# Macon County, Georgia

Macon County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,082. The county seat is Oglethorpe.
The Macon County Courthouse is located in Oglethorpe.

## History

Macon County was created in 1837 from parts of Houston ("house-ton") and Marion counties, effective December 14 of that year. The 91st county, it was named for the then-recently deceased General Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina, who served in the U.S. Congress for 37 years and ran for U.S. vice president. The city of Macon, Georgia was also named for him, but the city of Macon, Georgia, is the seat of Bibb County, a different county. The county was later reduced when parts were separated to organize Taylor and Peach counties, in 1852 and 1924, respectively.
The first county seat was not chosen until 1838, when the county's inferior court selected Lanier. The Georgia General Assembly (state legislature) designated it on December 29 of that year and incorporated it as a town.
In the 1850s, the Central of Georgia Railroad was built through Oglethorpe, changing county dynamics. As a result, the Georgia Assembly called for a referendum on moving the Macon County seat to Oglethorpe in February of both 1854 and 1856. Little is known about the first vote, but the second vote resulted in approval for a change to the county seat, and Oglethorpe was designated the following year in 1857.
During the Civil War, 13,000 Union soldiers who were prisoners of war died at the Confederate camp in Andersonville, Georgia from starvation and disease. In the late period of the war, Georgia also had difficulty supplying its own troops and people with food. Throughout the Civil War, more men on both sides died of disease than of their wounds. Commandants of the camp were prosecuted after the war for poor treatment of prisoners. The Andersonville National Cemetery, established for the many Union dead, is at the southwestern tip of the county.
The county has an active Mennonite community. The area code for Macon County is currently 478.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 square miles (1,050 km$^2$), of which 401 square miles (1,040 km$^2$) is land and 5.4 square miles (14 km$^2$) (1.3%) is water. The county is located in the upper Atlantic coastal plain region of the state.
Most of the southern half of Macon County, from west of Ideal to State Route 49 north of Montezuma, then running north along State Route 49 to Marshallville, and then running southeast in the direction of Unadilla, is located in the Middle Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The northern and northwestern portion of the county, from north of Marshallville heading west, is located in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin. The northeastern corner of Macon County, east of Marshallville, is located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.

### Major highways

* State Route 26
* State Route 49
* State Route 90
* State Route 127
* State Route 128
* State Route 128 Bypass
* State Route 224
* State Route 240
* State Route 329

### Adjacent counties

* Peach County (northeast)
* Houston County (east)
* Dooly County (southeast)
* Sumter County (south)
* Schley County (southwest)
* Taylor County (northwest)

### National protected area

* Andersonville National Historic Site (part)

## Communities
### Cities

* Ideal
* Marshallville
* Montezuma
* Oglethorpe (county seat)

## Demographics

Macon County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. :
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone (NH) | 5,184 | 4,961 | 4,078 | 36.83% | 33.66% | 33.75% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 8,337 | 8,902 | 7,150 | 59.24% | 60.39% | 59.18% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 26 | 19 | 15 | 0.18% | 0.13% | 0.12% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 82 | 190 | 156 | 0.58% | 1.29% | 1.29% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0 | 18 | 7 | 0.00% | 0.12% | 0.06% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 9 | 5 | 20 | 0.06% | 0.03% | 0.17% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 72 | 118 | 184 | 0.51% | 0.80% | 1.52% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 364 | 527 | 472 | 2.59% | 3.58% | 3.91% |
| Total | 14,074 | 14,740 | 12,082 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,082 people, 4,696 households, and 3,033 families residing in the county.

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Macon County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 1,916 | 40.89% | 2,755 | 58.79% | 15 | 0.32% |
| 2020 | 1,783 | 38.24% | 2,858 | 61.29% | 22 | 0.47% |
| 2016 | 1,540 | 35.92% | 2,705 | 63.10% | 42 | 0.98% |
| 2012 | 1,545 | 32.28% | 3,211 | 67.09% | 30 | 0.63% |
| 2008 | 1,712 | 34.35% | 3,251 | 65.23% | 21 | 0.42% |
| 2004 | 1,851 | 38.72% | 2,906 | 60.79% | 23 | 0.48% |
| 2000 | 1,566 | 35.96% | 2,757 | 63.31% | 32 | 0.73% |
| 1996 | 1,006 | 26.54% | 2,618 | 69.06% | 167 | 4.41% |
| 1992 | 944 | 24.80% | 2,491 | 65.45% | 371 | 9.75% |
| 1988 | 1,412 | 38.19% | 2,268 | 61.35% | 17 | 0.46% |
| 1984 | 1,515 | 37.54% | 2,521 | 62.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 894 | 22.47% | 3,025 | 76.02% | 60 | 1.51% |
| 1976 | 638 | 17.47% | 3,013 | 82.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 2,005 | 70.55% | 837 | 29.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 598 | 19.22% | 954 | 30.67% | 1,559 | 50.11% |
| 1964 | 1,723 | 61.56% | 1,076 | 38.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 438 | 22.74% | 1,488 | 77.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 363 | 15.47% | 1,984 | 84.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 319 | 17.81% | 1,472 | 82.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 127 | 10.74% | 675 | 57.11% | 380 | 32.15% |
| 1944 | 168 | 15.89% | 889 | 84.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 72 | 7.76% | 852 | 91.81% | 4 | 0.43% |
| 1936 | 92 | 8.74% | 958 | 90.98% | 3 | 0.28% |
| 1932 | 55 | 3.67% | 1,438 | 96.06% | 4 | 0.27% |
| 1928 | 258 | 23.96% | 819 | 76.04% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 52 | 6.93% | 649 | 86.53% | 49 | 6.53% |
| 1920 | 68 | 12.34% | 483 | 87.66% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 97 | 17.38% | 440 | 78.85% | 21 | 3.76% |
| 1912 | 85 | 16.50% | 411 | 79.81% | 19 | 3.69% |

## In popular culture

Macon County has been an important setting for season 4 of AMC's hit TV show, The Walking Dead. Macon County was a shooting place for the 2013 movie, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
The Mountain Goats reference Macon County, Georgia in their song, "Going to Georgia".