Swainsboro is a city in

Emanuel County, Georgia Emanuel County is a county located in the eastern portion, or "Classic South" region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,768. The county seat is Swainsboro. History The county was created on December 1 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,425. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Emanuel County.

History

In 1822, the Georgia state legislature established "Swainsborough" as the seat of Emanuel County. The town was named in recognition of Stephen Swain, the state senator who introduced the bill for the county's creation in 1812. The town's name was changed to "Paris" at its incorporation on February 18, 1854, but three years later reverted to its current name, Swainsboro.

Transportation

Early in its corporate life, much like other rural Georgia towns, Swainsboro depended on railroads for transportation. However, in the 1930s, many of the town's streets and sidewalks were paved, and Swainsboro found itself at the intersection of two major national highways, U.S. 1 and U.S. 80, thus earning its city motto: "Crossroads of the Great South". U.S. 1 was the principal highway from

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

, and U.S. 80, at that time, ran from

Tybee Island, Georgia Tybee Island ( ) is a city and a barrier island in Chatham County, Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah. The name is used for both the city and the island, but geographically the two are not identical: only part of the island's terri ...

, to

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

Geography

Swainsboro is located near the center of Emanuel County at 32°35'37" North, 82°19'56" West (32.593743, -82.332146).

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 ...

passes through the center of the city, and

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ...

bypasses it to the west. US 80 leads east to Statesboro and west to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, while US 1 leads north to Augusta and south to Waycross.

Interstate 16 Interstate 16 (I-16), also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway, is an east–west Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Georgia. It carries the hidden designation of State Route 404 (SR 404) for it ...

is south of Swainsboro via US 1. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.81%, is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,425 people, 2,697 households, and 1,783 families residing in the city.

Education

Emanuel County School District

The Emanuel County School District, run by the Emanuel County Board of Education, holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and two academies. The district has 293 full-time teachers and over 4,664 students. * Adrian School of Performing Arts (Closed) * David Emanuel Academy (DEA) * Swainsboro Elementary School (SES) * Swainsboro Primary School (SPS) * Twin City Elementary School (TCE) * Swainsboro Middle School (SMS) * Emanuel County Institute (ECI) * Swainsboro High School (SHS)

Higher education

East Georgia State College East Georgia State College (EGSC) is a public college in Swainsboro, Georgia, United States. It is part of the University System of Georgia. As an access institution, the college serves a predominantly rural area of 24 counties in Georgia's coast ...

- Swainsboro Campus *

Southeastern Technical College Southeastern Technical College (STC) is a public community college in Vidalia, Georgia with a satellite campus in Swainsboro and distance learning centers among its eight-county service area. It is part of the Technical College System of Georgia ...

- Swainsboro CampusSoutheastern Technical College
Retrieved June 8, 2010.

Notable people

* Luck Flanders Gambrell, philanthropist and wife of former

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

David Gambrell *

Ray Guy William Ray Guy (December 22, 1949 – November 3, 2022) was an American professional football punter who played for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Guy was a first-team All-American selection in 1972 ...

, NFL Hall of Famer, retired punter, three-time Super Bowl champion *

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Superman" for his athletic prowess, he is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defen ...

, NBA Player (born in Swainsboro, raised in Atlanta) *

Rufus Hannah Rufus Hannah (November 27, 1954 – October 4, 2017), also known as Roofus the Stunt Bum, was an American advocate for homeless rights who became known for his role in the early ''Bumfights'' videos: in 2000, while himself a homeless alcoholic, h ...

, aka "Rufus the Stunt Bum", born and raised in Swainsboro, famous for his role in the controversial ''

Bumfights ''Bumfights'' is an American video series produced by Indecline Films. The debut release titled ''Bumfights Vol.1: A Cause for Concern'' features primarily high school student fights caught on tape and homeless men (most notably Rufus Hannah and ...

'' series * Doug Johnson, record producer, songwriter, record label executive, born in Swainsboro * Pat Mitchell, media personality and businesswoman * Tony Mitchell, professional basketball player for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, former Milwaukee Bucks player * George L. Smith II, member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

(1944–1973) and Speaker of the same body (1959–1962, 1967–1973) *

Ben Troupe Benjamin LaShaun Troupe (born September 1, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the early 2000s. Troupe played college football for the Flor ...

, born in Swainsboro, played high school football in Augusta, former University of Florida football standout * Larry Jon Wilson, singer-songwriter, born in Swainsboro

References

External links

Swainsboro official website
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Emanuel County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)