Harris County is a county in Georgia, United States, on the Chattahoochee River across from Alabama, in the west-central part of the state near Columbus. It had a population of 34,668 at the 2020 census and covers 464 square miles (1,200 km2) of land, centred near 32°44′N 84°55′W.
Hamilton is the county seat, and its postal code is 31811. The county holds five incorporated cities and towns plus more than twenty unincorporated communities, no civil townships, and sits in the Eastern time zone. Harris County is part of the Columbus, GA-AL metropolitan area.
Towns & Villages in Harris County
Harris County has five incorporated places — Hamilton is the seat, Pine Mountain is the largest city, and West Point extends into the county’s northwest corner from its main body in neighboring Troup County. The rest of the county’s named places are unincorporated communities and crossroads with no city government of their own.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | City · seat | — | 31811 |
| Pine Mountain | City | — | 31822 |
| Shiloh | City | — | 31826 |
| Waverly Hall | City | — | 31831 |
| West Point | City (partial) | — | 31833 |
| Antioch | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beech Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cataula | Unincorp. | — | 31804 |
| Champion Crossroad | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Clines Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ellerslie | Unincorp. | — | 31807 |
| Gordydale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hopewell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kingsboro | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mountain Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mountainbrook | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mulberry Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Hope | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oak Mountain | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ossahatchie | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pine Lake | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pine Mountain Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Piney Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rehobeth | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ridgeway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shady Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Smiths Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Turntime Crossroads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whitesville | Unincorp. | — | — |
West Point straddles the county line: its city hall and most of its population sit in Troup County, with only a small residential edge reaching into northwestern Harris County. Pine Mountain, not Hamilton, is the county’s largest city by population, home to Callaway Gardens and Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park — Georgia’s largest state park.
ZIP Codes
- 31811 — Hamilton (also serves the county seat area)
- 31822 — Pine Mountain
- 31826 — Shiloh
- 31831 — Waverly Hall
- 31833 — West Point (shared with the Troup County city)
- 31804 — Cataula
- 31807 — Ellerslie
Smaller crossroads communities such as Antioch, Beech Springs, Gordydale, Hopewell, and Whitesville use the ZIP code of their nearest post-office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Harris County lies in the west-central Piedmont of Georgia, its terrain a mix of rolling hills and pine forest rising toward Pine Mountain in the county’s south-central section. The Chattahoochee River forms the entire western county line, separating Harris County from Alabama, and Flat Shoals Creek and Mulberry Creek drain much of the interior toward the river. Of the county’s 473 total square miles, 464 square miles are land and 9.1 square miles (1.9%) are water.
Harris County borders Troup County to the north, Meriwether County to the northeast, Talbot County to the east, Muscogee County to the south, and, across the Chattahoochee River, Lee County and Chambers County in Alabama to the west.
Demographics
Harris County had 34,668 residents at the 2020 census. Pine Mountain and Hamilton are its two largest incorporated communities, though most residents live in unincorporated subdivisions near Cataula and Ellerslie within commuting distance of Columbus. The county’s median household income runs well above the Georgia median of $74,632 — Harris County is regularly ranked among Georgia’s wealthiest counties by per-capita income, driven by its position as an affluent suburb of the Columbus metro area. Population density is about 75 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Harris County’s economy leans on tourism and residential growth rather than industry. Callaway Gardens, a 2,500-acre resort and garden destination near Pine Mountain, is the county’s best-known employer and draws visitors year-round, alongside the adjoining Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park. Many residents commute to Columbus, Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), or the automotive plants around West Point and LaGrange for work, making Harris County one of the region’s bedroom communities.
History
The Georgia legislature created Harris County on December 14, 1827, from land ceded by the Creek Nation, naming it for Charles Harris, a Georgia judge and attorney who later served as mayor of Savannah. The county’s history includes documented racial violence, with lynchings recorded in 1912 and 1947 that historians have studied as part of the broader record of Reconstruction- and Jim Crow-era violence in the Chattahoochee Valley. In the 20th century, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s frequent visits to nearby Warm Springs helped establish the Pine Mountain area, including Callaway Gardens (opened 1952), as a regional tourist destination.
Getting There
Interstate 185 crosses the eastern edge of the county, and US Route 27 runs north-south through Hamilton and Waverly Hall, linking the county to LaGrange and Columbus.
- Columbus — 15 miles south
- LaGrange — 20 miles north
- Warm Springs — 12 miles northeast
- Atlanta — 90 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Columbus Metropolitan Airport, about 20 miles south of Hamilton.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Harris County, Georgia?
It is in the west-central part of Georgia, on the Chattahoochee River across from Alabama, between Columbus and LaGrange.
What is the population of Harris County?
34,668 at the 2020 census.
How big is Harris County?
464 square miles of land (1,200 km2), plus 9.1 square miles of water.
What is the county seat of Harris County?
Hamilton is the county seat.
How many towns are in Harris County?
Five incorporated cities and towns — Hamilton, Pine Mountain, Shiloh, Waverly Hall, and part of West Point — plus more than twenty unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Harris County?
Main ZIP codes include 31811 (Hamilton), 31822 (Pine Mountain), 31826 (Shiloh), 31831 (Waverly Hall), and 31804 (Cataula).
What is Harris County known for?
Callaway Gardens and Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, Georgia’s largest state park, both near Pine Mountain.