Barrow

Formed November 3, 1914 (148^th county)

Barrow County (83,507), Winder (18,333)

A Modern style brown brick and concrete Justice Center replaced the 1920 classic courthouse in 2009.  It is located on Barrow Park Drive.  The courthouse was designed by Rosser International.  Georgia Highway 211 is two blocks east of the site.  The old courthouse still is used for offices and the county commissioners.  An Annex was added in 1989.  The county was founded on November 3, 1914 from parts of Jackson, Gwinnett, and Walton counties as the 148^th county.  Winder has been the only county seat.  The county was named for University of Georgia chancellor David Crenshaw Barrow.  Winder was named for railroad officer, John H. Winder.  Barrow County was the birthplace of 1 Georgia Governor, Richard B. Russell, Jr.  The county center is 2.1 miles Northeast of Winder. 

Barrow County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 6 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-four Superior Court Judges serve Barrow, Banks, Burke, Clarke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Glascock, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren, and Wilkes counties and five County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Barrow County (judicial.) The county is in the northeast with Atlanta, Georgia to its southwest.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Jackson, Clarke, Oconee, Walton, Gwinnett, and Hall counties. 

The area of the county is 162 square miles.  The county is 152 of 159 in the state.  It ranks 31 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 515.5 persons per square mile making it 20 out of 159 in the state.  Barrow County has 37.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 85 crosses the north part of the county, east to west, Jackson County to Gwinnett County.  United States Highway 29 comes from the east, Oconee County, and goes west, Gwinnett County.  The county is a lazy capital letter L.  The Apalachee River forms its south border.  Winder is located near the county center.  Winder is county seat and the largest city.  It is 22.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area.