Formed December 10, 1807 (31st county)
Jones County (28,351), Gray (3,430)
Built in 1905 from the Romanesque Revival designs of J. W. Golucke, the courthouse is made of light red brick. It is located at Jefferson and Clinton streets. Clinton Street is United States Highway 129. In 1977 an addition was connected to the courthouse for Law Enforcement. The courthouse has a tower with a working clock. An iron fence surrounds the building and veteran memorials are on the grounds. The county center is 2 miles Northwest of Gray.
Jones County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive). It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.) Fifteen Superior Court Judges serve Jones, Bleckley, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Candler, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Emanuel, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Morgan, Pulaski, Putnam, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Washington, Wheeler, Wilcox, and Wilkinson counties and Six County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Jones County (judicial.) The county is located in central Georgia to the southeast of Atlanta, Georgia and directly north of Macon, Georgia. The Ocmulgee River is its western border. The county is surrounded clockwise by Putnam, Baldwin, Twiggs, Wilkinson, Bibb, Monroe, and Jasper counties. Jones County was established on December 10, 1807 from Baldwin County as the 31st county. Clinton was the original county seat until 1905 when Gray took over. Congressman James Jones is the namesake of the county. Confederate States supporter James Madison Gray inspired the county seat name. Jones County was the birthplace of 1 Georgia Governor, William J. Northen.
The area of the county is 394 square miles. It is 59 out of 159 counties in the state. It ranks 64 out of 159 in population in the state. It has a density of 72.0 persons per square mile making it 77 out of 159 in the state. Jones County has 12.1% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 129 goes north to south through the county from Putnam County to Bibb County. The county is basically funnel shaped without the tip. Gray is located slightly southeast of the county center. Gray is the county seat and the largest city. It is 12.1% of the county population. This county is in the Macon Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Gray
Macon
