Irwin

Formed December 15, 1818 (45^th county)

Irwin County (9,667), Ocilla (3,495)

The classic clock tower and columns adorn the tan brick courthouse built in 1910.  The building was renovated in 1972 and 2000.  It is on a square surrounded by Irwin Avenue, 1^st, Beech, and 2^nd streets.  Irwin Avenue is United States Highway 129.  H. L. Lewman is the designer of the Neo-Classical Revival style courthouse.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Irwin County was founded on December 15, 1818 from Creek lands as the 45^th county.  Irwinville was the first county seat until 1907 when Ocilla took over.  The county is named for Governor Jared Irwin.  He is also the namesake of the county seat of Wilkinson County.  Ocilla is named after a Native American village.  The county center is 2.7 miles Northwest of Ocilla. 

Irwin 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 Irwin, Atkinson, Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Lanier, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties and Five County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Irwin County (judicial.) The county is located in south central Georgia between Macon, Georgia and Valdosta, Georgia.  The Alapaha River forms its southwest border.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Ben Hill, Coffee, Berrien, Tift, and Turner counties. 

The area of the county is 357 square miles.  It is 73 out of 159 counties in the state.  It ranks 126 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 27.1 persons per square mile making it 130 out of 159 in the state.  Irwin County has 36.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 129 crosses the county north to south from Ben Hill County to Berrien County.  United States Highway 319 enters joined with United States Highway 129 from Ben Hill County, splits, and goes southwest into Tift County.  The county is shaped like the letter U with Ocilla near the center.  Ocilla is the county seat and the largest and only incorporated city.  It is 36.2% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced OE-SIL-LA.  This county is in the Fitzgerald Micropolitan Statistical Area.