Folkston, Georgia

Folkston, Georgia
City
Top, left to right: Charlton County Courthouse, Folkston Funnel, Folkston Train Museum, City Hall, Downtown Folkston, Okefenokee Swamp
Top, left to right: Charlton County Courthouse, Folkston Funnel, Folkston Train Museum, City Hall, Downtown Folkston, Okefenokee Swamp
Official logo of Folkston, Georgia
Logo
Motto: 
"Gateway to the Okefenokee"
Location in Charlton County and the state of Georgia
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
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountiesCharlton
Government
 • MayorLee Gowen
 • City ManagerLeonard H. Lloyd
Area
 • Total
4.19 sq mi (10.86 km2)
 • Land4.19 sq mi (10.86 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
4,464
 • Density1,065.0/sq mi (411.21/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
31537
Area code912
FIPS code
GNIS feature ID
Websitehttps://www.cityoffolkston-ga.gov/
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. 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

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, which turned east onto Main Street until the bridge over the junction between the CSX Nahunta and Jesup Subdivisions were built in 1996.

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

Climate

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

Climate data for Folkston (normals 1991–2020, extremes 1892–2018, 2024–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 84
(29)		 87
(31)		 95
(35)		 97
(36)		 103
(39)		 104
(40)		 106
(41)		 104
(40)		 100
(38)		 96
(36)		 93
(34)		 86
(30)		 106
(41)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 79.7
(26.5)		 82.4
(28.0)		 87.0
(30.6)		 91.3
(32.9)		 95.8
(35.4)		 98.9
(37.2)		 99.8
(37.7)		 99.1
(37.3)		 96.0
(35.6)		 90.7
(32.6)		 86.0
(30.0)		 81.0
(27.2)		 100.6
(38.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 66.6
(19.2)		 70.2
(21.2)		 76.3
(24.6)		 82.7
(28.2)		 88.4
(31.3)		 92.6
(33.7)		 94.4
(34.7)		 93.2
(34.0)		 89.5
(31.9)		 82.6
(28.1)		 74.7
(23.7)		 68.4
(20.2)		 81.6
(27.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 55.2
(12.9)		 58.4
(14.7)		 63.6
(17.6)		 69.7
(20.9)		 76.1
(24.5)		 81.5
(27.5)		 83.6
(28.7)		 83.0
(28.3)		 79.6
(26.4)		 71.9
(22.2)		 63.2
(17.3)		 57.4
(14.1)		 70.3
(21.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 43.7
(6.5)		 46.5
(8.1)		 50.9
(10.5)		 56.7
(13.7)		 63.8
(17.7)		 70.4
(21.3)		 72.7
(22.6)		 72.9
(22.7)		 69.7
(20.9)		 61.1
(16.2)		 51.7
(10.9)		 46.3
(7.9)		 58.9
(14.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 23.1
(−4.9)		 26.9
(−2.8)		 31.9
(−0.1)		 40.2
(4.6)		 49.9
(9.9)		 61.1
(16.2)		 66.3
(19.1)		 66.5
(19.2)		 58.7
(14.8)		 42.3
(5.7)		 32.0
(0.0)		 28.1
(−2.2)		 21.4
(−5.9)
Record low °F (°C) 5
(−15)		 8
(−13)		 21
(−6)		 30
(−1)		 38
(3)		 46
(8)		 56
(13)		 60
(16)		 43
(6)		 32
(0)		 19
(−7)		 10
(−12)		 5
(−15)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.83
(97)		 3.37
(86)		 3.73
(95)		 3.50
(89)		 3.28
(83)		 6.96
(177)		 7.07
(180)		 7.76
(197)		 5.59
(142)		 3.41
(87)		 1.89
(48)		 2.77
(70)		 53.16
(1,351)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.6 5.1 5.3 4.5 4.7 9.1 10.2 10.1 7.4 4.4 3.0 4.7 74.1
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1900167—
1910355112.6%
192039711.8%
193050627.5%
19401,024102.4%
19501,51547.9%
19601,81019.5%
19702,11216.7%
19802,2436.2%
19902,2851.9%
20002,178−4.7%
20102,50214.9%
20204,46478.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1850-1870 1870-1880
1890-1910 1920-1930
1940 1950 1960
1970 1980 1990
2000 2010

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.

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

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%.

Folkston racial composition as of 2020
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.

Education

Charlton County School District

The Charlton County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve. It consists of three elementary schools and a high school.

Notable people

References

  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. ↑ "Folkston". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Profile for Folkston, Georgia, GA". ePodunk. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  7. ↑ Martínez-Beltrán, Sergio (October 13, 2025). "The price of a paycheck: one town's ICE dilemma". NPR.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Folkston city, Georgia (revision of 02-23-2012)". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved July 18, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Climate". www.weather.gov. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  11. ↑ "NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". NOAA. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  12. ↑ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". NOAA. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Automated Data Plotter - Iowa Environmental Mesonet". IEM. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
  15. ↑ "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
  16. ↑ "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  17. ↑ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2024.
  18. ↑ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
  19. ↑ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  20. ↑ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  21. ↑ "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
  22. ↑ "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
  23. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  24. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
  25. ↑ "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  26. ↑ "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  27. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  28. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  29. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  31. 1 2 "Trains". www.innatfolkston.com.
  32. ↑ "The Folkston Funnel: Train Watching in Folkston, Georgia!". www.folkston.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2004. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
  33. ↑ Georgia Board of Education[permanent dead link], Retrieved June 3, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Champ Bailey". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Boss Bailey". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2012.