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Georgia Counties
Georgia is divided into one hundred and fifty-nine counties. The original eight counties of the State of Georgia were Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Richmond and Wilkes all created on February 5, 1777. The last new county to be established in Georgia was Peach County, established in 1924.Brooks County, Georgia
Brooks County Education, Geography, and History
Brooks County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the
population was 16,243. The county was created in 1858 from portions of Lowndes and Thomas counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and is named in
honor of US Representative Preston Brooks. The county
seat is Quitman. The county is named
in honor of Captain Preston S. Brooks (1819-1857), a hero of the
Mexican-American War and Congressman from South Carolina.
Brooks County is included in the Valdosta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Brooks County Name
The county is named for Preston Brooks, a member of Congress prior to the Civil War and an avid defender of state rights.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Brooks County History
The first settlers, in what is now Brooks County, were Spanish missionaries from Florida who arrived around 1570. Brooks County was formed from parts of Lowndes and Thomas counties and was named for Preston Brooks, a member of Congress prior to the Civil
War and an avid defender of state rights.
During the Civil War, the county was the main producer of food for the confederacy and became known as the "Breadbasket of the South."
The county's courthouse was constructed in 1864. Brooks County officials paid for the structure with $14,958 in Confederate money, a fortunate circumstance for the county, since this currency was soon to become useless.
Points of Interest
The county is home to several endangered plant and animal species including the Pond Spicebush, the Wood Stork, and the Eastern Indigo snake.
The Quitman Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contains late 19th and early 20th century brick buildings in the commercial district and mainly wood frame homes from various periods and styles in the residential area. The streets are laid out in a grid
with several central parks.
Also listed on the National Register are the Brooks County Courthouse and the Brooks County Jail.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 498 square miles (1,290 km2), of which 493 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km2) (1.0%) is water.
Brooks county is located in south Georgia.
The eastern boundary of the county are the Little River (Withlacoochee River) and the Withlacoochee River which together meander along a
distance of over 100 miles (160 km) to form that boundary. These river boundaries are shared with Cook and Lowndes counties. The southern
boundary of the county has a mutual east-west interface of about 25 miles (40 km) with Florida, although it is not continuous. The county is
actually discontinuous along the Florida border with the easternmost section about a mile east of the rest of the county. This section
presently consists of only one parcel recorded as 350 acres (1.4 km2) although it has a border with Florida of almost 2 miles (3.2 km). The
county shares a north-south boundary with Thomas county to the west about 26 miles (42 km) in length. It also shares an east-west boundary of
10 miles (16 km) and a north-south boundary of 3 miles (4.8 km) with Colquitt county to the northwest. The county has over 10,000 parcels of
land with 19 over 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) and two over 5,000 acres (20 km2). The county is home to several endangered plant and animal species
including the Pond Spicebush, the Wood Stork, and the Eastern Indigo snake.
The county is in the Ochlockonee River basin and the Suwannee River basin.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Northeast: Cook County
- East: Lowndes County
- South: Madison County, Fla.
- Southwest: Jefferson County, Fla.
- West: Thomas County
- Northwest: Colquitt County
Education
The Brooks County School District offers pre-school to grade twelve. There are two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school, Brooks County High School. The district has 167 full-time teachers and over 2,563 students.
- North Brooks Elementary School
- Quitman Elementary School
- Brooks County Middle School
- Brooks County High School
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