Evans County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,774. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Claxton. A bill creating the county was passed in 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 ...

on August 11, 1914, and later, on November 3, 1914, an amendment was ratified by a vote of the people which formally created the county. Evans County is located in an area known as the Magnolia Midlands within the Historic South region. The current Evans County Courthouse was created in 1923 and, in 1940, the people of Evans County elected their first female sheriff. Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, new growth came to the county with the building of Evans Memorial Hospital and the Claxton-Evans County Airport. In 2010, the population was 11,000; however, the 2012 Census Estimate showed a population of 10,689. The county sits firmly within Georgia's coastal plain region and has predominantly sedimentary rock and red and yellow clays. The Canoochee River is the major body of water flowing through the county. Manufacturing, educational, health and social services make up much of Evans County's diverse economy. Major employers in the county include Camellia Health and Rehabilitation, Claxton Poultry Company,

Georgia Department of Corrections The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) is an agency of the U.S. state of Georgia operating state prisons. The agency is headquartered in Forsyth, on the former campus of Tift College. Headquarters The GDC has its offices in Gibson Hall, ...

, Pinewood Christian Academy, and Valmont Newmark. The county is ranked 64 out of 71 Tier 1 counties with an 8% sales tax. Businesses in the county are 100% exempt on all classes of certain business inventory from property taxes.

History

On August 11, 1914, the

proposed a constitutional amendment to create Evans County from Bulloch and Tattnall counties. Georgia voters ratified the proposed amendment by a vote of 36,689 to 9,789 on November 3, 1914, which marks the official date of Evans County's creation. The county was named in honor of

Clement A. Evans Brigadier-General Clement Anselm Evans (February 25, 1833 – July 2, 1911) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. Afterwards, he edited a 12-volume w ...

. Evans was a state senator from

Stewart County, Georgia Stewart County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,058. The county seat is Lumpkin. The county was created on December 23, 1830. History The area was inhabi ...

, a

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister, an historian and an author. The push to create Evans County came about for various reasons, most notably the desire to not have to travel so far to the court house; more office jobs; increase in businesses coming to the area, especially in regard to hotels and eating establishments and a belief that there was a minority in Reidsville, Georgia – the county seat in Tattnall County – which controlled the county. Moreover, the entrance of the

Savannah and Western Railroad The Savannah and Western Railroad is a historic railroad that was located in Georgia. The S&W was incorporated in 1885, and acquired property in 1888 through a consolidation of seven different railroads owned by the Central Railroad and Banking ...

into Tattnall County created a desire by landowners to have stations on their property; ultimately, these new stations led to the founding of the cities which would become part of Evans County: Bellville, Claxton, Daisy and Hagan. However, not everyone was for the creation of a new county. Some of the arguments against the creation of a new county included: the idea that the difficulties with distance to the courthouse were being overcome; also, the tax burden would override any benefits from new jobs. Evans County was approved through the constitutional amendment process because of an earlier amendment from 1904 which limited the number of counties to 145. In order to get around this amendment, a new amendment was passed which allowed for the creation of Evans County. The current Evans County courthouse was completed in 1923. The courthouse is in Claxton and was designed in the

neoclassical revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

tradition by architect J.J. Baldwin. Prior to the building of the current courthouse, all of the county's business was held in the White Building, a three-story edifice built by Mr. R. King White and later bought by Mrs. Ben Daniel. Mrs. Daniel's husband, Dr. Ben Daniel, used the building as his office. The first female elected

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

in Evans County, and in Georgia, was Mrs.

Josie Mae Rogers Josie may refer to: People: * Josie (name), various people and fictional characters with the given name * Edith Josie (1921-2000), Canadian writer and newspaper columnist * Peter Josie, Saint Lucia politician * Josie (stylist), Spanish stylist and ...

, who was appointed after the death of the late sheriff, her father Jesse C. Durrence on June 24, 1940. Later, she was elected sheriff by the people of the county. Not long after, in July 1940, Camp Stewart – which would eventually become

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. Th ...

– was created after the

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

bought up several tracts of land in various counties, including Evans County. In all, it is estimated that approximately 1,500 people were displaced by the creation of the camp. The late 1950s and the 1960s were a time of growth in Evans County, especially in regards to health care and transportation. Beginning in 1958, Dr. Curtis Gordon Hames began research on the

Evans County Heart Study The Evans County Heart Study was a long-term cardiovascular study on residents of Evans County, Georgia. The study, which was funded by the National Institute of Health, began in July, 1958, and was last updated as recent as May 2016. It resulted in ...

, which was funded by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

; this study would continue until 1995 and resulted in 560 published papers on

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

, cancer and other areas. In 1964, the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

approved a site for the construction of an airport in the county, just three miles (5 km) northeast of Claxton. On December 7, 1967, after two decades of effort, Evans Memorial Hospital was opened. In November 1975, B.G. Tippins, a teacher at

Claxton High School Claxton High School is a public high school located in Claxton, Georgia, United States. It is a part of the Evans County School District. The current principal is Dr. Paul Mizell. Between 1975 and 1979, students at the school under the direction o ...

, worked with 15 students to build a Miller Lil' Rascal, a two-seat sporting biplane. This plane was the only one of its kind built. From 1980 to 1983 several buildings were placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, including the courthouse and three homes. On October 16, 2006, the Evans County Sheriff's Department was presented with seven bullet-proof vests by the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police. On June 3, 2008, Evans County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to mark August 11 as Evans County Day. Since that day there have been annual celebrations of the county's founding including the 2014 centennial celebration.

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 (2.1%) is water. The major body of water is the Canoochee River which flows through Evans County. The Canoochee is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

of the

Ogeechee River The Ogeechee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 26, 2011 blackwater river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It heads at the confluence of its North and Sout ...

. There are several ponds in Evans County. They include Cypress Pond; Dyess Pond; Beasley Pond; Bernard Smith Pond; I.W. DeLoach Ponds; Big Beasley Pond DeLoach Pond. Other bodies of water include Tippins Lake; Grice Creek; Billy Fork Creek; Thick Creek; Mill Branch; Barnard Mill; Rocky Branch; Scott Creek; Cedar Creek; and Dry Creek. The entirety of Evans County is located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the

basin.

Geology and terrain

Geologically, Evans County lies in the coastal plain region of Georgia, an area consisting mostly of

sedimentary rocks Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles t ...

. The coastal plain is divided from the Piedmont by the

Fall Line A fall line (or fall zone) is the area where an upland region and a coastal plain meet and is typically prominent where rivers cross it, with resulting rapids or waterfalls. The uplands are relatively hard crystalline basement rock, and the coa ...

, which passes through Georgia from

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

in the east, then southwestward to

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

, then to

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

and finally westward to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. Yet, sedimentary rocks are not the only geological features to be found in Evans County. The county is mostly covered by thin

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

and red and yellow

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

. As in Tattnall County along the

Ohoopee River The Ohoopee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 21, 2011 river in east-central Georgia in the United States. It is a tributary of the Altamaha River, which ...

, the sand in Evans County that lies along the Canoochee River is white

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...

of a medium to coarse grain. There is exploitable medium-grain sand covering about 50 acres of land along the railroad above Bull Creek. The pure white sand along the Canoochee could be made into bottle glass, but is expensive to recover.

Flora and fauna

Evans County is home to several protected species of flora and fauna. Among the flora in the county are the Georgia plume, ''

Sarracenia flava ''Sarracenia flava'', the yellow pitcherplant, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae. Like all the Sarraceniaceae, it is native to the New World. Its range extends from southern Alabama, through Florida and Georgia, to the coastal ...

'', ''

Sarracenia minor ''Sarracenia minor'', also known as the hooded pitcherplant, is a perennial, terrestrial, rhizomatous, herbaceous, carnivorous plant in the genus ''Sarracenia''. Like all the ''Sarracenia'', it is native to North America. Etymology In 1788, t ...

'', beardtongue, '' Stewartia'', loblolly-bay and sweetbay. Others include the purple honeycomb head, large-stem morning-glory, few-flower gay-feather, pond spice, '' Lobelia boykinii'', hummingbird flower, and other plants. Protected animals in the area include the

red-cockaded woodpecker The red-cockaded woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus borealis'') is a woodpecker endemic to the southeastern United States. Description The red-cockaded woodpecker is small to mid-sized species, being intermediate in size between North America's two ...

, the

indigo snake ''Drymarchon'' is a genus of large nonvenomous colubrid snakes, commonly known as indigo snakes or cribos, found in the Southeastern United States, Central America, and South America. Reaching or more in length, they are among the world's larg ...

Bachman's sparrow Bachman's sparrow (''Peucaea aestivalis''), also known as the pinewoods sparrow or oakwoods sparrow, is a small American sparrow that is endemic to the southeastern United States. This species was named in honor of Reverend John Bachman. Adults ...

, the

spotted turtle The spotted turtle (''Clemmys guttata''), the only species of the genus ''Clemmys'', is a small, semi-aquatic turtle that reaches a carapace length of upon adulthood. Their broad, smooth, low dark-colored upper shell, or carapace, ranges in its ...

, Say's spiketail and the southern bald eagle, among other animals.

Climate

Evans County is classified as a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

under the

Köppen classification Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author an ...

and has a mild climate, averaging 49.8 degrees in January and 82.7 degrees in July. The average annual rainfall is 48 inches and the county has a minimum altitude of above sea level and a maximum altitude of above sea level. The county is 1.4 times below the U.S. average in historical area-adjusted

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

activity. From 1950 to 2004, only 2 injuries have been caused by tornadoes in the county; this occurred on March 29, 1974, when an F1 tornado hit the county, causing between $5,000 and $50,000 in damages.

Adjacent counties

* Bulloch County – northeast * Bryan County – east * Liberty County – southeast *

Tattnall County Tattnall County is a county located in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,520. The county seat is Reidsville. Tattnall County was created on December 5, 1801, from part of Montgomery ...

– southwest * Candler County – northwest

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,000 people, 4,033 households, and 2,805 families residing in the county. The population density was 60.2 people per square mile. There were 4,658 housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 66.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 31%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.9%

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 ...

, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, and 1% from two or more races. 12.7% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

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 3,778 households, out of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.00% were married couples living together, 16.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.10. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,447, and the median income for a family was $31,074. Males had a median income of $26,959 versus $17,587 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,657. About 23.10% of families and 27.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.20% of those under age 18 and 23.60% 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 11,000 people, 4,033 households, and 2,805 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 4,664 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 58.8% white, 29.1% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 0.2% American Indian, 10.0% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 13.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 11.5% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 8.8% 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 **Ge ...

, 7.5% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and 6.4% 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 4,033 households, 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.4% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age was 35.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $40,796 and the median income for a family was $45,938. Males had a median income of $36,426 versus $28,282 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,072. About 15.1% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 15.8% 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 10,774 people, 4,020 households, and 2,747 families residing in the county.

Religion

Evans County is largely

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

. The religious affiliation of the people of Evans County are: *

: 87% **

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...

: 45% **

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

: 36% **

Progressive Primitive Baptists Progressive Primitive Baptists are a Christian denomination comprising 95 churches located in nine US states and one church in Haiti.Pat McCoy, editor, Directory Of Progressive Primitive Baptist Churches and Ministers, Culloden, Georgia: ''The Ba ...

: 6% Other: 7%

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

: 6% Evans County shares its Protestant heritage with the rest of Georgia and the Southern United States. The largest denominations by number of adherents in 2002 were the Southern Baptist Convention with 2,043; the United Methodist Church with 1,620; and the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

with 286.

Economy

Agriculture and industry

Evans County has a diverse economy, with manufacturing; educational, health and social services;

retail trade Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and ...

; and construction providing the greatest employment in manufacturing. The Claxton-Evans County Industrial Park provides the strongest source of manufacturing, with the creation of concrete poles and

galvanization Galvanization or galvanizing (American and British English spelling differences, also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot ...

of metals. Major employers in Evans County include Evans Memorial Hospital, Camellia Health and Rehabilitation, Claxton Poultry Company,

, Glenvue Nursing Home, JGI Incorporated Galaxy Food Center,

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

Restaurants, Nesmith Chevrolet Company, Pinewood Christian Academy, and Valmont Newmark. Outside of the cities, agriculture is important with

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

and cotton being major crops. Other crops planted and harvested in Evans County include soybeans; wheat and vegetables; and land set aside for

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s. The

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditiona ...

is the most common industry for Evans Countians to work in.

Local taxes

Evans County has an 8% total sales tax, including 4% state, 1% local option, 1% special purpose, and 1% educational. Evans County is ranked 64 out of 71 Tier 1 counties in the state of Georgia. Claxton and Evans County exempt 100% on all classes of certain business inventory from property taxes.

Culture

People

Evans County is populated by many different

ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

. Among these groups are

Whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as " ...

;

Blacks Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

; Native Americans; Asians;

Pacific Islanders Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...

; and

Hispanics The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties former ...

Latinos Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spaniards, Spanish and/or Latin Americans, Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include a ...

. Foreign born Evans Countians are predominantly Mexican, followed by

Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or othe ...

; Guatemalans; Japanese; Indians;

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

; and Indonesians. The most common ancestries in Evans County include

; English; Irish; German; Scots-Irish; French; and Italian. The combination of these ancestries and

ethnicities An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

has forged Evans County's character.

Evans Countians

Evans County has had a number of notable citizens.

James Kicklighter James Kicklighter (born June 26, 1988) is an American film director, producer, and writer from Bellville, Georgia. Early life and education Kicklighter's hometown is in Bellville, Georgia. His father died from SARS when he was 12 years old. ...

is a film director from

Bellville, Georgia Bellville is a city in Evans County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 127. It is the hometown of film director James Kicklighterbr> History Bellville was laid out in 1890 when the railroad was extended ...

Joseph Kennedy Joseph Patrick Kennedy (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the patriarch of the Irish-American Ken ...

was born in Claxton and went on to become the senator for the area and president pro tempore of the

Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia ...

. Albert Parker and Ira S. Womble Sr. both made Claxton and Evans County famous through their respective companies,

The Claxton Bakery The Claxton Bakery is a confectionery company based in Claxton, Georgia. History The Claxton Bakery was founded by Savino Gillio-Tos (March 31, 1885 in Ivrea, Italy - January 1966 in Claxton, Georgia) who immigrated to the United States in 1902. ...

and

The Georgia Fruitcake Company The Georgia Fruitcake Company is a confectionery company based in Claxton, Georgia. History The Georgia Fruitcake Company was founded by Ira S. Womble, Sr. of Claxton. Womble began his career in the bakery business as an apprentice to Savino Gill ...

. Cartha Deke DeLoach, a native Evans Countian, joined the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

and worked alongside

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation � ...

while Dr. Curtis Gordon Hames did a groundbreaking study on

. Two Evans County natives, Charles Gordon Edwards of Daisy, and

William Washington Larsen William Washington Larsen (August 12, 1871 – January 5, 1938) was a United States Representative from Georgia. Personal life Larsen was born in Hagan, Georgia. He attended the Bryan Institute in Lanier, Georgia, the South Georgia Military ...

of Hagan, went on to become

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Customs

Evans County has held an annual

rattlesnake roundup Rattlesnake round-ups (or roundups), also known as rattlesnake rodeos, are annual events common in the rural Midwest and Southern United States, Southern United States, where the primary attractions are captured wild rattlesnakes which are sold, di ...

the second weekend of March since 1968, with the festival growing every year since then and moving from within Claxton to just outside the city in 2001; this festival has undergone a change and is now called the Claxton Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival. Another, more recent, annual event is the Cruisin' in the Country Bike Ride, began in 1995 as the Yuletide Ride. The event was changed from December to November the next year and expanded to include a route. Soon, the route became a complete

century ride A century ride is a road cycling ride of 100 kilometers or more in metric system countries or 100 miles (160.9 km) or more in imperial system countries, usually as a cycling club-sponsored event. Many cycling clubs sponsor an annual century rid ...

. Other events include the

Martin Luther King Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monda ...

parade, held every January; Christmas in Claxton, an event which occurs on the first Saturday in December and includes arts and crafts, food, and the Parade of Lights;

barrel racing Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur and ...

at the Richey Arena; and a

tractor pull Truck and tractor pulling, also known as power pulling, is a form of a motorsport competition in which antique or modified tractors pull a heavy drag or sled along an , track, with the winner being the tractor that pulls the drag the farthe ...

held on the first Saturday of each month at the Longneedle Farm Truck and Tractor Pull. A Chicken Pickin' festival was held September 11, 2010.

Cuisine

Evans County's cuisine includes a variety of different foods ranging from seafood, corn on the cob and chicken and dumplings to

Brunswick stew Brunswick stew is a tomato-based stew generally involving local beans, vegetables, and originally small game meat such as squirrel or rabbit, though today often chicken. The exact origin of the stew is disputed. The states of Virginia, North Caro ...

fried chicken Fried chicken, also known as Southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or ...

and cornbread. Other well known and loved foods in the county include

pecan The pecan (''Carya illinoinensis'') is a species of hickory native to the southern United States and northern Mexico in the region of the Mississippi River. The tree is cultivated for its seed in the southern United States, primarily in Georgia, ...

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

es and peanuts. However, these are not the only foods enjoyed by Evans Countians. Because of the diversity within the county, the people of Evans County also frequent Mexican and Chinese restaurants.

Architecture

A number of buildings and homes in Evans County are on the

. In Claxton, there is the Dr. James W. Daniel House; the Evans County Courthouse; and the Mitchell J. Green Plantation. In Hagan, there is the George W. DeLoach House. And at Camp Oliver there is the Glisson Store (DOE). Other places of interest include the Daisy Post Office and the train depot in Bellville. Evans County is also home to a number of

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...

houses that were built prior to the formation of the county. Many of these homes were built in the Plantation Plain style and include the A.D. Eason House; the Thomas A. Durrence House; and the Edwards-Strickland House.

Infrastructure

Health care

Evans County has several medical facilities, including the Evans County Memorial Hospital; the Jack Strickland Rehabilitation Wellness Center; Northspring Assisted Living; The Griffin House; the Camellia Health and Rehabilitation Center; The Evans County Health Department and Health and Well-Being Consultative Services. There are approximately twelve doctors in the county, two dentists and two pharmacies.

Education

Evans County has both public and private schools. Public education in most of Evans County is supervised by the

Evans County School District The Evans County School District is a school district based in Evans County, Georgia, United States. The superintendent is Dr. Marty Waters. All of the schools have been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as well as ...

for grades K-12, except parts in

. 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. The current superintendent of the public school district is Dr. Marty Waters. All schools have been fully accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

as well as the Georgia Accrediting Commission. There are currently 1,888 students and 122 teachers, a ratio of 15:1. There are three public schools in Evans County: Claxton Elementary School; Claxton Middle School; and

. Pinewood Christian Academy is a co-educational private school in Bellville. Founded in 1970, the school has approximately 685 students and has a calendar year of 180 days with each school day lasting 7 hours.

Transportation

Transportation in Evans County is overseen by the Georgia Department of Transportation, a part of the executive branch of the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

. The major U.S. highways that run through Evans County are

U.S. Route 25 U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...

; U.S. Route 280; and U.S. Route 301. State highways running through Evans County are State Route 30; State Route 73; State Route 129; State Route 169; and State Route 292.

Georgia Central Railway The Georgia Central Railway operates about of former Seaboard Coast Line track from Macon, Georgia through Dublin, Georgia and Vidalia, Georgia to Savannah, Georgia. It also operates about of trackage between Savannah and Riceboro, Georgia, swi ...

provides transportation for industrial customers in the county. Air travel in Evans County is provided by the Claxton-Evans County Airport. The site for the airport was approved by the FAA in 1964 and it was activated in 1971; the airport is three miles (5 km) northeast of Claxton, Georgia. It is operated by the city of Claxton. It has a

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

s, pilot control lighting, and a

Precision Approach Path Indicator A precision approach path indicator (PAPI) is a visual aid that provides guidance information to help a pilot to acquire and maintain the correct approach (in the vertical plane) to an airport or an aerodrome. It is generally located on the left- ...

. The Claxton-Evans County Airport has an elevation of 112 ft (34.1 m).

Major highways

Energy use and production

Evans County's electricity generation and consumption are provided through a variety of means. Natural gas is also available in large quantities. Evans Countians consumes 269,420 gallons of water a day out of a plant capacity of 3,720,000 gallons a day. There is an elevated storage capacity of 700,000 gallons. The energy produced and consumed is available through the Claxton-Evans County Industrial Park.

Law and government

Politics

Government

The county government is a constitutional body and is granted powers by the Constitution of Georgia. Evans County has a board of commissioners,

, tax commissioner and

clerk of court A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court, administer oaths to witn ...

. The original top positions were held by: * H. Leonard Brewton—First County Commissioner (1915–1920) * T. Walton Rogers—First County Sheriff (January 1, 1915 – February 24, 1920) * T.J. Edwards—First County Tax Commissioner (January 1, 1933 – December 25, 1940) * R.R. Tippins Sr.—First Clerk of Court (January 1, 1915 – December 31, 1920) Individuals currently holding Constitutional Offices are: * Randall Tippins—Sheriff * Julie E. Mincey—Tax Commissioner * Kathy P. Hendrix—Clerk of Court * Darin McCoy-Judge of the Probate Court Board of Commissioners: The board of commissioners in Evans County is made up of six members elected by the people and led by a chairman elected by the board. The board of commissioners acts as both the legislative and executive branches of government for the county and is charged with financing county programs and paying the salaries of constitutional officers. The current members of the Board of Commissioners are: * Sheila Holland – District 1 * Jill Griffin – District 2 * Tony Lewis – District 3 * Brian Croft – District 4 * Wesley Jenkins – District 5 * Irene Burney – District 6 Tax Commissioner: The tax commissioner receives tax returns, maintains tax records for the county, and collects and pays tax funds to the state and local government. Clerk of Court: The responsibility of the clerk of the court is to maintain court records and supervise registration of property transactions.

Law enforcement and emergency services

Sheriff: The sheriff maintains the peace in the county through enforcement of the law. In Evans County, the sheriff is assisted by eight officers, four deputies and four dispatchers. Fire department and EMS: The Evans County fire department is located in Claxton and has a fire chief, four dispatchers, and 21 volunteers. Ambulance services are provided by Evans County EMS. EMS has seven full-time employees and four part-time employees. Evans County is represented in the

by State Senator Jack Hill in Georgia Senatorial District 4 and State Representative Bill Werkheiser. The county is represented in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

by Rick Allen of

Georgia's 12th congressional district Georgia's 12th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is represented by Republican Rick Allen. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which granted an additional co ...

Media

'' The Claxton Enterprise'' is a weekly newspaper located in Claxton, Georgia, United States. It primarily serves Evans County, Georgia. The Enterprise was established in 1912 with its first issue being published on December 4, 1912. The current publisher is Mitchell Peace. Evans County has one local radio station, simultaneously broadcast on both the AM and FM bands. WCLA (1470 AM and 93.7 FM) offers CBS News each hour, while programming Adult Standards music. WCLA broadcasts

and Pinewood Christian Academy football, basketball and baseball. WCLA is the Evans County affiliate for both

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Bulldog football and basketball, as well as

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

baseball. The station observed its 57th birthday on July 30, 2015.

Sports and recreation

Sports in Evans County include the Claxton High School athletic program and the Pinewood Christian Academy athletic program. Both schools programs include

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

; baseball; basketball; track and field; softball; and tennis. Claxton High School also has a golf program. Claxton's boys' track and field were

Georgia High School Association The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is an organization that governs athletics and activities for member high schools in Georgia, USA. GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association has 463 pu ...

champions in 1983 and the boys' basketball team were champions in 1988. The county is home to a handful of public areas which are set aside for recreation. The Evans County Public Fishing Area, located in Claxton, is one such area and contains three lakes of 8, 30 and 84

acres The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

and primitive campsites. Families can also picnic at the lake and an outdoor classroom is available for use. Parks include Bacon Ford Park and the Senior Citizens Park in Claxton. Two parks in Hagan are the Maggie Mae Lewis Children's Park and the Bradley Memorial Park. Another outdoor recreational area is the Evans Heights Golf Club. The course was designed by Don Cottle Jr. in 1970 and has

Bermuda grass ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Although it is not native to Bermuda, it is an abundant invasiv ...

. In total, the course is 6,514 yards.

Communities

* Bellville * Claxton * Daisy *

Hagan Hagan may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places Iran * Hagan, Iran, a village in Hamadan Province Norway * Hagan, a village in Harstad * Hagan, a village in Akershus United States * Hagan, Georgia, a city * Hagan, Minnesota, an unincorporated community * ...

References

;General ;Specific * * ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft (1979–80)'', 503.

External links

National Association of Counties

Evans County
historical marker {{Coord, 32.16, -81.89, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990 1914 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1914 Georgia (U.S. state) counties