# Berrien County, Georgia

Berrien County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,160. The county seat is Nashville. The county was created February 25, 1856, out of portions of Coffee, Irwin and Lowndes counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. It is named after Georgia senator John M. Berrien.

## History
### Establishment

The citizens of the area of Lowndes County and Irwin County that would become Berrien County had to travel long distances to get the county courthouse at Franklinville, Georgia and later Troupville, Georgia for those in Lowndes County, and Irwinville, Georgia for those in Irwin County. By at least June 1853, citizens had petitioned to form a new county. The 1853 attempt of a new county failed. By 1856, a renewed attempt at the creation of a new county was successful.

### World War I

Berrien County lost a disproportionate number of men in World War I in part because companies at that time were organized by militia districts at home. Eight weeks before the Armistice, 25 Berrien County men were among the 200 recently enlisted soldiers who perished at sea off the coast of Scotland. Many of the bodies were returned to the soldiers' hometowns for burial, and the names of the dead were engraved on a memorial located on the courthouse grounds in Nashville. The memorial was the first in a series of pressed copper sculptures by artist E. M. Viquesney entitled The Spirit of the American Doughboy.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 458 square miles (1,190 km$^2$), of which 452 square miles (1,170 km$^2$) is land and 6.0 square miles (16 km$^2$) (1.3%) is water.
The western portion of Berrien County, from just north of U.S. Route 82 and roughly west of U.S. Route 129 heading south, is located in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. The eastern portion of the county is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the larger Suwannee River basin.

### Major highways

* U.S. Route 82
* U.S. Route 129
* State Route 11
* State Route 37
* State Route 64
* State Route 76
* State Route 125
* State Route 135
* State Route 158
* State Route 168
* State Route 520

### Adjacent counties

* Irwin County - north
* Coffee County - northeast
* Atkinson County - east
* Lanier County - southeast
* Lowndes County - south
* Cook County - west
* Tift County - northwest

### Communities
#### Cities

* Nashville
* Ray City

#### Towns

* Alapaha
* Enigma

#### Unincorporated communities

* Bannockburn
* Glory

## Demographics

Berrien County racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 14,396 | 79.27% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,934 | 10.65% |
| Native American | 22 | 0.12% |
| Asian | 80 | 0.44% |
| Pacific Islander | 10 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 673 | 3.71% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,045 | 5.75% |
At the 2020 United States census, there were 18,160 people, 7,367 households, and 5,055 families residing in the county, down from 19,286 at the 2010 census. Previously, the county had a historic-high population of 22,722 in 1910, although in 1860, Berrien County's population was 3,475.
According to the American Community Survey in 2022, its median household income was $48,670 with a per capita income of $25,100. Approximately 51% of its population made less than $50,000 a year; 30% from $50,000-100,000; 17% from $100,000-200,000; and 2% more than $200,000 annually. Of the county, 23.2% lived at or below the poverty line, and an estimated 30% of children under 18 years of age were at or below the poverty line. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $108,300.
The Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 denoted the largest religion in the area is Christianity. The largest Christian groups within the county are Baptists and non or interdenominational Protestants, followed by Methodists and Pentecostals. Within Berrien County, the largest single Christian denomination as of 2020 has been the Southern Baptist Convention.

## Politics

Berrien County is part of District 170 for the Georgia House of Representatives currently represented by Jaclyn Ford.
United States presidential election results for Berrien County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 6,841 | 84.79% | 1,209 | 14.99% | 18 | 0.22% |
| 2020 | 6,419 | 82.89% | 1,269 | 16.39% | 56 | 0.72% |
| 2016 | 5,422 | 81.99% | 1,047 | 15.83% | 144 | 2.18% |
| 2012 | 4,843 | 77.81% | 1,273 | 20.45% | 108 | 1.74% |
| 2008 | 4,901 | 75.95% | 1,471 | 22.80% | 81 | 1.26% |
| 2004 | 3,917 | 69.87% | 1,638 | 29.22% | 51 | 0.91% |
| 2000 | 2,718 | 61.63% | 1,640 | 37.19% | 52 | 1.18% |
| 1996 | 1,950 | 42.87% | 2,066 | 45.42% | 533 | 11.72% |
| 1992 | 1,637 | 36.03% | 2,103 | 46.29% | 803 | 17.68% |
| 1988 | 2,030 | 59.36% | 1,381 | 40.38% | 9 | 0.26% |
| 1984 | 2,395 | 58.92% | 1,670 | 41.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,487 | 33.76% | 2,869 | 65.15% | 48 | 1.09% |
| 1976 | 555 | 14.05% | 3,394 | 85.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 2,285 | 86.03% | 371 | 13.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 566 | 14.79% | 452 | 11.81% | 2,810 | 73.41% |
| 1964 | 4,073 | 60.51% | 2,658 | 39.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 368 | 11.66% | 2,787 | 88.34% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 165 | 6.44% | 2,398 | 93.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 364 | 14.27% | 2,187 | 85.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 107 | 5.03% | 1,772 | 83.31% | 248 | 11.66% |
| 1944 | 217 | 12.78% | 1,481 | 87.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 23 | 1.95% | 1,156 | 97.97% | 1 | 0.08% |
| 1936 | 53 | 3.02% | 1,700 | 96.98% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 19 | 1.28% | 1,447 | 97.44% | 19 | 1.28% |
| 1928 | 105 | 12.50% | 735 | 87.50% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 13 | 3.01% | 409 | 94.68% | 10 | 2.31% |
| 1920 | 58 | 8.52% | 623 | 91.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 49 | 2.24% | 2,102 | 96.29% | 32 | 1.47% |
| 1912 | 70 | 8.60% | 709 | 87.10% | 35 | 4.30% |

## Education

All residents of the county are in the Berrien County School District.