The Georgia General Assembly named it after abolitionist Frederick Douglass but later changed the spelling to instead credit former Illinois senator Stephen A. Douglas as its namesake,[3] an Illinois senator and the Democratic opponent of Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860.

The existing historical marker says:[4] Historical marker: This county, created by Act of the Legislature October 1, 1870, was named for Stephen A. Douglas, the "Little Giant," a Vermonter who was Congressman from Illinois 1843 to '47, Senator from '47 to '61, and Democratic candidate for President in 1860 on the ticket with gov.

Both sides agreed to postpone further action until the route of the Georgia Western Railroad through Douglas County was determined.

Andy Mountain, between Villa Rica and Winston – west of Douglasville along Bankhead Highway, has the highest elevation in Douglas County.

The tornado also damaged the Chapel Hill Kroger grocery store and threw a heavy air conditioning unit onto cars below.

The tornado packing wind speeds up to 110 mph (180 km/h) downed many trees and damaged many homes in the county.

The ice storms bring everything to a stand still in the area due to the lack of equipment to deal with the problem and drastic amounts of power outages.

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina's remnants tore through the area spawning tornadoes, causing wind damage, and flooding rains.

Katrina killed 2 people in Georgia Sunday night on January 9, 2011, right after Douglasville's first white Christmas in decades, a snowstorm developed over Douglas County and caused as much as 8 inches of snow in the area.

The storm closed grocery stores, the courthouse, and Arbor Place Mall until that Wednesday January 12.

The March 1993 Storm of the Century brought 17 inches (43 cm) to Douglasville, with drifts measuring several feet.

Over 18 inches (460 mm) of rain fell in one night causing many roads to be destroyed and many homes a total loss.

The county has since become increasingly Democratic, voting for Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.

[24] Douglas County (Lithia Springs) is home to a regional academic center of Mercer University, which provides educational programs and extended learning opportunities for working adults.

The county also is home to Tanner Technical Institute, Strayer University, and Georgia Highlands College.

Home Rule News launched in 2009 and covers Douglas County as part of its Greater West Metro Atlanta territory.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also serves readers of Douglas County, seven days a week, with its largest paper on Sunday.

Douglas County is served by the Atlanta television market, but has a small information TV channel on cable, DCTV 23.

The station broadcasts board meetings and special events, classified job listings, and original shows: Gesundheit, Douglas County Living, Insights, District Dialogue, Legally Speaking, dctv23 Presents, Storytime at the Library, Pet Pause, and the "Friday Night Drive-in Movie".

Historically, the Southern Railway ran several daily passenger trains, including the Kansas City-Florida Special, the Sunnyland and an Atlanta-Birmingham section of the Piedmont Limited, making flag or signal stops in Austell and Douglasville.

[26][27] Today, the nearest passenger service is Amtrak's Crescent in Atlanta, 21 miles east of Lithia Springs.