Bryan County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,738. 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 ...

is Pembroke. Bryan County is part of the Savannah, Georgia metropolitan statistical area. The Bryan County Courthouse is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

Bryan County was created on December 19, 1793, named after Jonathan Bryan (1708–1788), an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

partisan. South Bryan County is home to the earthen

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

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 directl ...

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. 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 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 nearby city of Hinesville, along with ...

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

installation.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, 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 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 ...

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 Canoochee River sub-basin of the

basin. The rest of Bryan County is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the same Ogeechee River basin. The Ogeechee River forms the northeastern border of the country, while the Jerico River forms the southeast border. 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) * (Interstate 95) * * * * * * * * * * * * * (unsigned designation for I-16) * (unsigned designation for I-95)

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 2020 census, the population was 64,769. The seat is Springfield. Effingham County is included in the Savannah metropolitan area. I ...

- north *

Chatham County, Georgia Chatham County ( ) is the easternmost county 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, a ...

- northeast *

Liberty County, Georgia Liberty County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 65,256. The county seat is Hinesville, Georgia, Hinesville. Liberty Coun ...

- south/southwest *

Evans County, Georgia Evans County is a County (United States), county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 10,774. The county seat is Claxton, Georgia, ...

- 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.US 2020 Census Bureau report, Bulloch County, Georgia The county seat is Stat ...

- northwest

Communities

Cities

* Pembroke (County Seat) * Richmond Hill (Biggest City)

Unincorporated communities

* Black Creek * Blitchton * Ellabell * Keller * Lanier

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 44,738 people, 13,048 households, and 10,140 families residing in the county.

Economy

Bryan County is the location of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), a large production site for electric vehicles (EV), which became operational in 2024. It is by far the largest employer of the county.

Education

Bryan County School District is the designated school district for grades K-12 for the county, 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 beh ...

(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 website.

Politics

Notable people

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman B ...

, musician,

Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Gregg Allman Band People *Allman (surnam ...

* Mattie Belle Davis, first woman judge of Metropolitan Court of Dade County, Florida * Justin Smiley, pro football player, All-American at University of Alabama *

John Smoltz John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time Ma ...

, MLB pitcher, owned a summer home here while playing for the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

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