Richmond

Formed February 5, 1777 (7^th county)

Richmond County (206,607), Augusta (202,080)

A Modern style red brick and concrete building for Richmond County was built in 2011.  It is on James Brown Boulevard between Walton and Fenwick streets.  United States Highway 25 is four blocks west of the site.  Turner Associates are the building architects.  The structure features columns.  There were 1820 and 1957 versions of the courthouse.  Augusta has been the county seat since Richmond County was founded as an original Georgia county on February 5, 1777.  In 1996 Richmond County and the City of Augusta combined into a single government.  The county is named for the British Duke of Richmond.  Augusta was named for the Princess of Wales.  Richmond County was the birthplace of 1 Georgia Governor, Carl E. Sanders, Sr.  The county center is 13.4 miles South-Southwest of Augusta nearer Hephzibah. 

Richmond County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 10 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-four Superior Court Judges serve Richmond, Banks, Barrow, Burke, Clarke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Glascock, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren, and Wilkes counties and Three State Judges and Six County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Richmond County (judicial.) The city-county is located in eastern Georgia on the border with South Carolina.  The Savannah River is its eastern border.  The county is surrounded clockwise by South Carolina and Burke, Jefferson, McDuffie, and Columbia counties. 

The area of the county is 324 square miles.  It is 91 out of 159 counties in the state.  It ranks 11 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 637.7 persons per square mile making it 13 out of 159 in the state.  Richmond County has 100.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 20 enters from South Carolina, east, and exits into Columbia County, west.  United States Highway 1 comes in from South Carolina and goes southwest into Jefferson County.  United States Highway 25 enters the county joined with United States Highway 1, splits, and exits south into Burke County.  United States Highways 78/278 parallel Interstate Highway 20 from South Carolina to Columbia County.  The county’s shape resembles a tornado cloud pointing southeast.  As a combined city-county, Augusta occupies the vast majority of the county.  Augusta is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 97.8% of the county population.  This county is in the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area.