# Toombs County, Georgia

Toombs County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,030. The county seat is Lyons and the largest city is Vidalia. The county was created on August 18, 1905.
Toombs County is part of the Vidalia micropolitan statistical area.

## History

Toombs County was founded as the 144th county in Georgia by the State Legislature on August 18, 1905, and organized on October 9 of that year. The county was originally formed from portions of Tattnall and Montgomery Counties; a small piece of Emanuel County was added in 1907 to give Toombs County its present-day boundaries.
The county is named for Robert Toombs, United States representative and senator. During the Civil War, Toombs also served in the Confederate Provisional Congress, as Secretary of State of the Confederate States, and a brigadier general in the Confederate Army.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 371 square miles (960 km$^2$), of which 364 square miles (940 km$^2$) is land and 7.0 square miles (18 km$^2$) (1.9%) is water.
The southern half of Toombs County, from south of Vidalia southeast to State Route 147, is located in the Altamaha River sub-basin of the larger river basin by the same name. The northern half of the county, centered on Lyons, is located in the Ohoopee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

### Major highways

* U.S. Route 1
* U.S. Route 280
* State Route 4
* State Route 15
* State Route 29
* State Route 30
* State Route 56
* State Route 86
* State Route 130
* State Route 147
* State Route 152
* State Route 178
* State Route 292
* State Route 297
* State Route 298

### Adjacent counties

* Emanuel County (north)
* Tattnall County (east)
* Appling County (south)
* Jeff Davis County (southwest)
* Montgomery County (west)
* Treutlen County (northwest)
* Candler County (northeast)

## Communities
### Cities

* Lyons
* Santa Claus
* Vidalia

### Census-designated place

* Ohoopee

## Demographics

Toombs County racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 16,007 | 59.22% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,980 | 25.82% |
| Native American | 31 | 0.11% |
| Asian | 207 | 0.77% |
| Pacific Islander | 6 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 755 | 2.79% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,044 | 11.26% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,030 people, 10,030 households, and 6,537 families residing in the county.

## Government

Toombs County is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, headed by David Sikes, the chairman. It is also governed by Alvie Kight Jr., who has been Sheriff since 1997.

### Politics

United States presidential election results for Toombs County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 8,208 | 75.22% | 2,674 | 24.51% | 30 | 0.27% |
| 2020 | 7,873 | 72.14% | 2,938 | 26.92% | 103 | 0.94% |
| 2016 | 6,615 | 72.39% | 2,338 | 25.59% | 185 | 2.02% |
| 2012 | 6,524 | 69.72% | 2,746 | 29.35% | 87 | 0.93% |
| 2008 | 6,658 | 68.61% | 2,964 | 30.54% | 82 | 0.85% |
| 2004 | 6,196 | 70.25% | 2,567 | 29.10% | 57 | 0.65% |
| 2000 | 4,487 | 62.23% | 2,643 | 36.66% | 80 | 1.11% |
| 1996 | 3,646 | 51.81% | 2,763 | 39.26% | 628 | 8.92% |
| 1992 | 3,609 | 48.18% | 2,648 | 35.35% | 1,233 | 16.46% |
| 1988 | 4,433 | 78.89% | 1,152 | 20.50% | 34 | 0.61% |
| 1984 | 4,470 | 65.21% | 2,385 | 34.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 2,835 | 45.75% | 3,255 | 52.53% | 107 | 1.73% |
| 1976 | 2,126 | 34.44% | 4,047 | 65.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 4,080 | 85.80% | 675 | 14.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,397 | 24.52% | 896 | 15.72% | 3,405 | 59.76% |
| 1964 | 3,543 | 67.77% | 1,685 | 32.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,038 | 31.97% | 2,209 | 68.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 565 | 19.07% | 2,397 | 80.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 723 | 21.49% | 2,641 | 78.51% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 193 | 9.57% | 1,161 | 57.59% | 662 | 32.84% |
| 1944 | 237 | 11.49% | 1,825 | 88.51% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 134 | 11.21% | 1,061 | 88.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 78 | 7.20% | 1,001 | 92.43% | 4 | 0.37% |
| 1932 | 54 | 2.79% | 1,868 | 96.49% | 14 | 0.72% |
| 1928 | 551 | 47.26% | 615 | 52.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 32 | 8.47% | 314 | 83.07% | 32 | 8.47% |
| 1920 | 246 | 38.26% | 397 | 61.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 33 | 6.07% | 425 | 78.13% | 86 | 15.81% |
| 1912 | 20 | 4.74% | 327 | 77.49% | 75 | 17.77% |

## Notable people

* Mel Blount (football hall of famer and founder of Mel Blount Youth Home)
* Nick Eason (former NFL player and current NFL assistant defensive line coach)
* Craig Campbell (country music singer)
* Fred Stokes (former pro football player)
* Travares Tillman (professional football player)
* Don Collins (former professional baseball player)
* Paul Claxton (PGA tour professional golfer)
* Wally Moses (former professional baseball player)
* Algur H. Meadows (oilman, businessman)
* Iris Blitch (politician)
* Carl Simpson (former professional baseball player)
* Don Harris (journalist killed during Jonestown Massacre)
* Ben Utt (professional football player)
* Paul Anderson (strongest man)