Sumter County, Georgia

Sumter County Education, Geography, and History

Sumter County is a county located in the southwest portion of the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 32,819. The county was created on December 26, 1831. The county seat is Americus. Sumter county is named in honor of General Thomas Sumter (1734-1832), the "Fighting Gamecock," a hero of the Revolutionary War.

Sumter County is part of the Americus, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Sumter County Name

The county is named for General Thomas Sumter of South Carolina, a soldier of the French and Indian Wars as well as the American Revolution.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Sumter County History

Sumter County was created in 1831 from a portion of Lee County and was named for General Thomas Sumter of South Carolina, a soldier of the French and Indian Wars as well as the American Revolution.

The town of Andersonville has won a Phoenix Award for Preservation, Conservation and Beautification. The site of the infamous Civil War prison camp that bore the community's name is in nearby Macon County.

Charles Lindbergh learned to fly in Sumter County. Mr. Lindbergh bought a military surplus "Jenny" aircraft in the county and had it assembled at Southern Field. Mechanics there gave him flying lessons and saw him off on his first solo flight.

Points of Interest

Pennington St. James, a log church built in 1927 of cypress logs and native fieldstone, was designed by Ralph Cram, who designed Calvary Episcopal Church in Americus and the Cathedral of St. John in New York City.

Americus is home to Habitat for Humanity International, a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating substandard housing around the world. It is now one of the top ten homebuilders in the country.

Other attractions in Sumter County include the newly restored Rylander Theater, the Windsor Hotel and the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum.

The National Park Service has recently completed restoration of President Carter's boyhood home in Archery, outside of Plains, and has designated it a National Historic Site.

Notable Citizens

Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States and former Governor of Georgia, is from Plains.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 493 square miles (1,280 km²), of which 483 square miles (1,250 km²) is land and 10 square miles (26 km²) (2.0%) is water.

Sumter county is located close to the center of Georgia.   The county is in the Flint River basin.  Muckalee Creek flows through Sumter County, which also contains Lake Blackshear and Kinchafoonee Creek.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Macon County; Dooly County
• Southeast: Crisp County
• South: Lee County
• Southwest: Terrell County
• West: Webster County
• Northwest: Marion County; Schley County
  

Education

Higher Education

Georgia Southwestern State University and South Georgia Technical College

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Additional County Info