# Bleckley County, Georgia

Bleckley County is a county located in the central 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.
United States presidential election results for Bleckley County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 4,685 | 77.51% | 1,339 | 22.15% | 20 | 0.33% |
| 2020 | 4,329 | 75.81% | 1,312 | 22.98% | 69 | 1.21% |
| 2016 | 3,719 | 74.77% | 1,101 | 22.14% | 154 | 3.10% |
| 2012 | 3,587 | 72.91% | 1,269 | 25.79% | 64 | 1.30% |
| 2008 | 3,657 | 71.93% | 1,380 | 27.14% | 47 | 0.92% |
| 2004 | 3,167 | 70.83% | 1,281 | 28.65% | 23 | 0.51% |
| 2000 | 2,436 | 64.98% | 1,273 | 33.96% | 40 | 1.07% |
| 1996 | 1,632 | 49.33% | 1,365 | 41.26% | 311 | 9.40% |
| 1992 | 1,570 | 39.69% | 1,710 | 43.23% | 676 | 17.09% |
| 1988 | 1,950 | 62.14% | 1,175 | 37.44% | 13 | 0.41% |
| 1984 | 1,912 | 56.62% | 1,465 | 43.38% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,261 | 36.66% | 2,014 | 58.55% | 165 | 4.80% |
| 1976 | 972 | 27.17% | 2,605 | 72.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 2,308 | 85.96% | 377 | 14.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 756 | 20.94% | 397 | 10.99% | 2,458 | 68.07% |
| 1964 | 2,578 | 72.50% | 978 | 27.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 633 | 26.55% | 1,751 | 73.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 136 | 8.13% | 1,537 | 91.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 187 | 10.97% | 1,517 | 89.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 71 | 8.47% | 536 | 63.96% | 231 | 27.57% |
| 1944 | 213 | 20.72% | 815 | 79.28% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 100 | 11.26% | 785 | 88.40% | 3 | 0.34% |
| 1936 | 69 | 9.58% | 649 | 90.14% | 2 | 0.28% |
| 1932 | 37 | 2.69% | 1,338 | 97.24% | 1 | 0.07% |
| 1928 | 71 | 9.97% | 641 | 90.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 21 | 5.19% | 367 | 90.62% | 17 | 4.20% |
| 1920 | 0 | 0.00% | 262 | 100.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 14 | 3.66% | 362 | 94.76% | 6 | 1.57% |

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 219 square miles (570 km$^2$), of which 216 square miles (560 km$^2$) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km$^2$) (1.5%) 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

* I-16 (Interstate 16)
* US 23
* US 23 Bus.
* US 129 Alt.
* SR 26
* SR 87
* SR 87 Bus.
* SR 112
* SR 126
* SR 257
* SR 278
* SR 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)

### Adjacent counties

* Wilkinson County - north
* Twiggs County - north
* Laurens County - east
* Dodge County - southeast
* Pulaski County - southwest
* Houston County - west

## Communities
### Cities

* Allentown
* Cochran

### Unincorporated communities

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

## Demographics

Bleckley County racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 8,867 | 70.47% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,788 | 22.16% |
| Native American | 11 | 0.09% |
| Asian | 153 | 1.22% |
| Pacific Islander | 8 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 287 | 2.28% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 469 | 3.73% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,583 people, 4,176 households, and 2,727 families residing in the county.

## 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
* Mae Chapel
* Middle Georgia Equestrian Center
* Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area
* Ocmulgee Water Trail
* Ocmulgee Wildlife Management Area
* Terry L. Coleman Museum and Archives