Georgia Compact

• After the American War of Independence, Georgia claimed lands as far west as the Mississippi river. President Thomas Jefferson paid Georgia $1.25 million for lands that became Mississippi and Alabama, and in return promised to remove the Creek and Cherokee from the rest of Georgia. This treaty was called the Georgia Compact, and attracted waves of settlers looking for cheap land. The Creek and Cherokee were pressured to give up their lands, and after each land cession, the General Assembly would survey the land, divide it into counties and subdivide it into lots to be sold in a lottery system devised by Gov. John Milledge. Between 1802 and 1832, there were six land lotteries and the number of counties rose from 24 to 77.
  
  

Gold Rush

• The discovery of gold in the north Georgia mountains attracted more settlers and prospectors. In 1832, a further land lottery was held, known as the "gold" lottery. The tract of land sold was called "Cherokee County." It was seized and subdivided into 10 more counties. Ironically, one of the counties was named "Cherokee County," although the Cherokee had been dispatched under the "Indian Removal Act" signed in 1830 by President Jackson. This removal became known as the "Trail of Tears." Georgia now had a total of 89 counties.
  
  

Natural Features

• During the 1850s, 39 new counties were created by acts passed in General Assembly. With no Indian territory left to seize, these counties were created by dividing existing ones As Georgia was mainly a rural state, county sizes were determined by the residents whose unwritten rule stipulated that the center of government should be no further away than a one-day round trip by horse or wagon. Often county boundaries had been drawn without regard for natural features such as rivers or mountain ridges. These features were now used to make smaller counties with more logical boundaries.
  
  

Political Influence

• By 1875, the number of counties in Georgia had exploded to 137. Sometimes, counties were formed as a result of local pride and sometimes because residents felt badly represented by their local county government, so they broke away and formed a new county. New counties created economic growth and jobs. People gained wealth and political influence as each county was allowed a representative in the General Assembly. But in 1877, a state constitution froze the number of counties and no more were created until 1904.