| Chatham County, Georgia | ||
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Location in the state of Georgia |
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Georgia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | February 5, 1777 | |
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| Seat | Savannah | |
| Largest city | Savannah | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
632.28 sq mi (1,638 km²) 438.11 sq mi (1,135 km²) 194.17 sq mi (503 km²), 30.71% |
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| PopulationEst. - (2012) - Density |
276,434 530/sq mi (204/km²) |
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| Congressional districts | 1st, 12th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www.chathamcounty.org | |
Chatham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The county seat and largest city is Savannah.[1] The U.S. Census Bureau's 2012 population estimate was 276,434 residents.[2] (The official 2010 census had reported a total population of 265,128, a 14.3 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 232,048.)[3] Chatham is the most populous Georgia county outside the Atlanta metropolitan area.[4] One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, and is named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.
Chatham County is one of three counties that constitute the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 632.28 square miles (1,637.6 km2), of which 438.11 square miles (1,134.7 km2) (or 69.29%) is land and 194.17 square miles (502.9 km2) (or 30.71%) is water.[5]
Chatham County is the northernmost of Georgia's coastal counties on the Atlantic Ocean. It is bounded on the northeast by the Savannah River, and in the southwest bounded by the Ogeechee River.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 10,769 |
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| 1800 | 12,946 | 20.2% | |
| 1810 | 13,540 | 4.6% | |
| 1820 | 14,737 | 8.8% | |
| 1830 | 14,127 | −4.1% | |
| 1840 | 18,801 | 33.1% | |
| 1850 | 23,901 | 27.1% | |
| 1860 | 31,043 | 29.9% | |
| 1870 | 41,279 | 33.0% | |
| 1880 | 45,023 | 9.1% | |
| 1890 | 57,740 | 28.2% | |
| 1900 | 71,239 | 23.4% | |
| 1910 | 79,690 | 11.9% | |
| 1920 | 100,032 | 25.5% | |
| 1930 | 105,431 | 5.4% | |
| 1940 | 117,970 | 11.9% | |
| 1950 | 151,481 | 28.4% | |
| 1960 | 188,299 | 24.3% | |
| 1970 | 187,767 | −0.3% | |
| 1980 | 202,226 | 7.7% | |
| 1990 | 216,935 | 7.3% | |
| 2000 | 232,048 | 7.0% | |
| 2010 | 265,128 | 14.3% | |
| Est. 2012 | 276,434 | 4.3% | |
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2011 estimate |
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Per the 2000 census, Chatham County’s total population was 232,048 people, comprising 89,865 households, and 59,400 families. The population density was 530 people per square mile. There were 99,683 housing units at an average density of 228 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the county was 55.28% White, 40.50% Black, 2.33% Hispanic, 0.25% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, and 0.89% other. The age of the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 11.20% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years old.
The median income per household was $37,752, and the median income for a family was $46,125. Males had a median income of $35,132 versus $24,686 for females. Chatham County residence’s per capita income was $21,152. Estimates show 11.80% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.10% of those under age 18 and 11.50% of those ages 65 or older.
Chatham County is primarily policed by the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department (SCMPD) and the Georgia State Patrol. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office is the enforcement arm of the county court system and operates the county jail.[6] The SCMPD was formed on January 1, 2005 when the separate Savannah Police Department and Chatham County Police merged.[7]
The Coastal State Prison, a Georgia Department of Corrections state prison, is located in Savannah, near Garden City.[8][9]
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Effingham County | Jasper County, South Carolina | ![]() |
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| Bryan County | Atlantic Ocean | |||
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