The Clarke County Georgia map sets Athens, Winterville, and the Clarke County portion of Bogart inside one compact boundary. Athens occupies most of the county and functions as its governmental, educational, and transportation center; the two smaller incorporated places sit near the eastern and western edges. Reading those positions together with the Oconee river corridors reveals far more than a list of place names.
Table of Contents
Download the Clarke County map
The on-page preview is WEBP; the button opens a JPG suited to saving or placing in a document.
- Coverage: County boundary and selected place labels
- Download format: JPG
Quick Facts
| State | Georgia |
|---|---|
| County and FIPS code | Clarke County, 13059 |
| County seat | Athens |
| Established | 1801 |
| 2020 Census population | 128,671 |
| July 1, 2025 population estimate | 129,921 |
| 2020 land area | 119.22 square miles |
| Places labeled | Athens, Winterville, Bogart |
| Principal waters | North Oconee River, Middle Oconee River, Sandy Creek |
| Download format | JPG |
The Census Bureau measured 1,079.2 residents per square mile in 2020. Clarke is Georgia’s smallest county by area, yet it holds nearly 130,000 residents. That combination accounts for the short distances between central Athens, the county line, and the small incorporated areas at opposite sides of the map.
What the Map Shows
The Athens label carries more meaning than an ordinary county-seat marker. The former City of Athens and Clarke County governments unified in 1991, so Athens is both the urban core and the name most often paired with the countywide government. Treating the city and county as two unrelated map units would obscure how the area actually works.
Winterville is a separately incorporated city east of central Athens. Bogart straddles the western county line, with only part of the city inside Clarke County. Its label therefore serves as an edge reference, not as evidence that the whole municipality lies within the county. The three place labels form a useful west-to-east sequence: Bogart, Athens, then Winterville.
The JPG is an orientation map rather than a navigation, parcel, school-attendance, or flood-hazard product. A route decision needs current road data; a property or hazard decision needs the relevant county GIS or agency layer. Use this file to establish the county outline and relative directions before moving to those specialized sources.
County Layout and Location
Clarke County lies in the rolling Piedmont of northeastern Georgia. Jackson County borders it to the northwest, Madison to the northeast, Oglethorpe to the east, and Oconee along the south and west. At statewide scale, look roughly 70 miles northeast of Atlanta and then identify the unusually small county surrounding Athens.
SR 10 Loop, commonly called the Athens Perimeter, is the organizing ring around the central city and University of Georgia area. US 29 approaches from the north, US 78 spans the west-east axis, and US 441 supplies a north-south route. SR 316 connects the western side of Athens toward metropolitan Atlanta. Even when a simplified county image omits road lines, these corridors explain how the three labeled places relate to regional travel.
The North Oconee River runs beside the eastern side of downtown and the university area, while the Middle Oconee forms a separate western and southern river corridor. Athens-Clarke County plans for both rivers, their major tributaries, and their floodplains as a connected greenway system. Farther north, Sandy Creek Park wraps around 260-acre Lake Chapman, giving the county’s northern sector a distinct water landmark.
Local Context
Georgia created Clarke as its 25th county in 1801, and Athens was incorporated in 1806. The unification of the city and county governments took effect on January 14, 1991. Winterville and the Clarke portion of Bogart remain distinct incorporated references, which is why local documents list three incorporated areas rather than only Athens-Clarke County.
The Georgia General Assembly chartered the University of Georgia in 1785, and its main campus stands in Athens. The campus, downtown, and North Oconee River occupy adjacent parts of the urban core, while housing and commercial corridors extend across both sides of the Athens Perimeter. UGA is therefore a geographic anchor as well as the institution named in the post title.
County materials record more than 425 miles of streams and rivers. In such a compact jurisdiction, repeated ridges, creek valleys, bridges, and floodplains can shape access over very short distances. Pairing the road framework with the North and Middle Oconee systems yields a more realistic reading of local movement than straight-line distance alone.
Ways to Use This Map
- Locate the county statewide: Move northeast from Atlanta and find the compact boundary between Jackson, Madison, Oglethorpe, and Oconee counties.
- Read the place pattern: Compare Bogart at the western edge, central Athens, and Winterville to the east.
- Add the road framework: Use SR 10 Loop as the ring, then mark the approach directions of US 29, US 78, US 441, and SR 316.
- Trace the water geography: Separate the North Oconee corridor near downtown and UGA from the Middle Oconee to the west and south, then place Lake Chapman in the north.
- Reuse the JPG responsibly: Label it as a general location map and include an access date when placing it in a report or slide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Athens and Clarke County the same jurisdiction?
The former city and county governments have operated as a unified government since 1991. However, Winterville and part of Bogart are also incorporated within Clarke County, so “Athens” and “Clarke County” should not be assumed to describe identical boundaries in every legal or mapping context.
Why is Clarke County so densely settled?
The county had 128,671 residents on only 119.22 square miles of land in 2020. Downtown Athens, the University of Georgia, and surrounding residential and commercial districts are concentrated inside a very small county, producing a density of 1,079.2 people per square mile.
Can the JPG settle a parcel, flood, or route question?
No. It depicts the county and selected place labels at a general-reference scale. Consult Athens-Clarke County GIS for property layers, FEMA or local flood resources for hazard work, and Georgia DOT or a live navigation service for current travel conditions.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Clarke County, Georgia
- Athens-Clarke County Unified Government: By the Numbers
- Athens-Clarke County: Oconee Rivers Greenway Commission
- Athens-Clarke County: Sandy Creek Park and Lake Chapman
- University of Georgia: History and Traditions
- New Georgia Encyclopedia: Clarke County
- Georgia Department of Community Affairs planning records
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