Berrien

Formed February 25, 1856 (114^th county)

Berrien County (18,166), Nashville (4,961)

The Modern Greek Revival red and concrete Judicial Building replaced the classic courthouse built in 1898.  It was built in 2008 on Davis Avenue and Hamilton Street.  United States Highway 129 is Davis Street.  J. Glenn Gregory and Associates provided the design.  The classic red brick courthouse sits on a square at Davis Avenue, Marion Street, Jefferson Avenue, and Washington Street.  It features a tower with working clock and veteran memorials and a gazebo on the grounds.  The Romanesque Revival and Colonial Revival style courthouse was designed by Walter Chamberlin.  The county was created on February 25, 1856 from Coffee, Irwin, and Lowndes as the 114^th county.  Nashville is the only county seat.  The county’s name was provided by Senator John MacPherson Berrien.  General Francis Nash is the namesake for the county seat.  The county center is 8.9 miles North-Northeast of Nashville nearer Alapaha. 

Berrien County government consists of a manager, a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Berrien, Atkinson, Baker, 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 five County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Appling County (judicial.) The county is in south central Georgia north of Valdosta, Georgia and southeast of Albany, Georgia.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Irwin, Coffee, Atkinson, Lanier, Lowndes, Cook, and Tift counties. 

The area of the county is 452 square miles.  The county is 38 of 159 in the state.  It ranks 97 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 40.2 persons per square mile making it 103 out of 159 in the state.  Berrien County has 41.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 82 crosses east to west in the north part of the county from Atkinson County to Tift County.  United States Highway 129 goes north to south from Irwin County to Lowndes County.  The Willachochee River forms the eastern border.  The county shape is a lamp without the shade.  Nashville is in the southwest quarter of the county.  Nashville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.3% of the county population.

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