# Bryan County, Georgia

Bryan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,738. The county seat is Pembroke.
Bryan County is part of the Savannah, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.
The Bryan County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

## History

Bryan County was created on December 19, 1793, named after Jonathan Bryan (1708–1788), an American Revolutionary War partisan.
South Bryan County is home to the earthen Civil War installation Fort McAllister (now Fort McAllister Historic Park) which Gen. William Sherman captured on his March to the Sea.
The colonial town of Hardwick, laid out in 1755, served as the initial county seat. In 1797, the Georgia General Assembly moved the county seat to Cross Roads near modern Richmond Hil. On November 18, 1814, the county seat was moved to Mansford on the Canoochee River. In 1860, the seat was known as Eden. By the 1880s the county seat was known as Bryan. By 1895 it was in Clyde, which may have been the same location formerly known as Eden and Mansford. Clyde served as the seat to 1935; in 1937 Pembroke took on that role. The only remaining sign of Clyde is a cemetery on the Fort Stewart U.S. Army installation.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 454 square miles (1,180 km$^2$), of which 436 square miles (1,130 km$^2$) is land and 18 square miles (47 km$^2$) (4.1%) is water.
A triangular area in the northeast of Bryan County, from northwest of Pembroke to north of Richmond Hill, is located in the Lower Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin, as is the northern half of the remaining area in the county south of Richmond Hill. The northwestern portion of the county, from east of Daisy to Richmond Hill, is located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The rest of Bryan County is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the same Ogeechee River basin. The Ogeechee River forms the northeastern border of the country, while the Jerico River forms the southeast border.
Bryan County is unique in that it is totally divided by the military installation at Ft. Stewart. Pembroke is in more rural north Bryan, while Richmond Hill in south Bryan County is a suburb of Savannah. To travel between the two on public roads, it is necessary to leave the county.

### Major highways

* I-16 (Interstate 16)
* I-95 (Interstate 95)
* US 17
* US 80
* US 280
* SR 25
* SR 26
* SR 30
* SR 67
* SR 119
* SR 144
* SR 144 Spur
* SR 196
* SR 204
* SR 404 (unsigned designation for I-16)
* SR 405 (unsigned designation for I-95)

### Adjacent counties

* Effingham County, Georgia - north
* Chatham County, Georgia - northeast
* Liberty County, Georgia - south/southwest
* Evans County, Georgia - west
* Bulloch County, Georgia - northwest

## Communities
### Cities

* Pembroke (County Seat)
* Richmond Hill (Biggest City)

### Unincorporated communities

* Black Creek
* Blitchton
* Ellabell
* Keller
* Lanier

## Demographics

Bryan County racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 31,321 | 70.01% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,330 | 14.15% |
| Native American | 102 | 0.23% |
| Asian | 1,032 | 2.31% |
| Pacific Islander | 53 | 0.12% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,631 | 5.88% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,269 | 7.31% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 44,738 people, 13,048 households, and 10,140 families residing in the county.

## Economy

Bryan County is the location of Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), a large production site for electric vehicles (EV), which became operational in 2024. It is by far the largest employer of the county.

## Education

Bryan County School District is the designated school district for grades K-12 for the county, except parts in Fort Stewart. Fort Stewart has the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as its local school district, for the elementary level. Students at the secondary level on Fort Stewart attend public schools operated by county school districts.

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Bryan County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 16,738 | 67.87% | 7,779 | 31.54% | 146 | 0.59% |
| 2020 | 14,240 | 66.70% | 6,738 | 31.56% | 371 | 1.74% |
| 2016 | 10,529 | 68.95% | 4,014 | 26.29% | 728 | 4.77% |
| 2012 | 9,560 | 70.94% | 3,707 | 27.51% | 209 | 1.55% |
| 2008 | 9,112 | 70.82% | 3,636 | 28.26% | 119 | 0.92% |
| 2004 | 7,363 | 73.67% | 2,590 | 25.92% | 41 | 0.41% |
| 2000 | 4,835 | 68.49% | 2,172 | 30.77% | 52 | 0.74% |
| 1996 | 3,577 | 57.06% | 2,152 | 34.33% | 540 | 8.61% |
| 1992 | 2,789 | 47.05% | 2,031 | 34.26% | 1,108 | 18.69% |
| 1988 | 2,802 | 66.16% | 1,423 | 33.60% | 10 | 0.24% |
| 1984 | 2,265 | 61.83% | 1,398 | 38.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,212 | 37.47% | 1,966 | 60.77% | 57 | 1.76% |
| 1976 | 761 | 27.12% | 2,045 | 72.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 1,409 | 84.27% | 263 | 15.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 381 | 16.08% | 560 | 23.64% | 1,428 | 60.28% |
| 1964 | 1,433 | 62.58% | 857 | 37.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 428 | 24.44% | 1,323 | 75.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 331 | 21.04% | 1,242 | 78.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 331 | 25.42% | 971 | 74.58% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 135 | 7.67% | 1,147 | 65.21% | 477 | 27.12% |
| 1944 | 90 | 11.57% | 688 | 88.43% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 49 | 5.30% | 874 | 94.49% | 2 | 0.22% |
| 1936 | 63 | 9.01% | 632 | 90.41% | 4 | 0.57% |
| 1932 | 17 | 4.56% | 353 | 94.64% | 3 | 0.80% |
| 1928 | 151 | 40.81% | 219 | 59.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 9 | 4.33% | 196 | 94.23% | 3 | 1.44% |
| 1920 | 21 | 10.71% | 175 | 89.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 17 | 5.30% | 295 | 91.90% | 9 | 2.80% |
| 1912 | 114 | 17.98% | 400 | 63.09% | 120 | 18.93% |

## Notable people

* Gregg Allman, musician, Allman Brothers Band
* Mattie Belle Davis, first woman judge of Metropolitan Court of Dade County, Florida
* Justin Smiley, pro football player, All-American at University of Alabama
* John Smoltz, MLB pitcher, owned a summer home here while playing for the Atlanta Braves