right|thumb|City Hall

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

The largest employer in Folkston is a GEO Group-operated ICE detention center with 3,000 beds.

History

Folkston was founded on August 19, 1911.

Climate

Folkston has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Folkston had a population of 4,464. The median age was 39.3 years. 11.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 9.6% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 289.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 341.1 males age 18 and over.

There were 865 households in Folkston, including 667 family households. Of all households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.8% were married-couple households, 20.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,002 housing units, of which 13.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%.

!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%

|}

Attractions

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, grills, and even WiFi. At night, lights shine onto the double track if someone wanted to watch after sunset. Freight trains from CSX and Norfolk Southern among others 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. At the covered viewing platform, there is an active scanner running and visitors can listen to train engineers.

  • 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==<!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WP:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline -->

<!-- NOTICE * * * NOTICE * * * NOTICE * * * * * * * * * * * *NOTICE * * * NOTICE * * * NOTICE• Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.

• The article must mention how they are associated with the community, whether born, raised, or residing.

• The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.

• Alphabetical by last name please

• All others will be deleted without further explanation

END OF NOTICE * * * * * * * * * * * * END OF NOTICE * * * * * * * * * * * *END OF NOTICE -->

  • Champ Bailey, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback of the National Football League
  • Boss Bailey, linebacker who played in the National Football League, born in Folkston
  • 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 Williams - WNBA shooting guard for the Minnesota Lynx

References

  • 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