Coffee County, Georgia

History

Coffee County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on February 9, 1854, from portions of Clinch, Irwin, Telfair, and Ware counties. These lands were originally ceded by the Creek in the Treaty of Fort Jackson in (1814) and the Treaty of the Creek Agency (1818) and apportioned to the above counties before becoming Coffee County.

Berrien (1856), Jeff Davis (1905), and Atkinson (1917) counties were subsequently formed from sections of Coffee County.

The county is named for General John E. Coffee, a state legislator and a U.S. representative.

Coffee County Correctional Facility is located in Nicholls, Georgia. It is privately owned and operated by CoreCivic, the largest prison company in the nation.

Many of the early settlers of what is now Coffee County are buried in historic cemeteries across the region, including the cemetery at Lone Hill United Methodist Church—located at 6833 Broxton-West Green Highway, some 10 miles northeast of Douglas. The church and its cemetery date to the 1840s, with the earliest marked grave dated 1848. A majestic Eastern Redcedar has graced the cemetery for generations and is recognized as the nation's largest of this species through American Forests’ Champion Trees program. (see:) In July 2018 the tree was recognized as 2018's Great American Tree by American Grove. (See:) Having been nominated by Mark McClellan of the Georgia Forestry Commission, the tree has been featured in such publications as the Smithsonian Magazine and Janisse Ray's Wild Card Quilt. The circumference of the tree exceeds 20 feet.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 603 sqmi, of which 575 sqmi is land and 28 sqmi (4.6%) is water.

The vast majority of Coffee County is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. The northern corner of the county, well north of Broxton, an area bisected by State Route 107, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The very southwestern corner of Coffee County, northeast of Alapaha, is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin.

Highways

• [[File:US 221.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 221
• [[File:US 319.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 319
• [[File:US 441.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 441
• [[File:Georgia 31.svg|20px]] State Route 31
• [[File:Georgia 32.svg|20px]] State Route 32
• [[File:Georgia 64.svg|20px]] State Route 64
• [[File:Georgia 90.svg|20px]] State Route 90
• [[File:Georgia 107.svg|25px]] State Route 107
• [[File:Georgia 135.svg|25px]] State Route 135
• [[File:Georgia 158.svg|25px]] State Route 158
• [[File:Georgia 206.svg|20px]] State Route 206
• [[File:Georgia 206 Connector.svg|20px]] State Route 206 Connector
• [[File:Georgia 268.svg|20px]] State Route 268

Adjacent counties

• Telfair County – north
• Jeff Davis County – northeast
• Bacon County – east
• Ware County – southeast
• Atkinson County – south
• Berrien County – southwest
• Irwin County – west
• Ben Hill County – west

Communities

Cities

• Ambrose
• Broxton
• Douglas
• Nicholls

Unincorporated communities

• Bethel
• Blystone
• Bridgetown
• Broxton Junction
• Bushnell
• Chatterton
• Fales (portion)
• Green Acres
• Huffer
• Lax (portion)
• Lotts
• Mora
• Oak Park
• Pridgen
• Relee
• Saginaw
• Sapps Still
• Stokesville (portion)
• Upton
• West Green
• Wilsonville

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 43,092; there were 15,277 households and 9,913 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 24.8% were under the age of 18 and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 36.6 years. For every 100 females there were 104.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.2 males. 33.1% of residents lived in urban areas and 66.9% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 59.0% White, 27.8% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.9% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.6% of the population.

There were 15,277 households in the county, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 31.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 17,331 housing units, of which 11.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.9% were owner-occupied and 36.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%.

Education

Main article: Coffee County School District (Georgia)

Douglas is home to South Georgia State College, the oldest two-year institution under the University System of Georgia.

Politics

As of the 2020s, Coffee County is a Republican stronghold, voting 72% for Donald Trump in 2024. Like most of the Solid South, Coffee County voted with the Democrats until 1964, when Republican Barry Goldwater carried the county as well as the state. Democrat Jimmy Carter, who came from Georgia, carried the county twice. No Democrat has carried the county since then. Bill Clinton was the last Democrat to get over forty percent of the county's vote, in 1996. His two bids for president are the only times since Carter that a Democrat has kept the margin within single digits, and Michael Dukakis is the only other Democrat since Carter to garner 40 percent of the county's vote.

For elections to the United States House of Representatives, Coffee County is part of Georgia's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Austin Scott. For elections to the Georgia State Senate, Coffee County is part of Districts 13 and 19. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Coffee County is part of Districts 169 and 176.

References

References

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