Banks County

Banks County, Georgia
Banks County courthouse in Homer
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	February, 1 1859
Named for	Richard Banks
Seat	Homer
Largest city	Baldwin
Area
• Total	234 sq mi (606 km2)
• Land	232 sq mi (601 km2)
• Water	1.8 sq mi (5 km2), 0.8%
Population
• (2010)	18,395
• Density	79/sq mi (31/km²)
Congressional district	9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.bankscountyga.org

Banks County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,395. The county seat is Homer. The Old Banks County Courthouse is located in Homer and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A newer county courthouse was constructed in 1983.

The law to establish Banks County was passed by the Georgia General Assembly on December, 11, 1858. It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks. The legislation called for the creation of Banks County on February 1, 1859, from Franklin and Habersham counties.

Ty Cobb, a Baseball Hall of Famer, was born in Banks County in 1886 in an area of the county known as The Narrows - a small farming community consisting of fewer than 100 people. The area and birthplace are on State Highway 105 in the northern part of the county near the Broad River. The legal organ for the county is The Banks County News, a member of Mainstreet News, Inc. One of the county's oldest church sites is the Hebron Presbyterian Church, established in 1796. Banks County is the home of the Atlanta Dragway, located near Banks Crossing. Banks County is also known for being the home of the former world's largest Easter Egg Hunt. (The 50th annual egg hunt in 2009 was the last in the series.)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 234 square miles (610 km²), of which 232 square miles (600 km²) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²) (0.8%) is water. Banks County is entirely located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.