Photo by Mark E. Tisdale - prints available at www.marktisdalephotography.com

About Macon County

Macon County, Georgia's 91st county, was created in 1837 from parts of Houston and Marion Counties. Like the nearby-but-unrelated city of Macon, Macon County was named in honor of Congressman General Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina.

Macon County is relatively rural, with a population of 14,263, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The county is home to the Andersonville National Cemetery and Park, the Montezuma Bluff Wildlife Management Area and Whitewater Creek State Park. The Georgia Department of Labor estimates our labor force to be 5,650 people.

Diverse agriculture and agriculture-related businesses are the backbone of the Macon County economy.

• Macon County produces more milk than any other county in Georgia.
• Poultry has become a major business in Macon County. Tyson has a breeder farm, hatchery and feed mill in the county.
• Macon County is No. 1 in peaches as well.  Peaches have always been a mainstay in the county. Sam Henry Rumph of Macon County developed the Elberta Peach. This variety is responsible for establishing Georgia's reputation as the Peach State.
• A wide variety of other crops is grown in Macon County. They include cotton, peanuts, soy beans, tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, pecans, corn, wheat, oats, and peas, ... the list goes on. 
• Macon County is in the Top Ten in Livestock & Aquaculture and the production of Fruit & Nuts.  Reference the most recent Georgia Farm Gate Value Report for  more information 

Forest products play an important role in the local economy. Weyerhaeuser has a large pulp processing plant near Oglethorpe with more than 500 employees and hundreds more employed by support industries such as trucking.

Southern Wood Suppliers has a large chip mill in Macon County that produces hard wood chips used in the manufacture of paper.

Major Employers

The most recent data available shows that the three largest employers in Macon County are:

• Macon State Prison
• Imerys (formerly C.E. Minerals)
• Weyerhaeuser Company

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 406 square miles, of which, 403 square miles  is land and three square miles (0.66 percent) is water.

Major highways (links will take you to Wikipedia for additional information)

• Georgia State Route 26
• Georgia State Route 49
• Georgia State Route 90
• Georgia State Route 128
• Georgia State Route 224
• Georgia State Route 240

Adjacent counties (links will take you to Wikipedia for additional information)

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

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,740 people, 4,716 households, and 3,485 families residing in the county. There were 6,179 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 37.1 percent White, 60 percent Black or African American, .04 percent Native American, 1.5 percent Asian, 0.1 percent Pacific Islander, 0.9 percent from two or more races. Four percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,224, and the median income for a family was $30.906.

Click here for a complete look at the latest Census Quick Facts for Macon County.