Glynn County, Georgia
Glynn County | |
|---|---|
 Location within the U.S. state of Georgia | |
 Georgia's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 31°13′N 81°29′W / 31.22°N 81.49°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | 1777 |
| Seat | Brunswick |
| Largest city | Brunswick |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2005) | 71,874 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Website | www |
Glynn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the 'Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Brantley, Glynn and McIntosh counties. As of 2000, the population was 67,568. The 2005 Census Estimate shows a population of 71,874 [1]. The county seat is Brunswick, Georgia6.
History
Glynn county, one of the original eight counties in the state created on February 5, 1777, was named after John Glynn, a member of the British House of Commons who defended the cause of the American Colonies before the American Revolution.The Battle of Bloody Marsh was fought in Glynn County. James Oglethorpe built Fort Frederica which was used a base in the American Revolutionary War. Home to Glynn Academy Terrors, the second oldest school in Georgia.
Glynn county includes the most prominent of the sea islands of Georgia, including Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island, and Sea Island. The Georgia poet Sidney Lanier immortalized the seacoast there in his poem, "The Marshes of Glynn", which begins:
- Glooms of the live-oaks, beautiful-braided and woven
- With intricate shades of the vines that myriad-cloven
- Clamber the forks of the multiform boughs,--
- Emerald twilights,--
- Virginal shy lights,
- Wrought of the leaves to allure to the whisper of vows,
- When lovers pace timidly down through the green colonnades
- Of the dim sweet woods, of the dear dark woods,
- Of the heavenly woods and glades,
- That run to the radiant marginal sand-beach within
- The wide sea-marshes of Glynn;--
The former Glynco Naval Air Station, named for the county, was a major base for blimps and anti-submarine warfare during World War II. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) now uses a substantial part of the former NAS as its main campus.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,516 km² (585 mi²). 1,094 km² (422 mi²) of it is land and 422 km² (163 mi²) of it (27.82%) is water.
Major highways
Interstate 95
U.S. Route 17
U.S. Route 25
U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 341
State Route 25
State Route 27
State Route 32
State Route 99
State Route 303
State Route 520
Adjacent counties
- McIntosh County, Georgia - north
- Camden County, Georgia - southwest
- Brantley County, Georgia - west
- Wayne County, Georgia - northwest
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 67,568 people, 27,208 households, and 18,392 families residing in the county. The population density was 62/km² (160/mi²). There were 32,636 housing units at an average density of 30/km² (77/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.66% White, 26.45% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. 2.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 27,208 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.50% were married couples living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the county the population was spread out with 25.30% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,765, and the median income for a family was $46,984. Males had a median income of $34,363 versus $23,558 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,707. About 11.60% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.10% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Glynn County's public schools are operated by Glynn County School System.
Superfund sites
The Hanlin Group, Inc. maintained a facility named "LCP Chemicals" in Glynn County, just outside the corporate limits of Brunswick, which was convicted of dumping 150 tons of mercury into Purvis Creek, a tributary of the Turtle River and surrounding tidal marshes between the mid-1980s and its closure in 1994. Two executives were sentenced to prison time over the incident.
The LCP facility had been declared a Superfund site when it closed in 1994 and was already under scrutiny by the EPA when Service biologists discovered mercury poisoning in endangered wood storks on St. Simons Island. Fish, shellfish, crabs, and shrimps taken in coastal waters as well as other bird species also contained the toxic metal. The Service traced the source of the contamination to the LCP plant and documented the extent of the damage to wildlife resources–an effort that resulted in the addition of Endangered Species Act charges to those that would be brought against Hanlin and its officers. Link to EPA information
Other Superfund sites in the area are
- Brunswick Wood Preserving EPA link
- Hercules 009 Landfill EPA link
- Terry Creek Dredge Spoil Areas/Hercules Outfall EPA link