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)413141850.06%0.20%0.22%0.26%0.09%Asian alone (NH)43189170.06%0.05%0.28%0.13%0.30%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census101xx0.02%0.00%0.02%Other race alone (NH)003360.00%0.00%0.05%0.04%0.10%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census5266109xx0.80%0.96%1.90%Hispanic or Latino (any race)745182911121.13%0.78%1.26%1.33%1.95%Total6,5366,5246,4986,8655,733 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 5,733 and 1,849 families residing in the county. The median age was 51.4 years, with 16.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 26.0% of residents aged 65 or older.

For every 100 females there were 91.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 42.9% White, 53.7% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.2% from some other race, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

There were 2,524 households in the county, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 34.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 3,042 housing units, of which 17.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.1% were owner-occupied and 20.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.

Education The Talbot County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one building with 48 full-time teachers and 792 students.Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 26, 2010. The district headquarters is in Talbotton.School Stats, Retrieved June 26, 2010.

Politics As of the 2020s, Talbot County is a fairly safe Democratic voting county, voting 56% for Kamala Harris in 2024. Like most majority-African-American counties in Georgia, Talbot is a reliably Democratic county. Between 1880 and 2020, Talbot County has only voted Republican three times, although it also voted for American Independent segregationist George Wallace in 1968. Donald Trump's 39.50% in 2020 was the best performance for a Republican since Nixon in the 1972 presidential election. In 2024, Trump furthered increased his vote share to almost 44% of the vote.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Talbot County is part of Georgia's 2nd congressional district, currently represented by Sanford Bishop. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Talbot County is part of District 15. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Talbot County is part of District 137.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Talbot County, Georgia List of counties in Georgia USS Talbot County landing ship named for Talbot County, Maryland and Talbot County, Georgia

References

External links Georgia.gov info for Talbot County GeorgiaInfo Talbot County Courthouse History