Bryan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,738.[1] The county seat is Pembroke.[2]

Bryan County
Bryan County Courthouse in Pembroke
Bryan County Courthouse in Pembroke
Official seal of Bryan County
Map of Georgia highlighting Bryan County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°01′N 81°26′W / 32.02°N 81.44°W / 32.02; -81.44
Country United States
State Georgia
Founded1793; 231 years ago (1793)
Named forJonathan Bryan
SeatPembroke
Largest cityRichmond Hill
Area
 • Total
454 sq mi (1,180 km2)
 • Land436 sq mi (1,130 km2)
 • Water18 sq mi (50 km2)  4.1%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
44,738
 • Density103/sq mi (40/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.bryancountyga.org

Bryan County is part of the Savannah, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.

The Bryan County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

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Bryan County was created on December 19, 1793, named after Jonathan Bryan (1708–1788), an American Revolutionary War partisan.[3]

South Bryan County is home to the earthen Civil War 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 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.[4] 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 U.S. Army installation.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 454 square miles (1,180 km2), of which 436 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 18 square miles (47 km2) (4.1%) is water.[5]

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 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 Ogeechee River basin. The rest of Bryan County is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the same Ogeechee River basin.[6] 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

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Adjacent counties

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Communities

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Cities

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Unincorporated communities

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18002,836
18102,827−0.3%
18203,0216.9%
18303,1393.9%
18403,1821.4%
18503,4247.6%
18604,01517.3%
18705,25230.8%
18804,929−6.2%
18905,52012.0%
19006,12210.9%
19106,7029.5%
19206,343−5.4%
19305,952−6.2%
19406,2885.6%
19505,965−5.1%
19606,2264.4%
19706,5395.0%
198010,17555.6%
199015,43851.7%
200023,41751.7%
201030,23329.1%
202044,73848.0%
2023 (est.)49,739[7]11.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1880[9]1890-1910[10]
1920-1930[11] 1930-1940[12]
1940-1950[13] 1960-1980[14]
1980-2000[15] 2010[16]
Bryan County racial composition as of 2020[17]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 31,321 70.01%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 6,330 14.15%
Native American 102 0.23%
Asian 1,032 2.31%
Pacific Islander 53 0.12%
Other/Mixed 2,631 5.88%
Hispanic or Latino 3,269 7.31%

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

Education

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Bryan County School District is the designated school district for grades K-12 for the county, except parts in Fort Stewart. Fort Stewart has the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as its local school district,[18] for the elementary level.[19] Students at the secondary level on Fort Stewart attend public schools operated by county school districts.[20]

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Bryan County, Georgia[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 16,738 67.90% 7,779 31.56% 134 0.54%
2020 14,240 66.70% 6,738 31.56% 371 1.74%
2016 10,529 68.95% 4,014 26.29% 728 4.77%
2012 9,560 70.94% 3,707 27.51% 209 1.55%
2008 9,112 70.82% 3,636 28.26% 119 0.92%
2004 7,363 73.67% 2,590 25.92% 41 0.41%
2000 4,835 68.49% 2,172 30.77% 52 0.74%
1996 3,577 57.06% 2,152 34.33% 540 8.61%
1992 2,789 47.05% 2,031 34.26% 1,108 18.69%
1988 2,802 66.16% 1,423 33.60% 10 0.24%
1984 2,265 61.83% 1,398 38.17% 0 0.00%
1980 1,212 37.47% 1,966 60.77% 57 1.76%
1976 761 27.12% 2,045 72.88% 0 0.00%
1972 1,409 84.27% 263 15.73% 0 0.00%
1968 381 16.08% 560 23.64% 1,428 60.28%
1964 1,433 62.58% 857 37.42% 0 0.00%
1960 428 24.44% 1,323 75.56% 0 0.00%
1956 331 21.04% 1,242 78.96% 0 0.00%
1952 331 25.42% 971 74.58% 0 0.00%
1948 135 7.67% 1,147 65.21% 477 27.12%
1944 90 11.57% 688 88.43% 0 0.00%
1940 49 5.30% 874 94.49% 2 0.22%
1936 63 9.01% 632 90.41% 4 0.57%
1932 17 4.56% 353 94.64% 3 0.80%
1928 151 40.81% 219 59.19% 0 0.00%
1924 9 4.33% 196 94.23% 3 1.44%
1920 21 10.71% 175 89.29% 0 0.00%
1916 17 5.30% 295 91.90% 9 2.80%
1912 114 17.98% 400 63.09% 120 18.93%

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Bryan County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 27. ISBN 0-915430-00-2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 17, 2003.
  4. ^ Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia; Passed in October and November, 1814. Vol. 1. pp. 46–47.
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  9. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  10. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1910.
  11. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  12. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  13. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1950.
  14. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  15. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  16. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  17. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bryan County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022. - text list - "Fort Stewart School District" refers to the DoDEA schools.
  19. ^ "Fort Stewart Schools". Department of Defense Education Activity. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  20. ^ "Fort Stewart Education". Military One Source. Retrieved July 5, 2022. - This is from a .mil website.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
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