Screven County, Georgia

Screven County, Georgia
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 14, 1793
Named for	James Screven
Seat	Sylvania
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	655.59 sq mi (1,698 km²) 648.44 sq mi (1,679 km²) 7.14 sq mi (18 km²),
Population  - (2010)  - Density	14,593 22.5/sq mi (9/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Screven County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,374. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 15,037. The county seat is Sylvania.

History

The County was created on December 14, 1793, and was named after General James Screven, who served in the American Revolutionary War.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 655.59 square miles (1,698.0 km²), of which 648.44 square miles (1,679.5 km²) (or 98.91%) is land and 7.14 square miles (18.5 km²) (or 1.09%) is water. The Savannah River borders the eastern side of the county, and the Ogeechee River borders the southwest portion. Elevation varies to around 40 feet on the Savannah river to 320 feet at the Bay Branch community, located a few miles west of Sylvania. Pine, oak, dogwood, and other trees prevalent to the South can be found in Screven County.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 301
• Georgia State Route 17
• Georgia State Route 21
• Georgia State Route 24
• Georgia State Route 73

Adjacent counties

• Allendale County, South Carolina (north)
• Hampton County, South Carolina (east)
• Effingham County (southeast)
• Bulloch County (southwest)
• Jenkins County (west)
• Burke County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,374 people, 5,797 households, and 4,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 6,853 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 53.56% White, 45.29% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,797 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.00% were married couples living together, 18.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,312, and the median income for a family was $34,753. Males had a median income of $30,228 versus $20,154 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,894. About 15.50% of families and 20.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.40% of those under age 18 and 25.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Hiltonia
• Newington
• Oliver
• Rocky Ford
• Sylvania

Notable residents of Screven County

• John Abbot, naturalist, entomologist, wrote The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia
• Edward Junius Black, member of the United States House of Representatives (1839–1841; 1842–1845)
• Lee Rogers Berger, explorer, paleoanthropologist
• Bucky Dent, New York Yankees shortstop (born in Savannah) but spent his early years in Sylvania
• John R. McKinney, Georgia's most decorated World War II hero
• Dr. Francys Johnson, senior NAACP official
• Macay McBride, Major League Baseball pitcher

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Screven County, Georgia

References

Dixon Hollingsworth, ed., The History of Screven County, Georgia (Dallas, Tex.: Curtis Media Corporation, 1989).

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13251.html