Folkston, Georgia

City in Georgia, United States

Folkston, Georgia

City

Top, left to right: Charlton County Courthouse, Folkston Funnel, Folkston Train Museum, City Hall, Downtown Folkston, Okefenokee Swamp

Motto:

"Gateway to the Okefenokee"[1]

Location in Charlton County and the state of Georgia

Coordinates: 30°50′4″N 82°0′17″W﻿ / ﻿30.83444°N 82.00472°W﻿ / 30.83444; -82.00472
Country| United States
State| Georgia
Counties| Charlton
Area

[2]

• Total| 4.19 sq mi (10.86 km2)
• Land| 4.19 sq mi (10.86 km2)
• Water| 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population

(2020)

• Total| 4,464
• Density| 1,065.14/sq mi (411.21/km2)
Time zone| UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)| UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code|

31537

Area code| 912
FIPS code| [3]
GNIS feature ID| [4]
Website| www.folkston.com
City Hall

Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States.[6][7] The population was 4,464 in 2020.

## History[edit]

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Folkston was founded on August 19, 1911.[5] 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[edit]

Folkston is located near the southern boundary of Georgia at 30°50′4″N 82°0′17″W﻿ / ﻿30.83444°N 82.00472°W﻿ / 30.83444; -82.00472 (30.834437, -82.004829).[8] U.S. Routes 1, 23, and 301 pass through the city as Second Street, leading south 2 miles to the state line. Route 1 and 23 lead northwest 35 miles (56 km) to Waycross, while Route 301 leads north 30 miles (48 km) to Nahunta. The eastern entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Folkston via GA 23 and GA 121.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Folkston has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km2), all land.[9]

## Demographics[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1900| 167| | —
1910| 355| | 112.6%
1920| 397| | 11.8%
1930| 506| | 27.5%
1940| 1,024| | 102.4%
1950| 1,515| | 47.9%
1960| 1,810| | 19.5%
1970| 2,112| | 16.7%
1980| 2,243| | 6.2%
1990| 2,285| | 1.9%
2000| 2,178| | −4.7%
2010| 2,502| | 14.9%
2020| 4,464| | 78.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
Folkston racial composition as of 2020[11] Race  | Num.  | Perc.

|
|

White (non-Hispanic)  | 1,088  | 24.37%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)  | 1,309  | 29.32%
Native American | 11  | 0.25%
Asian | 80  | 1.79%
Other/Mixed | 86  | 1.93%
Hispanic or Latino | 1,890  | 42.34%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,464 people, 1,082 households, and 667 families residing in the city.

## Attraction[edit]

### Folkston Funnel[edit]

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." To provide for a safe viewing situation, the city has built a platform for visitors, along with picnic tables, chairs, barbecue pits, restrooms,[12] grills, and even WiFi. At night, lights shine onto the double track if someone wanted to watch after sunset. Freight trains pass through the Folkston Funnel, and proceed to terminals such as Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami. Freight trains that originate in Florida take the same routes in opposite direction. In addition, Amtrak trains pass through the Folkston Funnel, they do not stop there.[13] At the covered viewing platform, there is an active scanner running and visitors can listen to train engineers.[12]

## Education[edit]

### Charlton County School District[edit]

The Charlton County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. It consists of three elementary schools and a high school.[14] The district has 114 full-time teachers and over 2,015 students.[15]

* Folkston Elementary School (named after the city of Folkston) - Pre-K to 4th grade
* Bethune Middle School (named after Mary McLeod Bethune) - 5th to 8th grade
* St. George Elementary School (located in St. George, not inside the city of Folkston)
* Charlton County High School (named after Charlton County) - 9th to 12th grade

## Notable people[edit]

* Champ Bailey, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback of the National Football League[16]
* Boss Bailey, linebacker who played in the National Football League, born in Folkston[17]
* 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.
* Courtney M. Williams \- WNBA Player for the Atlanta Dream

## References[edit]

1. ^ "City of Folkston Georgia Website". City of Folkston Georgia Website. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. ^ a b "Folkston". Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
6. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
7. ^ "Profile for Folkston, Georgia, GA". ePodunk. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
9. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Folkston city, Georgia (revision of 02-23-2012)". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
10. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
11. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
12. ^ a b "Trains". www.innatfolkston.com.
13. ^ The Folkston Funnel: Trainwatcher's Page
14. ^ Georgia Board of Education[permanent dead link], Retrieved June 3, 2010.
15. ^ School Stats, Retrieved June 3, 2010.
16. ^ "Champ Bailey". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
17. ^ "Boss Bailey". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2012.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Folkston, Georgia.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Folkston.

* City of Folkston official website
* Folkston, Georgia, at City-Data.com
* The Folkston Funnel
* Charlton County Herald, local newspaper
* Folkston Junction, Florida Times-Union article
* Folkston at Georgia.gov
* Charlton County Schools

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Municipalities and communities of Charlton County, Georgia, United States

County seat: Folkston

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Map of Georgia highlighting Charlton County

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