St. Marys, Georgia

St. Marys is a city in Camden County, Georgia, United States, located on the southern border of Camden County on the St. Marys River. It had a population of 18,256 at the 2020 census, up from 17,121 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsland, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Florida border is just to the south across the river, Cumberland Island National Seashore is to the northeast, and Kingsland, Georgia, is to the west. Jacksonville, Florida, is 38 miles south, and Savannah, Georgia, is 110 miles north.

St. Marys is the ferry departure point for the passenger ferry to Cumberland Island. Other attractions include the St. Marys Submarine Museum, Crooked River State Park, the history walk, and the waterfront park. It is bordered by Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, home port for several . The city hosts annual Mardi Gras events, an Independence Day Festival, St. Marys Seafood Festival and a Music in the Park Series.

The area was first explored in the mid-16th century by Spanish expeditions as part of the settlement of Spanish Florida. Through the decades, it also came under the colonial influence of Great Britain and finally the United States. By the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,256.

History

The St. Marys river area was first explored by Spanish expeditions in the mid 16th century as part of the settlement of Spanish Florida, with nearby St. Augustine as the established capital. The original Spanish settlement was founded in 1566, making this the second-oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in what became the contiguous United States. Settlement for colonial Georgians became legal after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, when Britain exchanged some territory with Spain after defeating France in the Seven Years' War.

Following independence in the American Revolutionary War, local inhabitants of Camden County gathered on Cumberland Island and signed a charter for "a town on the St. Marys" on November 20, 1787. There were twenty charter members, who each received four town lots and one marsh lot (outside the boundary of the town on the east side in the marshes); each lot was square, with the total town area being . These twenty city founders are named on an historical marker in downtown St. Marys: Isaac Wheeler, William Norris, Nathaniel Ashley, William Ashley, Lodowick Ashley, James Seagrove, James Finley, John Fleming, Robert Seagrove, Henry Osborne, Thomas Norris, Jacob Weed, John Alexander, Langley Bryant, Jonathan Bartlett, Stephen Conyers, William Ready, Prentis Gallup, Simeon Dillingham and Richard Cole.

The original boundaries of the town correspond to the modern waterfront, Bartlett Street, North Street, and a block east of Norris Street. There were two public town squares. However, in the original deed the town was unnamed, and for several years afterwards in public documents it was referred to as either St. Marys or St. Patrick's, and colloquially as simply "the New Town". Accounts differ regarding the origin of the name—some say it is named after the St. Marys River, while others say it comes from a seventeenth-century Spanish mission, Santa Maria, on nearby Amelia Island, Florida.

During the War of 1812, the Battle of Fort Peter occurred near the town, at the fort on Point Peter along the St. Marys River. The British captured the fort and the town and occupied it for about a month.

The United States Navy bombarded the town's shoreside buildings during the American Civil War.

St. Marys served as Camden County's seat of government from 1869 until 1923.

Geography

St. Marys is located along the southern border of Camden County on the north bank of the St. Marys River. The state of Florida is to the south, across the river. The city of Kingsland borders St. Marys to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, St. Marys has a total area of , of which is land and , or 9.57%, is water.

Climate

St. Marys has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, St. Marys had a population of 18,256. The median age was 35.6 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 7,242 households in St. Marys, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.7% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 12,941 || 70.9%

| Black or African American || 3,060 || 16.8%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 95 || 0.5%

| Asian || 261 || 1.4%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 15 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 388 || 2.1%

| Two or more races || 1,496 || 8.2%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,292 || 7.1%

Notable people

Tina Cornely, philanthropist
Stump Mitchell, American football coach and former player
Christopher Sharpless, bobsledder

References

External links

St. Marys visitors website