# Folkston, Georgia

Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,464 in 2020.

## 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

Folkston is located near the southern boundary of Georgia at 30°50′4″N 82°0′17″W﻿ / ﻿30.83444°N 82.00472°W﻿ / 30.83444; -82.00472 (30.834437, -82.004829). 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.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Folkston has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km$^2$), all land.

## Demographics

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% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,464 people, 1,082 households, and 667 families residing in the city.

## Attraction
### Folkston Funnel

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 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.
* Folkston Elementary School (named after the city of Folkston) - Pre-K to 4th grade
* Bethune Middle School (named after Mary McLeod Bethune) - 5th to 8th grade
* St. George Elementary School (located in St. George, not inside the city of Folkston)
* Charlton County High School (named after Charlton County) - 9th to 12th grade

## Notable people

* Champ Bailey, Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback of the National Football League
* Boss Bailey, linebacker who played in the National Football League, born in Folkston
* Eldridge Milton, former NFL football linebacker for the Chicago Bears and his collegiate years at Clemson University was the first person from Folkston to play in the NFL.
* Larry Smith Jr., former NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers, played at the Florida State University.
* Courtney Williams - WNBA shooting guard for the Minnesota Lynx