Bryan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 30,233. The county seat is Pembroke. Bryan County is part of the Savannah, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Bryan County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Bryan County was created on December 19, 1793, named after Jonathan Bryan (1708–1788), an American Revolutionary War partisan. South Bryan County is home to the earthen Civil War installation Fort McAllister (now Fort McAllister Historic Park) which Gen. William Sherman captured on his March to the Sea. The colonial town of Hardwick, laid out in 1755, served as the initial county seat. In 1797, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...

moved the county seat to Cross Roads near modern Richmond Hil. On November 18, 1814, the county seat was moved to Mansford on the

Canoochee River The Canoochee River (pronounced ''kuh-NOO-chee'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 26, 2011 river in southeastern Georgia in the United States. It is a tributa ...

. In 1860, the seat was known as Eden. By the 1880s the county seat was known as Bryan. By 1895 it was in Clyde, which may have been the same location formerly known as Eden and Mansford. Clyde served as the seat to 1935; in 1937 Pembroke took on that role. The only remaining sign of Clyde is a cemetery on the Fort Stewart military reservation.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.1%) is water. A triangular area in the northeast of Bryan County, from northwest of Pembroke to north of Richmond Hill, is located in the Lower Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, as is the northern half of the remaining area in the county south of Richmond Hill. The northwestern portion of the county, from east of Daisy to Richmond Hill, is located in the

sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The rest of Bryan County is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the same Ogeechee River basin. Bryan County is unique in that it is totally divided by the military installation at Ft. Stewart. Pembroke is in more rural north Bryan, while Richmond Hill in south Bryan County is a suburb of Savannah. To travel between the two on public roads, it is necessary to leave the county.

Major highways

Interstate 16 * I-95

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

U.S. Route 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with ...

U.S. Route 80 U.S. Route 80 or U.S. Highway 80 (US 80) is a major east–west United States Numbered Highway in the Southern United States, much of which was once part of the early auto trail known as the Dixie Overland Highway. As the "0" in the rou ...

U.S. Route 280 U.S. Route 280 (US 280) is a spur of U.S. Highway 80. It currently runs for 392 miles (631 km) from Blichton, Georgia at US 80 to Birmingham, Alabama at I-20/I-59. For much of its route, US 280 travels through rural areas and smaller cities ...

State Route 25 * Georgia 26

State Route 26 * Georgia 30

State Route 30 * Georgia 67

State Route 67 * Georgia 119

State Route 119 * Georgia 144

State Route 144 * Georgia 144 Spur

State Route 144 Spur * Georgia 204

State Route 204

Adjacent counties

Effingham County, Georgia Effingham County ( ) is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,250. The seat is Springfield. Effingham County is included in the Savannah metropolitan area. In 200 ...

- north *

Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Georgia, on the state's Atlantic coast. The county seat and largest city is Savannah. One of the original counties of Georgia, Chatham County was created February 5, 1777, and is named after Will ...

- northeast * Liberty County, Georgia - south/southwest *

Evans County, Georgia Evans County is a county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,774. The county seat is Claxton. A bill creating the county was passed in the Georgia General Assembly on August 11 ...

- west *

Bulloch County, Georgia Bulloch County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,099, up from 70,217 in 2010. The county seat is Statesboro. Bulloch County comprises the Statesboro, GA Mic ...

- northwest

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,417 people, 8,089 households, and 6,511 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 8,675 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.79% White, 14.14% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.77%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 1.99% of the population were Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 8,089 households, out of which 45.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.50% were non-families. Of all households, 16.40% were made up of individuals, and 5.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.22. In the county, the population was spread out, with 31.10% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 31.90% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 7.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $48,345, and the median income for a family was $53,680. Males had a median income of $39,606 versus $25,830 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,794. About 10.70% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 30,233 people, 10,738 households, and 8,462 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 11,842 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.2% white, 14.2% black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 17.1% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 13.9% were Irish, 10.6% were English, and 7.9% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 10,738 households, 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 21.2% were non-families, and 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 35.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $63,244 and the median income for a family was $72,118. Males had a median income of $54,707 versus $32,245 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,365. About 8.8% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 44,738 people, 13,048 households, and 10,140 families residing in the county.

Education

Bryan County School District The Bryan County School District is a public school district in Bryan County, Georgia, United States, based in Black Creek. It serves the communities of Belfast, Black Creek, Blitchton, Ellabell, Keller, Pembroke, and Richmond Hill. The ...

is the designated school district for grades K-12 for the county, except parts in Fort Stewart. Fort Stewart has the

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behal ...

(DoDEA) as its local school district, for the elementary level. Students at the secondary level on Fort Stewart attend public schools operated by county school districts. - This is from a

.mil The domain name mil is the sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet for the United States Department of Defense and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. The name is derived from ''military''. It was on ...

website.

Communities

Cities

* Pembroke * Richmond Hill

Unincorporated communities

* Black Creek * Blitchton * Ellabell * Keller * Lanier

Politics

Notable people

* Gregg Allman, musician, Allman Brothers Band *

Mattie Belle Davis Mattie Belle Davis (1910–2004) was a judge and the first woman from Florida elected to the American Bar Foundation and the second woman to be elected in the US. She was born in Ellabell, Georgia and her family moved to Miami, Florida in 1926. ...

, first woman judge of Metropolitan Court of Dade County, Florida *

Justin Smiley Justin Smiley (born November 11, 1981) is a former American football guard. He was originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama. He was a member of the Miami Dolp ...

, pro football player, All-American at University of Alabama * John Smoltz, MLB pitcher, owned a summer home here while playing for the Atlanta Braves

References

External links

Coastal Georgia as seen from the water

Official Bryan County Website

Bryan County Board of Education

Ft. McAllister State Park

Bryan County
historical marker {{Authority control 1793 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) counties Populated places established in 1793 Savannah metropolitan area