Randolph County is split visually between a more wooded western half and broad agricultural areas toward the east. Forest covers 43.89% of the supplied 2025 classification, agriculture 26.61%, wetlands 9.85%, and grassland 8.52%. The largest developed cluster is Cuthbert in the west-central county, while Shellman forms a smaller separate center farther east. This Randolph County Georgia Land Cover Map helps place those two towns inside a much larger rural landscape.
The page includes four WebP views for current land cover, vegetation, impervious surface, and the 1985–2025 endpoint comparison. Four original 2480 × 1754 JPG maps are available in one ZIP for county profiles, farm-and-forest lessons, planning context, and presentations.
Table of Contents
Cuthbert is the main hard-surface center at the county’s road crossroads
The largest concentration of roofs and pavement sits west of the county’s center. Randolph County’s municipal page identifies Cuthbert as the county seat and notes that U.S. Route 27 and U.S. Route 82 serve the city. That official geography fits the map, where the main hard-surface cluster sits at a clear road crossroads.
U.S. 82 runs through the heart of Cuthbert, while U.S. 27 passes along the city’s east side. Thin impervious traces extend in several directions from the cluster, but the raster itself does not label routes. Census TIGER/Line or transportation data are better choices for exact road alignments.
Mean impervious cover is only 0.74%, and just 0.15% of Randolph County reaches 50% impervious surface or higher. Developed land covers 4.51%, a broader class that can include lawns, trees, yards, and exposed ground. The hard-surface layer therefore makes the small scale of the county’s built footprint especially clear.
Shellman forms a second, smaller center inside the eastern farm country
Randolph County has two municipalities, Cuthbert and Shellman, and Georgia’s 2023 joint comprehensive plan covers both cities with the county. A distinct developed cluster appears farther east, separated from Cuthbert by fields, woods, wetlands, and low-density road development.
The Shellman-side cluster is noticeably smaller than Cuthbert and sits inside one of the broadest agricultural parts of the county. That contrast is useful for showing how a small town can be visually prominent even when most surrounding land remains in farm or natural cover.
Forest and agriculture dominate the county, but not in the same places
Forest is the largest class at 43.89%. Dark green is especially extensive in the west, southwest, and much of the north. Cuthbert interrupts that wooded pattern near the west-central area, but forest returns quickly outside the town and along many rural roads.
Agriculture covers 26.61% and becomes much more prominent toward the east and southeast. Large yellow farm blocks surround the Shellman side and continue through central-southern areas. The county does not have a single clean line separating woods from farmland, but the west-east difference is strong enough to be useful when introducing the map.
Wetlands cover 9.85%, grassland 8.52%, and shrubland 6.19%. Those classes matter because many open-looking rural areas are not cropland. Water is only 0.41%, so teal wetland cover should not be mistaken for broad open lakes or river surfaces.
The vegetation view separates farm blocks from grass and shrub openings
With developed cover muted, the western forest blocks and eastern agricultural fields become easier to compare. Grass and shrub cover are particularly noticeable in the northwest and through parts of the southwest, where they break up both woods and farmland.
UGA Extension Randolph County provides production-agriculture information, variety testing resources, agricultural weather data, farm economics, and soil testing. Those services show that farming and land management are important local activities, but the raster cannot identify a particular crop, farm, or owner.
Grassland at 8.52% and shrubland at 6.19% are too large to treat as minor leftover classes. When the map is used for a rural-land presentation, separating these surfaces from cropland gives a much more accurate picture of Randolph County’s open land.
Wetlands are widespread enough to matter even though open water is scarce
Teal wetland cover threads through the center, east, and southern portions of the county and also appears among western forest blocks. Randolph County’s 2023 comprehensive plan identifies wetlands, flood-prone areas, groundwater recharge zones, and water-supply watersheds as natural resources that need protection.
The plan also places Randolph County, Cuthbert, and Shellman within the Lower Middle Chattahoochee, Lower Chattahoochee, and Ichawaynochaway watershed context. Those official planning references provide useful background for the county’s wetland pattern without allowing any single teal strip to be named as a specific stream.
Open water is just 0.41%. A wetland cell can represent saturated ground and vegetation rather than exposed water, so it should not be used as a substitute for a hydrography map or legal wetland determination.
The 1985–2025 endpoint comparison is driven far more by forest and other differences than development
The total endpoint class difference is 38.11%. That figure counts raster cells assigned different classes in 1985 and 2025. It is not an urbanization rate and does not mean that 38.11% of Randolph County was damaged or permanently converted.
The printed summary lists 19.43% other difference, 12.49% forest loss, 4.68% agricultural loss, and 0.83% classified to developed. Developed-change red is concentrated around Cuthbert and Shellman, while forest-loss orange and other-difference purple are spread much more widely through the county.
Wetland difference appears in the legend without a separately printed percentage. The missing value should not be reconstructed by subtraction. Classification variation may also contribute to some patches, so intermediate imagery and local forestry, farming, or development records are needed before assigning a cause.
Land cover is a county-scale surface classification, not a parcel survey
Annual NLCD assigns one predominant class to each 30-meter raster cell. A square can contain a field edge, trees, grass, a road, and part of a building even though one category is displayed. Narrow wetlands, small ponds, farm structures, and mixed rural lots can therefore look simplified.
Yellow does not define a farm parcel, green does not establish forest ownership, and red does not show Cuthbert or Shellman zoning. Teal is also not a regulatory wetland boundary. Property, permitting, municipal limits, and legal land-use questions require current county, city, state, or federal records.
Choosing the four JPG maps for Randolph County
Start with the 2025 countywide map when the goal is to show the western forest, eastern farm blocks, wetlands, and the two town centers together. The vegetation view is better for separating agriculture from grass and shrub cover. Choose the impervious map for Cuthbert and Shellman, and reserve the endpoint map for a separate discussion of 1985–2025 classification differences.
Each JPG measures 2480 × 1754 pixels and suits reports, lessons, and presentations. Test a proof before large-format printing because the package does not mark them as A3 high-resolution assets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the dominant land-cover class in Randolph County?
Forest is the largest class in the supplied 2025 summary at 43.89%. Agriculture follows at 26.61%, wetlands at 9.85%, and grassland at 8.52%.
Why is developed land 4.51% while mean impervious cover is only 0.74%?
Developed classes can include trees, lawns, yards, and exposed ground around roads and buildings. The impervious layer measures harder surfaces such as roofs, pavement, and parking areas.
Does the 38.11% endpoint difference measure forest clearing or urban growth?
No. It counts all cells with different class labels in 1985 and 2025. The summary separately lists 12.49% forest loss, 4.68% agricultural loss, 0.83% classified to developed, and 19.43% other difference.
Sources and Reference Data
- MRLC Annual NLCD Data – official access to annual land-cover and comparison products
- USGS Annual NLCD Land Cover Classification – definitions for forest, agriculture, wetlands, developed land, and related classes
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles – authoritative county, place, and transportation layers for comparison
- Randolph County – Municipalities – official local context for Cuthbert, Shellman, the county seat, U.S. 27, and U.S. 82
- Georgia DCA – Randolph County, Cuthbert & Shellman Comprehensive Plan – official planning and natural-resource context for the county and both cities
- UGA Extension – Randolph County Agriculture & Natural Resources – local production-agriculture, soil, weather, and farm-management resources
Map File Information
The ZIP contains four original JPG maps for comparing Randolph County's 43.89% forest cover, 26.61% agriculture, Cuthbert and Shellman development, wetlands, impervious surfaces, and 1985–2025 class differences.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
- Appling County Georgia Land Cover Map
- Atkinson County Georgia Land Cover Map
- Bacon County Georgia Land Cover Map
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
