Douglas County, Georgia
| Douglas County, Georgia | ||
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Douglas County courthouse in Douglasville
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 Location in the U.S. state of Georgia |
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 Georgia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1870 | |
| Named for | Stephen A. Douglas | |
| Seat | Douglasville | |
| Largest city | Douglasville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 201 sq mi (521 km2) | |
| • Land | 200 sq mi (518 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.0 sq mi (3 km2), 0.5% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 140,733 | |
| • Density | 662/sq mi (256/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 13th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www.douglascountygeorgia.com www www |
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Douglas County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 132,403, nearly double that in 1990. The county seat is Douglasville.
Douglas County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It has attracted new residents as jobs have increased in the Atlanta area.
Formed in 1870 during Reconstruction after the US Civil War, Douglas County was originally named by the bi-racial Republican Reconstruction legislature after Frederick Douglass, the Civil War-era abolitionist. However, at the end of Reconstruction, white conservative Democrats regained control of the state legislature. They dropped the second "s" and designated the honoree as Stephen A. Douglas. He was an Illinois senator and the Democratic opponent of Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860.
According to a historical marker:
"This county, created by Act of the Legislature October 1, 1870, was named for Stephen A. Douglas, the "Little Giant," a Vermonter who was Congressman from Illinois 1843 to '47, Senator from '47 to '61, and Democratic candidate for President in 1860 on the ticket with gov. Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia, for Vice President. Among the first County Officers were: sheriff T.H. Sellman, Clerk of Superior Court A.L. Gorman, Ordinary Wm. Hindman, Tax Receiver Jno. M. James, Tax Collector M.D. Watkins, Treasurer C.P. Bower, Surveyor John M. Hughey. The county was created from the part of Campbell county which was northwest of the Chattahoochee River. The remainder of Campbell became southwest Fulton at the beginning of 1932."
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