Decatur

Formed December 8, 1823 (58^th county)

Decatur County (29,369), Bainbridge (14,466)

The tall columns of the stately 1902 dark red brick structure stand out in this city.  It is located at Water and West streets.  United States Highway 27 is one block east.  Alexander Blair III is the architect for this Classical Revival style courthouse.  An Annex has been added and attached to the building.  The courthouse features a tower and columns.  The grounds have a fountain and veteran memorials are diagonally across from the courthouse.  The county was founded on December 8, 1823 from Early County as the 58^th county with Bainbridge as the only county seat.  Navy Commodore Stephen Decatur provided the inspiration for the county name.  He is also the namesake of De Kalb County’s seat.  Naval Hero William Bainbridge is the source for the county seat name.  Decatur County was the birthplace of 1 Georgia Governor, S. Marvin Griffin, Sr.  The county center is in Bainbridge 1.8 miles South of the city center. 

Decatur County government consists of a executive, a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 6 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Decatur, Atkinson, Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties and a State Judge and Three County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Decatur County (judicial.) The county is in extreme southwest Georgia on the border with Florida.  The Ichawaynochaway River flows through the middle of the county.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Baker, Mitchell, and Grady counties and Florida and Seminole and Miller counties. 

The area of the county is 597 square miles.  It is 13 of 159 in size in the state.  It ranks 63 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 49.2 persons per square mile making it 93 out of 159 in the state.  Decatur County has 52.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 27 crosses northwest to southeast through the county from Miller County to Florida.  United States Highway 84 goes east to west from Grady County to Seminole County.  The county is overall rectangular shaped with Bainbridge is slightly northeast of center.  Bainbridge is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 49.3% of the county population.  This county is in the Bainbridge Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Climax