Wilkes County was established by Georgia's first state constitution -- the Constitution of 1777, which became effective Feb. 5, 1777. Because Wilkes is the first county in the list of eight counties created by Art. IV of that document, it is considered Georgia's first county. Unlike the other seven counties (which were fashioned from existing colonial parishes), Wilkes was created from the "ceded lands north of Ogechee" -- a reference to the land ceded in 1773 by the Creeks and Cherokees in their respective Treaties of Augusta (see map).

Between 1790 and 1854, the legislature took land from Wilkes County to form Elbert County (1790), Oglethorpe County (1793), and Lincoln County (1796), and to help form Warren County (1793) and Taliaferro County (1825).

Census

Pop. 

2000

 10,687

1990

10,597

1980

10,951

1970

10,184

1960

10,961

1950

12,388

1940

15,084

1930

15,944

1920

24,210

1910

23,441

1900

20,866

1890

18,081

1880

15,985

1870

11,796

1860

11,420

1850

12,107

1840

10,148

1830

14,237

1820

17,606

1810

 14,887

1800

  13,103

1790

 31,500