Banks County is a county in Georgia, United States, on the edge of the Blue Ridge foothills where Interstate 85 crosses into the northeastern part of the state. It had a population of 18,035 at the 2020 census and covers 234 square miles (610 km2) — 232 square miles (601 km2) of land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) of water — centred near 34°21′N 83°30′W.
Homer is the county seat and its postal code is 30547. The county has three cities, three towns and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities, and, like the rest of Georgia, no civil townships. Banks County sits in the Eastern time zone; its FIPS code is 13011.
Towns & Villages in Banks County
Seven of Banks County’s places carry a municipal charter; several of those straddle the county line with a neighbor, since Georgia cities can incorporate across county boundaries. The rest are unincorporated communities and crossroads — some no more than a store and a church — that residents still use as mailing addresses and local landmarks. Population figures below are given only where the 2020 census reports them for the portion inside Banks County; straddling municipalities are marked accordingly.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homer | Town · seat | — | 30547 |
| Baldwin | City | — | 30511 |
| Commerce | City | — | 30530 |
| Gillsville | City | — | — |
| Lula | City | — | — |
| Alto | Town | — | — |
| Maysville | Town | — | 30558 |
| Banks Crossing | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hollingsworth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Five Points | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hebron | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Pleasant | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Odis Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinefield Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pruitt | Unincorp. | — | — |
Baldwin, Alto, Gillsville, Lula and Maysville are each split between Banks County and a neighbor — Baldwin and Alto also lie in Habersham County, Gillsville and Lula also lie in Hall County, and Maysville also lies in Jackson County. Commerce, the county’s largest city, is centred in Jackson County but its northern edge crosses into Banks. Each is a genuine cross-county municipality rather than a naming duplicate.
ZIP Codes
- 30547 — Homer
- 30511 — Baldwin
- 30530 — Commerce (also serves the Banks Crossing area)
- 30558 — Maysville
Smaller communities such as Alto, Gillsville, Lula, Hollingsworth and the crossroads settlements use the ZIP of their nearest post office town rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Banks County lies in the Georgia Piedmont at the foot of the Blue Ridge, where the terrain rolls from gentle farmland in the west toward hillier ground near the Chattahoochee National Forest boundary to the northeast. The county lies wholly within the Savannah River basin’s Broad River sub-basin, and its streams feed that system rather than the Chattahoochee to the west. Interstate 85 and U.S. Route 441 both cross the county, meeting near Banks Crossing, a retail hub built around the interchange.
Banks County borders Habersham County to the north, Stephens County to the northeast, Franklin County to the east, Madison County to the southeast, Jackson County to the south, and Hall County to the west.
Demographics
Banks County’s population was 18,035 at the 2020 census, up slightly from 18,395 in 2010 after decades of steady growth in earlier censuses. Homer and Baldwin’s Banks County side are the county’s two largest population centers, with most residents living in unincorporated areas along the state highways rather than inside a municipal boundary. Median household income in Banks County runs below the Georgia median of $74,632, consistent with other rural counties along the I-85 corridor northeast of Atlanta. Population density is roughly 78 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture and light manufacturing anchor the local economy, alongside retail and services drawn by the Interstate 85/U.S. 441 interchange at Banks Crossing, which includes an outlet shopping center and the Atlanta Dragway drag-racing strip. Poultry farming is a mainstay of the rural economy, as it is across much of northeast Georgia. The Banks County School District operates four schools serving roughly 2,800 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
History
The Georgia General Assembly created Banks County on December 11, 1858, with the act taking effect February 1, 1859, carving the new county from parts of Franklin and Habersham counties. It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks, a local physician. The Old Banks County Courthouse in Homer, built in the 19th century, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; a new courthouse was completed next to it in 1983. Baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb was born in Banks County in 1886.
Getting There
Interstate 85 runs the length of the county, with U.S. Route 441 providing a secondary north–south route through Homer.
- Gainesville — 20 miles southwest
- Athens — 35 miles south
- Greenville, South Carolina — 45 miles northeast
- Atlanta — 65 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville for general aviation; the nearest major commercial airport is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Banks County, Georgia?
It is in northeastern Georgia along Interstate 85, between Gainesville and the South Carolina line.
What is the population of Banks County?
18,035 people, according to the 2020 census.
How big is Banks County?
234 square miles (610 km2), including 1.8 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Banks County?
Homer is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Banks County?
Seven incorporated places — three towns and three cities of its own plus a share of Commerce — and about a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Banks County?
30547 (Homer), 30511 (Baldwin), 30530 (Commerce) and 30558 (Maysville) are the main ones.
What is Banks County known for?
The Atlanta Dragway near Banks Crossing and the Old Banks County Courthouse, a National Register of Historic Places site in Homer.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.