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Banks County
Banks County
County
	Banks County courthouse in Homer
	Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°21′N 83°30′W / 34.35°N 83.5°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	February 1, 1859; 165 years ago
Named for	Richard Banks
Seat	Homer
Largest city	Commerce
Area
• Total	234 sq mi (610 km2)
• Land	232 sq mi (600 km2)
• Water	1.8 sq mi (5 km2) 0.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	18,035
• Density	79/sq mi (31/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.bankscountyga.org

Banks County is a county in the Northeast region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,035,^[1] down from 18,395 in 2010.^[2] The county seat is Homer.^[3] The Old Banks County Courthouse is located in Homer and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A new county courthouse was constructed adjacent to the old one in 1983.

History

The law to establish Banks County was passed by the Georgia General Assembly on December 11, 1858.^[4] It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks.^[5] 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.)

Geography

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.^[6] Banks County is entirely located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	4,707		—
1870	4,973		5.7%
1880	7,337		47.5%
1890	8,562		16.7%
1900	10,545		23.2%
1910	11,244		6.6%
1920	11,814		5.1%
1930	9,703		−17.9%
1940	8,733		−10.0%
1950	6,935		−20.6%
1960	6,497		−6.3%
1970	6,833		5.2%
1980	8,702		27.4%
1990	10,308		18.5%
2000	14,422		39.9%
2010	18,395		27.5%
2020	18,035		−2.0%
2023 (est.)	19,789	^[8]	9.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790-1880^[10]1890-1910^[11] 1920-1930^[12] 1930-1940^[13] 1940-1950^[14] 1960-1980^[15] 1980-2000^[16] 2010^[2] 2020^[1]

2020 census

Banks County Racial Composition^[17]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White	15,578	86.38%
Black or African American	394	2.18%
Native American	54	0.3%
Asian	189	1.05%
Pacific Islander	8	0.04%
Other/Mixed	648	3.59%
Hispanic or Latino	1,164	6.45%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 18,035 people, 6,740 households, and 4,875 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 18,395 people, 6,700 households, and 5,100 families living in the county.^[18] The population density was 79.3 inhabitants per square mile (30.6/km²). There were 7,595 housing units at an average density of 32.7 units per square mile (12.6 units/km²).^[19] The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% white, 2.3% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 3.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.7% of the population.^[18] In terms of ancestry, 18.7% were American, 8.5% were Irish, and 8.5% were English.^[20]

Of the 6,700 households, 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.9% were non-families, and 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age was 38.4 years.^[18]

The median income for a household in the county was $40,455 and the median income for a family was $48,606. Males had a median income of $41,444 versus $26,998 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,497. About 13.0% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 16.6% of those age 65 or over.^[21]

2000 census

As of the census^[22] of 2000, there were 14,422 people, 5,364 households, and 4,162 families living in the county. The population density was 62 people per square mile (24 people/km²). There were 5,808 housing units at an average density of 25 units per square mile (9.7 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.16% White, 3.22% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.96% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 3.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,364 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.40% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% were non-families. 19.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,523, and the median income for a family was $43,136. Males had a median income of $29,986 versus $21,698 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,424. About 9.80% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.00% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Banks County School District is a public school district that services Banks County, and is based in Homer. There are four schools in the district, which educate 2,788 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.^[24]

Communities

Cities

Baldwin (partly in Habersham)
Commerce (partly in Jackson)
Gillsville (partly in Hall)
Lula (partly in Hall)

Towns

Alto (partly in Habersham)
Homer
Maysville (partly in Jackson)

Unincorporated communities

Politics

United States presidential election results for Banks County, Georgia^[23]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	7,795	88.53%	932	10.58%	78	0.89%
2016	6,134	87.94%	684	9.81%	157	2.25%
2012	5,354	86.30%	780	12.57%	70	1.13%
2008	5,120	81.93%	1,027	16.43%	102	1.63%
2004	4,410	78.86%	1,149	20.55%	33	0.59%
2000	3,202	70.64%	1,220	26.91%	111	2.45%
1996	1,925	47.23%	1,536	37.68%	615	15.09%
1992	1,551	42.25%	1,530	41.68%	590	16.07%
1988	1,590	61.58%	984	38.11%	8	0.31%
1984	1,549	59.30%	1,063	40.70%	0	0.00%
1980	746	26.01%	2,091	72.91%	31	1.08%
1976	330	12.15%	2,387	87.85%	0	0.00%
1972	1,336	78.96%	356	21.04%	0	0.00%
1968	398	18.70%	296	13.91%	1,434	67.39%
1964	548	30.34%	1,258	69.66%	0	0.00%
1960	221	15.89%	1,170	84.11%	0	0.00%
1956	187	15.90%	989	84.10%	0	0.00%
1952	204	13.98%	1,255	86.02%	0	0.00%
1948	38	6.35%	533	89.13%	27	4.52%
1944	125	20.19%	490	79.16%	4	0.65%
1940	164	19.57%	668	79.71%	6	0.72%
1936	181	22.02%	641	77.98%	0	0.00%
1932	58	4.26%	1,283	94.27%	20	1.47%
1928	363	46.24%	422	53.76%	0	0.00%
1924	86	21.88%	291	74.05%	16	4.07%
1920	342	41.66%	479	58.34%	0	0.00%
1916	118	9.57%	989	80.21%	126	10.22%
1912	83	36.89%	133	59.11%	9	4.00%