Madison County, Georgia

Madison County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,120. The county seat is Danielsville. The county was created on December 5, 1811. The county's largest city is Comer with a population of 1,200. Madison County was included in the Athens–Clarke County metropolitan area, which is included in the Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs CSA.

History Madison County was organized by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia on December 11, 1811. It was named for James Madison, who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. It was the 38th county formed in Georgia, and began to function as a county in 1812. Madison County was formed from the counties of Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Jackson, Oglethorpe.

Early agriculture in Madison County was devoted to food crops and livestock (cattle, hogs, and sheep), which were sufficient to feed the population. Just after the Civil War ended, the demand for a cash crop led to major reliance on cotton. The soils of Madison County were heavily damaged by this cotton monoculture. From the 1930s on, agriculture became more diverse. Today, agribusiness dominates the local economy, with poultry production particularly important.

Madison and Oglethorpe counties share Watson Mill Bridge State Park, the site of the longest covered bridge in Georgia. The bridge, which is over 100 years old, spans 229 feet of the South Fork of the Broad River. There are also facilities for camping, hiking trails, picnicking, and fishing in the park.

The Madison County Courthouse, one of the most ornate in Georgia, was built in 1901 for the sum of $18,314. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. New Hope Presbyterian Church, established in 1788, is the third oldest church in Georgia.

Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn, a decorated veteran of World War II and a United States Army Reserve officer, was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan on July 11, 1964, nine days after passage of the Civil Rights Act, on a Broad River bridge on the Georgia State Route 172 in Madison County.

Postal history In 1879, there were only four post offices in Madison County: Danielsville, Fort Lamar, Madison Springs and Paoli."Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1879, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. Houghton, Osgood and Company, 1880. p. 331. In 1889, Madison county had post offices at Carlton, Danielsville, Dowdy, Fort Lamar, Gholston (Gholston's Stand), Hix, Ila, Madison Springs, Medicus, Paoli and Planter."Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1889, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. The Brodix Publishing Company, 1890. p. 478.

By 1900, additional post offices had been opened in Alvin, Berea, Boggs, Carruth, Comer, Fiveforks (now Comer), Jeptha, Larkin, Monitor, Neese, Pocataligo and Sorrells, while the offices in Gholston and Medicus had been closed."Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1900, With Stations and Sub-stations, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. George F. Lasher, Printer, 1901. p. 615. By 1910, most of these post offices had closed; the only remaining ones were in Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Danielsville and Hull."Post Offices and Branch Post Offices, Arranged by States and Counties, June 1, 1910." United States Official Postal Guide. J. B. Lyon Printers, 1910. p. 580.

By 1920, the office in Ila had reopened."County List: Post Offices and Branch Post Offices, June 1, 1920." United States Official Postal Guide. The Post Office Department, 1920. p. 680. The county would retain these six post offices Madison County, Georgia, at PostOfficeFinder.org. Retrieved July 1, 2023.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.

The vast majority of Madison County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, with just a very small portion of the county's western edge located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

Adjacent counties Franklin County, Georgia – north Hart County, Georgia – northeast Elbert County, Georgia – east Oglethorpe County, Georgia – south Clarke County, Georgia – southwest Jackson County, Georgia – west Banks County, Georgia – northwest

Major highways

U.S. Route 29 State Route 8 State Route 22 State Route 72 Business State Route 72 Bypass State Route 72 Spur State Route 98 State Route 106 State Route 172 State Route 174 State Route 191 State Route 281

Communities Cities Carlton Colbert Comer Danielsville Hull Ila

Unincorporated communities Alvin Dogsboro Fort Lamar Hix Neese Paoli Planter Pocataligo Sanford Shiloh

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Madison County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)15,67918,94522,71324,10623,54988.35%90.00%88.27%85.73%78.18%Black or African American alone (NH)1,9001,8452,1652,3202,75310.71%8.76%8.41%8.25%9.14%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)18264463440.10%0.12%0.17%0.22%0.15%Asian alone (NH)1052701735210.06%0.25%0.27%0.62%1.73%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 Census604xx0.02%0.00%0.01%Other race alone (NH)4028321060.02%0.00%0.11%0.11%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1972871,187xx0.77%1.02%3.94%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1361825071,1391,9560.77%0.86%1.97%4.05%6.49%Total17,74721,05025,73028,12030,120 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 30,120 people, 11,267 households, and 8,153 families residing in the county.

The median age was 40.9 years; 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over.

9.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 90.7% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 79.6% White, 9.2% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.4% from some other race, and 5.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population.

There were 11,267 households in the county, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 12,114 housing units, of which 7.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.1% were owner-occupied and 22.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.3%.

Government The citizens of Madison County are represented by an elected six member board of commissioners. Each commissioner represents one of five districts plus a chairman of the board elected at large for the whole county.

As of the 2020s, Madison County is a strongly Republican voting county, voting 76.86% for Donald Trump in 2024. For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Madison County is part of Georgia's 9th congressional district. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Madison County is part of District 47. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Madison County is represented by District 33 and District 123.

Education Madison County public education is served by the Madison County School District. The Madison County Board of Education oversees and operates the public charter school system in the School District. Madison County Board of Education operates 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school and 1 career academy.

The Madison County Board of Education is overseen by 5 elected board members, from 5 districts in the county. The Board appoints a School Superintendent who works at the pleasure of the Board as a whole.

The district has 290 full-time teachers and over 4,621 students.

Public Schools

Colbert Elementary School Comer Elementary School Danielsville Elementary School Hull-Sanford Elementary School Ila Elementary School Madison County Middle School (MCMS), Home of the Mustangs Madison County High School (MCHS), Home of the Red Raiders Broad River College and Career Academy

Private schools Union Christian Academy, Hull The Busy Box Pre-School, Hull The Learning Train Pre-School, Colbert Building Blocks Pre-School, Hull

Notable people

Allen Daniel Jr. – major general, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, state senator, namesake of Danielsville Josh Fields – Major League baseball player Crawford W. Long – the man who first used ether in surgery Ralph Hudgens – Georgia insurance and safety fire commissioner Jake Westbrook – former Major League baseball player

Historic sites Watson Mill Bridge – the longest original-site covered bridge in Georgia Birthplace of Crawford W. Long Murder site of Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn William Bartram Trail

Madison County, Georgia

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