Pembroke is a city in and the county seat of Bryan County, Georgia, United States. It is located approximately 35 miles west of Savannah, Georgia, and approximately 20 miles south of Statesboro, Georgia. Pembroke is part of the Savannah metropolitan statistical area.

History

Pembroke was founded in 1892 as a railroad town and turpentine shipping center. It was named after early resident Pembroke Whitfield Williams. It was incorporated in 1905. The county seat was voted to be moved from Clyde to Pembroke in 1935, with the first County Commissioners session in Pembroke taking place on February 15, 1937.

On April 9, 1998, a F3 tornado damaged the city. It killed two people and injured 17 others along its path.

On April 5, 2022, an EF2 tornado struck the town, causing heavy damage to many structures, trees, and power lines. The tornado would later strengthen to EF4 intensity in Black Creek, causing catastrophic damage, killing one person, and injuring 12 others.

The Pembroke Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Pembroke is located in northern Bryan County at .

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Pembroke had a population of 2,513. The median age was 35.4 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.9 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 990 households in Pembroke, including 656 family households. Of all households, 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 36.6% were married-couple households, 16.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|1,308

|52.05%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|935

|37.21%

|-

|Native American

|2

|0.08%

|-

|Asian

|20

|0.8%

|-

|Pacific Islander

|7

|0.28%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|141

|5.61%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|100

|3.98%

|}

Education

The Bryan County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of five elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. The district has 328 full-time teachers and over 5,552 students.

  • Bryan County High School
  • Richmond Hill High School
  • Bryan County Middle School
  • Richmond Hill Middle School
  • Bryan County Elementary School
  • George Washington Carver Elementary School
  • Lanier Primary School
  • Richmond Hill Elementary School
  • Richmond Hill Primary School

Notable people

Pembroke was the birthplace of jazz musician Jabbo Smith.

References

  • City of Pembroke official website