Thunderbolt is a town located in Chatham County, Georgia, United States, approximately five miles southeast of downtown Savannah. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 2,556. It is part of the Savannah

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. Thunderbolt runs along the western shore of the Wilmington River (a tidal river that is part of the U.S.

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following t ...

). The town is important to Georgia's shrimping industry, with scores of docks for shrimping trawlers. The town's picturesque atmosphere and seafood restaurants draw many local visitors.

History

An early variant name was "Warsaw". The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the town as "Warsaw" in 1856. An act of legislature officially changed the town's name to "Thunderbolt" in 1921. According to tradition, Thunderbolt was named from an incident when lightning strike caused a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

to open up.

Geography

Thunderbolt is located at 32°1'56" North, 81°3'6" West (32.032111, -81.051733). According to the

United States 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.8 km), of which 1.3 square miles (3.3 km) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km) is water.

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 2,556 people, 1,091 households, and 516 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 2,668 people, 1,088 households, and 565 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 1,088 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 52.9%

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, 35.1%

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 ...

, 0.6% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander 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 O ...

, 4.2% from

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, and 2.7% from two or more races. 9.0% of the population were

Hispanic 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 forme ...

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 997 households, out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,327, and the median income for a family was $49,583. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $22,128 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $22,592. 13.6% of the population and 8.4% of families 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 ...

. 33.3% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

References