Atkinson

Formed August 15, 1917 (151^st county)

Atkinson County (8,289), Pearson (1,824)

The thin working clock tower tops this Neo-Classical Revival courthouse built in 1920.  It is located on a square at Main, Roberts, King, and Smith streets.  Main Street is United States Highway 221.  James J. Baldwin is the architect of this dark red brick structure.  Columns are on the building and veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Atkinson County was organized on August 15, 1917 from Clinch and Coffee counties as the 151^st county.  Pearson has been the only county seat.  Governor William Yates Atkinson was the namesake of the county.  The county seat is named settler, Benajah Pearson.  The county center is in Pearson .9 miles Southwest of the city center. 

Atkinson County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 6 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Atkinson, Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties and four County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Atkinson County (judicial.) The county is located in south central Georgia.  Savannah, Georgia is northeast and Jacksonville, Florida is southeast of the county.  The Willacoochee River forms the western border.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Coffee, Ware, Clinch, Lanier, and Berrien counties. 

The area of the county is 338 square miles.  It is 84 of 159 in the state.  It ranks 138 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 24.5 persons per square mile making it 135 out of 159 in the state.  Atkinson County has 37.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 82 goes east to west in the county from Ware County to Berrien County.  United States Highway 221 crosses north to south, Coffee County to Clinch County.  United States Highway 441 is joined with United States Highway 221 from Coffee County, splits and travels south into Clinch County.  The county is shaped like an anvil.  Pearson is near the center of the county.  Pearson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 22.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Douglas Micropolitan Statistical Area.