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.
In 2008, Effingham County was ranked as the sixth-fastest-growing midsize county in the nation from 2000 to 2007 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The county had a 35.1% growth rate over that period.
History
Effingham was among the original counties of the state of Georgia, created February 5, 1777, during the American Revolution from the colonial parishes of St. Matthew and St. Phillip. Its name honors Lord Effingham, an English champion of colonial rights, who resigned his commission rather than fight against the rebel colonists during the American Revolution.
During the war, most of the Loyalists in what is now Effingham County were first generation Scottish immigrants. After the war, notable Georgia patriots including Lyman Hall, Samuel Elbert, Edward Telfair, George Walton and Stephen Heard all made direct appeals to the Loyalists of Effingham County to "stay on" in Georgia, under the new republican form of government. In Effingham County, this effort was successful, and virtually all Loyalists in the county stayed. The town of Springfield was established in 1799, and most likely was named after a plantation.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.
The entire western edge of Effingham County, from south of Newington to east of Guyton, then south to southwest of Meldrim, is located in the Lower Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The bulk of the rest of the county is located in the Lower Savannah River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A narrow rectangular portion of south Effingham County, from south of Pineora through Meldrim, is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.<!-- And what does this all mean? How did it affect what was grown? -->
Adjacent counties
- Hampton County, South Carolina (north)
- Jasper County, South Carolina (northeast)
- Chatham County (southeast)
- Bryan County (south)
- Bulloch County (west)
- Screven County (northwest)
National protected area
- Savannah National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Communities
Cities
- Guyton
- Rincon
- Springfield
Unincorporated communities
- Clyo
- Egypt
- Meldrim
- Shawnee
Ghost town
- Ebenezer
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Effingham County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 1980
!Pop 1990
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|14,778
|21,794
|31,493
|42,311
|style='background: #ffffe6; |48,204
|80.64%
|84.84%
|83.90%
|80.98%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |74.42%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|3,365
|3,601
|4,853
|6,982
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,747
|18.36%
|14.02%
|12.93%
|13.36%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13.50%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|22
|54
|112
|135
|style='background: #ffffe6; |181
|0.12%
|0.21%
|0.30%
|0.26%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.28%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|23
|56
|168
|425
|style='background: #ffffe6; |677
|0.13%
|0.22%
|0.45%
|0.81%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.05%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|9
|16
|style='background: #ffffe6; |28
|x
|x
|0.02%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.04%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|5
|13
|30
|66
|style='background: #ffffe6; |269
|0.03%
|0.05%
|0.08%
|0.13%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.42%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|339
|814
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,171
|x
|x
|0.90%
|1.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.90%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|134
|169
|531
|1,501
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,492
|0.73%
|0.66%
|1.41%
|2.87%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.39%
|-
|Total
|18,327
|25,687
|37,535
|52,250
|style='background: #ffffe6; |64,769
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 64,769 people, 22,892 households, and 15,424 families residing in the county.
The median age was 36.7 years; 27.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.8 males age 18 and over. 25.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 74.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 22,892 households in the county, of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. For elections to the Georgia House of Representatives, Effingham County is divided between districts 159 and 161.
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See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Effingham County, Georgia
- List of counties in Georgia
References
External links
- Effingham County Government Official Webpage
- Effingham County Chamber of Commerce