Walton County is a county in Georgia, United States, about 30 miles east of Atlanta. It had a population of 96,673 at the 2020 census, an estimated 112,696 by 2025, and covers 330 square miles (850 km2) centred near 33°47′N 83°44′W.
Monroe is the county seat and Walton County’s largest city; its postal code is 30655. The county holds 5 cities, 2 incorporated towns and 12 unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 13297.
Towns & Villages in Walton County
Walton County has 19 named places on record: 7 incorporated cities and towns, and 12 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. City · seat marks Monroe; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | City · seat | 14,928 | 30655 |
| Loganville | City | 14,127 | 30052 |
| Social Circle | City | 4,974 | 30025 |
| Walnut Grove | City | 1,322 | 30052 |
| Between | Town | 402 | 30655 |
| Good Hope | Town | 339 | 30641 |
| Jersey | City | 146 | 30018 |
| Bold Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Campton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ebenezer | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gratis | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Alcovy Mountain | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Vernon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Nicholasville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pannell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Split Silk | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Whatley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Windsor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Youth | Unincorp. | — | — |
Two of the county’s cities straddle county lines. Loganville’s population figure above is citywide — most of the city sits in Walton, but its limits extend west into southeastern Gwinnett County. Social Circle runs the same way east, with a share of its city limits reaching into Newton County, so both totals include some residents who live outside Walton.
ZIP Codes
- 30655 — Monroe (also covers Between)
- 30656 — Monroe (a second Monroe ZIP)
- 30052 — Loganville (also covers Walnut Grove)
- 30025 — Social Circle
- 30641 — Good Hope
- 30018 — Jersey
Bold Springs, Campton, Ebenezer, Gratis, Alcovy Mountain, Mount Vernon, Nicholasville, Pannell, Split Silk, Whatley, Windsor and Youth have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.
Geography
Walton County sits in Georgia’s Piedmont region, a belt of rolling hills between the mountains and the coastal plain, roughly 30 miles east of Atlanta. Of its 330 square miles, 326 are land and 4.3 are water, about 1.3 percent — low for the region, since the county has no large natural lake. The Alcovy River, which rises in Gwinnett County, flows south through the county’s western side past Alcovy Mountain before continuing into Newton and Jasper counties on its way to Jackson Lake.
Barrow County lies to the north, Gwinnett County to the northwest, Oconee County to the northeast, Morgan County to the southeast, Newton County to the south and Rockdale County to the southwest. Barrow County, Gwinnett County, Morgan County, Newton County and Rockdale County all have their own pages here; Oconee County, Georgia does not.
Demographics
Walton County had a population of 96,673 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 112,696 residents by 2025. Monroe and Loganville are by far the two largest communities, together holding roughly 30,000 residents. Median household income runs $84,945, notably higher than Georgia’s statewide figure of $74,632. Population density works out to roughly 297 people per square mile of land, using the 2020 count — moderate for a county inside the wider Atlanta metropolitan orbit.
Economy & Local Life
Retail trade employs the most workers in the county, about 6,581 people, followed by manufacturing at 5,919 and health care and social assistance at 5,336. Monroe’s east side carries much of that manufacturing weight, with a Hitachi Astemo automotive-parts plant, a Walmart regional distribution center, Leggett & Platt and Tucker Door and Trim all operating there. Social Circle hosts a CSX Transportation rail yard and line-maintenance facility, one of the railroad’s hubs in the region. Loganville and Monroe both function as bedroom communities for Atlanta commuters, and downtown Monroe’s historic square anchors much of the county’s local retail and dining.
History
Georgia’s legislature created Walton County on 15 December 1818, naming it for George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a former Georgia governor. Monroe, founded the same year and named for President James Monroe, was incorporated as a town in 1821 and chartered as a city in 1896.
On 25 July 1946, a white mob shot and killed two Black married couples — George and Mae Murray Dorsey, and Roger and Dorothy Malcom — at Moore’s Ford Bridge on the Apalachee River near the Walton-Oconee county line. No one was ever charged, and the case remains one of the last mass lynchings recorded in the United States. It is commemorated locally each July with a re-enactment organized by civil rights groups.
Getting There
No interstate crosses Walton County; Interstate 20 runs just south of the Social Circle line in Newton County. US 78 crosses the county through Between, Monroe and toward Loganville, and US 278 runs through Social Circle. State Route 81 links Monroe and Bold Springs.
- Atlanta — about 45 miles west
- Athens — about 25 miles northeast
- Covington — about 20 miles south
- Winder — about 15 miles north
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, roughly 45 miles southwest of Monroe, is the nearest major commercial airport. Amtrak’s Crescent line stops at Atlanta’s Peachtree Station, the nearest passenger rail connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Walton County located?
It sits in Georgia’s Piedmont region, about 30 miles east of Atlanta, bordered by Barrow, Gwinnett, Oconee, Morgan, Newton and Rockdale counties.
What is the population of Walton County?
96,673 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 112,696 by 2025.
How big is Walton County?
330 square miles (850 km2) in total, of which 326 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Walton County?
Monroe, incorporated in 1821, is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns and cities are in Walton County?
Seven incorporated places — Monroe, Loganville, Social Circle, Walnut Grove and Jersey as cities, plus Between and Good Hope as towns — and 12 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes does Walton County use?
30655 and 30656 for Monroe and Between, 30052 for Loganville and Walnut Grove, 30025 for Social Circle, 30641 for Good Hope and 30018 for Jersey.
What is Walton County known for?
The 1946 Moore’s Ford lynchings, one of the last mass lynchings recorded in the United States, and its position as a fast-growing outer suburb of Atlanta.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.