Clarke

Formed December 5, 1801 (25^th county)

Clarke County (128,671), Athens (127,362)                

The tan brick Italian Renaissance style courthouse was built in 1913 and sits along Washington Street between Jackson and Thomas streets.  United States Highway 78 is two blocks south.  It was enlarged in 1989 and renovated in 1990.  An Administration building was added using the 1903 old Athens City Hall.  Anthony Ten Eyck Brown is the building designer.  The building features columns.  There was an earlier 1875 courthouse in Athens.  Clarke County was the birthplace of 1 Georgia Governor, Brian P. Kemp.  The county center is in Athens 2.2 miles East of the city center. 

Clarke 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 Clarke, Banks, Barrow, Burke, Columbia, Elbert, Franklin, Glascock, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, McDuffie, Newton, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren, and Wilkes counties and Two State Judges and Five County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Clarke County (judicial.) Clarke County is in northeast Georgia east of Atlanta, Georgia and northwest of Augusta, Georgia.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Madison, Oglethorpe, Oconee, Barrow, and Jackson counties.  Clarke County was created on December 5, 1801 from Jackson County as the 25^th county.  The county was named for Revolutionary War hero Elijah Clarke.  Watkinsville was the original county seat but it moved to Athens in 1871.  Athens, Greece is the namesake for the county seat. 

The area of the county is 121 square miles.  It is 159 of 159 in size in the state.  It ranks 19 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1063.4 persons per square mile making it 7 out of 159 in the state.  Clarke County has 100.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 29 enters from Madison County to the north but exits west into Oconee County.  United States Highway 78 crosses east to west from Oglethorpe County to Oconee County.  United States Highway 129 enters from Jackson County, north, and exits into Oconee County, south.  United States Highway 441 comes in separately from Jackson County but joins United States Highway 129 to go south into Oconee County.  The county is shaped like a key.  Since Athens is combined with Clarke County, they share the same borders for the most part.  Athens is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 99.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Athens-Clarke County Metropolitan Statistical Area.