About Walton County

Walton County Facts

As of 2010 the population is 83,768. Walton County provides: 

• Animal control
• Code enforcement
• Community centers
• County water
• Emergency ambulance service
• Fire protection
• Parks
• Planning
• Recreation programs for all ages
• Recycling centers
• Zoning

Regular monthly Commission Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month.

Creation & Location

Walton County, forty-five miles east of Atlanta in Georgia's Piedmont region, is the state's forty-sixth county. Comprising 329 square miles, it was created by the Lottery Act of 1818 from land originally held by both the Cherokee and Creek Indians and was named for George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and briefly a Georgia governor.

Government

The county seat is Monroe, where the current county courthouse was opened in 2005. The historic county courthouse (the third) was built in 1883; since that time the structure has undergone major restorations and additions.

Famous Residents

Walton County has been home to seven Georgia governors: 

• Alfred Colquitt
• Clifford Walker
• Henry McDaniel
• Howell Cobb
• James Boynton
• Richard Russell, Jr. 
• Wilson Lumpkin

Also from Walton County was Moina B. Michael, known as the "Poppy Lady." She developed the symbol of the red Flanders Field Poppy as a memorial emblem for the veterans of wars.