Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States. Folkston is in the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The population was 2,502 as of the 2010 census, up from 2,178 in 2000, largely due to the extension of the city boundary to include D. Ray James Prison.

History

Folkston was founded on August 19, 1911. The city was named in honor of William Brandon Folks, M.D., a prominent physician and surgeon in his day. In the years 1925 through 1927, many new and commodious residences were built and several modern brick buildings were erected, including the Citizen Bank Block, the Masonic Temple building, a grammar school building, and a courthouse. Shortly after its creation, the village of Folkston was incorporated as a town government and functioned as a town until 1911 when the area was incorporated as a city. For a number of years, Folkston was the self-proclaimed "Marriage Capital of the World"; Floridians who could not endure their state's waiting period before tying the knot would cross the state line to wed.

Geography

Folkston is located near the southern boundary of Georgia at (30.834437, -82.004829). U.S. Routes 1, 23, and

301 __NOTOC__ Year 301 (Roman numerals, CCCI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Postumius and Nepotianus (or, less freque ...

pass through the city as Second Street, leading south to Jacksonville, Florida. Route 1 and 23 lead northwest to Waycross, while Route 301 leads north to Jesup. The eastern entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is southwest of Folkston via GA 23 and GA 121. According to the United States Census Bureau, Folkston has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

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 4,464 people, 1,082 households, and 667 families residing in the city.

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 2,502 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 50.0% Black, 45.4% White, 0.1% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% from some other race and 2.3% from two or more races. 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,178 people, 817 households, and 548 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 976 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 46.14% White; 51.52% African American; 0.18% Native American. 0.41% Asian; 0.05% Pacific Islander; 0.18% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population. There were 817 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 41.6% 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; 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present; and 32.9% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18; 8.9% from 18 to 24; 26.4% from 25 to 44; 20.5% from 45 to 64; and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,840, and the median income for a family was $32,375. Males had a median income of $26,302 versus $19,816 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,653. About 26.1% of families and 28.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.8% of those under age 18 and 20.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Folkston Funnel

With a high percentage of rail traffic headed to Florida passing through Folkston, the rail lines through the city have acquired the nickname " The Folkston Funnel." As many as 35 trains a day pass through Folkston heading into and out of Florida, which some years draws ten times as many railfans as people who live in the city. To provide for a safe (and advantageous) viewing situation, the town has followed the example of another high-density rail town, Rochelle, Illinois, and has built a platform for visitors, along with

picnic table A picnic table (or picnic bench) is a table with benches (often attached), designed for working with and for outdoor dining. The term is often specifically associated with rectangular tables having an A-frame structure. Such tables may be referr ...

s, chairs, barbecue pits, restrooms, grills, and even WiFi. At night, lights shine from the platform onto the

double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...

so if someone wanted to, he or she could watch after sunset. Freight trains from the east and northeast arrive via

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

, go through the Folkston Funnel, and proceed to terminals such as Jacksonville,

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

, and Miami. Freight trains from the midwest arrive via Atlanta or Birmingham and proceed into Florida. Freight trains that originate in Florida take the same routes in opposite direction. In addition, Amtrak's

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, Silver Meteor, and Auto Train pass through the Folkston Funnel, although they do not stop there. At the covered viewing platform, there is an active scanner running and visitors can listen to train engineers as they run the trains through. There is also free WiFi for visitors.

Education

Charlton County School District

The

Charlton County School District The Charlton County School District is a public school district in Charlton County, Georgia, United States, based in Folkston. It serves the communities of Folkston, Homeland, Moniac, and Saint George. Schools The Charlton County School Dist ...

holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. It consists of three elementary schools, a high school, and a private school. The district has 114 full-time teachers and over 2,015 students. *Folkston Elementary School - Pre-K to 3rd grade *Bethune Middle School (named after Mary McLeod Bethune) - 4th to 8th grade *St. George Elementary School * Charlton County High School - 9th to 12th grade

Private school

*Christian Academy - Pre-K to 12th grade

Notable people

* Champ Bailey, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback of the National Football League * Boss Bailey, linebacker who played in the National Football League, born in Folkston *Eldridge Milton, former NFL football linebacker for the Chicago Bears and his collegiate years at Clemson University was the first person from Folkston to play in the NFL. *Larry Smith Jr., former NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers, played at the Florida State University. * Canadian cannabis activist Marc Emery was serving a five-year prison sentence at

D. Ray James Correctional Institution D. Ray James Correctional Institution is a private prison located in Folkston, Charlton County, Georgia, owned and operated by the GEO Group under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service. The facility first ope ...

in Folkston before he was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Yazoo City, Mississippi.Marc Scott Emery
" Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on January 10, 2011. *

Courtney M. Williams Courtney M. Williams (born May 11, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Williams completed her high school basketball career at Charlton County High Sch ...

- WNBA Player for the Atlanta Dream