Butts County: History

Butts County, the 64th county formed in Georgia, was created in 1825 from Henry and Monroe counties. It was named for Captain Samuel Butts, a militiaman killed fighting Creek Indians in the War of 1812.

The county has three municipalities: Jackson, the county seat, Flovilla, and Jenkinsburg. Jackson was named for President Andrew Jackson.

Lake Jackson, one of the earliest reservoirs in Georgia, was formed in 1910 when the Central Georgia Power Company completed a dam and hydroelectric plant at Lloyd Shoals on the Ocmulgee River.

Indian Springs is the oldest state park in the United States. The Creek Indians used the springs for centuries to heal their sick and to keep the healthy well. It was also the site of the treaty that ceded the Creek Indian lands to the state of Georgia in 1825.

Robert Grier was one of Butts County's notable citizens. He was the publisher of Grier's Almanac which has been published annually since 1807. Current sales average 2.5 million copies a year.

Festivals in Butts County include the Scottish Festival, the Native American Festival, and a Civil War re-enactment each November.

Historic sites abound in Butts County, like Indian Springs Hotel (1823), the Indian Springs Church (1855), the Butts County Courthouse (1898), the Old Flovilla School (1885-1932), and historic private homes.

Butts County: Demographic Information

According to the 1990 Census, the population of Butts County was 15,326 persons. The county's population grew between 1980 and 1990 at a rate of 12.2%, compared with a state average growth rate during the period of 13.2%. The county's projected population for the year 2000 is 16,763 persons.

In Butts County, 63.7% of the residents were white and 35.5% were black, according to the 1990 Census. Hispanics, who may also be identified as either white or black in the Census data, constituted 0.7% of the county’s population. Statewide, 71% of residents were white, 27% were black and 1.7% were Hispanic.

In addition, 28.6% of the county’s residents were age 19 or younger, while 11.6% were age 65 or older. Statewide, 30% were age 19 or younger and 10% were age 65 or older.

In Butts County, the 1990 Census reports 6.8% of households were headed by females and had children under 18 years of age, compared with 8% statewide. Total households with children under 18 comprised 36.5% of all households in the county and 36% of those in the state.

The 1990 Census indicates that 36.8% of the adult population in Butts County had completed high school, which was greater than the state average of 29.6%. A total of 21.6% of the county’s population had at least some college level education compared with the 41.3% state average.

Between 1991 and 1995, an average of 8.6% of students in grades 8 to 12 dropped out of school each year in the county. Statewide, the average percentage of dropouts was 6.7% for the same time period.

Butts County spent an average of $3,558 per pupil for public education each year between 1990 and 1994. This expenditure was less than the statewide average of $4,002.

Between 1989 and 1993, the infant mortality rate (infant deaths per 1,000 live births) was 12.2 for the county. The statewide rate was 11.3 during the same period.

In 1992, the number of physicians in the county per 1,000 population was 0.58, compared with the 0.8 state average. Butts County had 1.8 hospital beds per 1,000 population in 1994, which was less than the statewide average of 3.6 beds per 1,000 population.

According to the 1990 Census, 60.9% of the housing units in the county were owner occupied. The median value of these units was $55,500. Across the state, 76% of housing units were owner occupied, with a median value of $70,700.

Between 1990 and 1994, the county’s index crime rate (crimes per 100,000 population) was 2,409. Statewide, when moving from the highest index crime rate to the lowest, Butts County ranked number 93. Of this five year average, 11.1% were violent crimes, while 88.9% were non-violent crimes.

In 1992, 81.7% of the adult population in the county was registered to vote. Of those registered, 69.1% voted in the 1992 general election. Statewide, in 1992, 67% of eligible Georgians were registered to vote. Of those registered, 73% voted in the general election that year.

Butts County: Government Information

From 1991 to 1995, Butts County's average own source revenue per capita was $400. This amount was greater than the average of $340 per capita reported by other counties of similar size and was greater than the overall county average of $326.

Butts County collected an average of $165 per capita in property tax during the past five years. This amount was less than the average of $168 per capita for other similarly sized counties. For the same period, the average per capita amount of county property tax collected in Georgia was $155. On average, property taxes accounted for 41% of the county's own source revenue during the period of 1991 to 1995.

Between 1991 and 1995, Butts County's yearly general operating expenditures averaged $329 per capita. This amount was greater than the overall county average of $274 per capita during the same period. The average yearly general operating expenditures per capita for similarly sized counties was $252 between 1991 and 1995.

From 1991 to 1995, Butts County had an average of $1,177,028 in long-term debt outstanding each year, resulting in an average per capita debt burden of $75. This amount was less than the $84 per capita average among the 135 counties with outstanding debt during the period and less than the $143 per capita average for the 31 similarly sized counties with outstanding debt.

In 1996, Butts was designated as a tier two county under Georgia's Job Tax Credit Program. Under this classification, eligible companies may receive $1,500 in tax credits for each new job created in the county.

According to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Butts County has a 5-member board of commissioners, with the chairman elected by the members of the board. The county seat of Butts County is Jackson.

Butts County: Economic Information

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the largest non-government employers in the county include: American Woodmark, Dundee Mills Inc., and Westbury Med Care Home.

Between 1990 and 1994, Butts County’s annual unemployment rate was higher than the state’s mark, averaging 7% compared with the state’s average of 5.7%. Nationwide, unemployment for the same period averaged 6.5%.

In 1990, 51% of the county’s workforce was employed within the county while the balance, 49%, commuted out of Butts County for employment.

The county per capita income in 1992 was less than that of the state and was less than that of the nation. Butts County’s per capita income was $14,082, as compared with $18,549 for the state and $20,105 for the United States.

Butts County’s median household income in 1989 was $24,420. This amount was less than the state’s median household income of $29,021 in that same year. Nationally, the median household income in 1989 was $30,056.

In 1993, taxable sales in the county amounted to $10,622 per capita. This amount was less than the $10,636 per capita figure for the state as a whole.

Butts County had 261 business establishments in 1991. In the six-year period of 1986-1991, the number of business establishments in the county increased by 4%. Statewide, the number of business establishments increased by 6% during the same period.

According to the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Net Property and Utility Digest, Butts County’s assessed property value amounted to $184,102,042 in 1992, resulting in a per capita assessed property value of $12,012. At the state level, per capita assessed property value in 1992 equaled $16,112.

The newspaper with the largest daily circulation in Butts County is the Atlanta Journal/Constitution. The county is considered part of the Atlanta television market.

During 1989, 16% of the county’s population lived below the poverty level, compared with a statewide level of 15% and a U.S. rate of 13%. In addition, 22% of the children under the age of 18 in the county lived in poverty and 18% of the elderly, persons over age 65, lived below the poverty level. Statewide, in 1989, 20% of all children and 20% of the elderly lived in poverty. Nationally, 19% of all children and 11% of the elderly were considered to be impoverished.

Residents of Butts County received total government transfer payments amounting to $3,147 per capita in 1992, compared with $2,708 per capita statewide.