Get to know: Baldwin County

Baldwin County was formed on the frontier in 1803 by the Georgia General Assembly from lands transferred by the Creek Nation a year earlier. A later agreement with the Creek Nation led to another act of the legislature, which extended Baldwin County to the new state boundary of the Ocmulgee River. Other counties -- the current-day Morgan, Jones, Putnam and Jasper counties -- were later split off from Baldwin County, which was shifted eastward. The county is named for Abraham Baldwin, a signer from Georgia of the U.S. Constitution, a Georgia legislator and a founder of the University of Georgia.

Milledgeville was laid out as the state capital in 1803, designated the state capital in 1804, incorporated as a town in 1806, and hosted state offices through 1867. One book, “Georgia Place Names,” said it’s the only American city established to become a state’s capital. It is named after John Milledge, who donated land to establish the University of Georgia.

Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s troops occupied and vandalized the city in 1864 during the March to the Sea. The state capital was moved to Atlanta in 1868.Baldwin County Board of Commissioners, Baldwin County Courthouse, 121 N. Wilkinson St., Milledgeville, 478-445-4791

The Baldwin County government’s elected officials include five county commissioners.

Voter registration

Board of Registrars, 121 N. Wilkinson St., Suite 102, Milledgeville, 478-445-4526

Driver’s licenses

Georgia Department of Driver Services, 200 Carl Vinson Road, Milledgeville, 866-754-3687

Auto tags

Baldwin County Tax Commissioner, Baldwin County Courthouse, 121 N. Wilkinson St., Suite 112, Milledgeville, 8:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Monday-Friday, 478-445-4813Milledgeville City Hall, 119 E. Hancock St., 478-414-4092

The city’s elected officials include a mayor and six City Council members.

Emergency numbers

Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, 911 or 478-445-4726

Baldwin County Fire Rescue, 911 or 478-445-4421

Milledgeville Police Department, 911 or 478-414-4000

Milledgeville Fire Department, 911 or 478-414-4030

Libraries

Mary Vinson Memorial Library: 151 S. Jefferson St., Milledgeville, 478-452-0677

Lake Sinclair Library: 130 Log Cabin Road, Suite D, Milledgeville, 478-452-6522

POPULATION

2014 Census estimate: 45,909

Change, 2010 to 2014: 0.2 percent

White: 55.1 percent

Black: 41.7 percent

Hispanic: 2.1 percent

EDUCATION

High school or better: 81.7 percent

Bachelor’s or better: 19 percent

Public high school graduates, 2014: 227

Graduation rate, 2014: 66.6 percent

Public school enrollment, October 2014: 5,559

Eligible for HOPE scholarship: 27.5 percent

Enrolled, white: 28 percent

Enrolled, black: 64.7 percent

ECONOMICS

Median household income, 2009-2013: $32,751

People below poverty level: 31.8 percent

Unemployment rate, May 2015: 7.8

Civilian labor force, May 2015: 17,911

HEALTH

Births per 1,000 people, 2012: 10.2

Deaths per 1,000 people, 2012: 7.98

Births to unwed mothers, 2012: 61 percent

Teen pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 10 to 19: 24.7

People per physician, 2010: 384

Uninsured, less than age 65, 2012: 18.8 percent

TANF recipients, Fiscal 2013: 0.8 percent

PHYSICAL

Land: 268.3 square miles

Land in farms: 11.3 percent

Road mileage, unpaved, 2013: 7.7 percent

Sources: Telegraph analysis, Georgia Statistics System, U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Department of Education

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Get to know: Baldwin County ."