Camden

Formed February 2, 1777 (2^nd county)

Camden County (54,769), Woodbine (1,062), Saint Marys (18,464)                

The Modern Colonial Revival red/brown brick and concrete courthouse was built in 2004.  There was an earlier courthouse in Woodbine built in 1923 and one in Saint Marys built in 1871.  The current courthouse was designed by J. deBruyn Kops.  The county is one of the original Georgia counties established on February 2, 1777.  Saint Patrick’s (1787), Jeffersonton (1800), Saint Marys (1792 & 1869), and Woodbine (1923) have all served as the county seat.  The building sits two blocks east of United States Highway 17 on 4^th and Georgia streets.  The 1923 courthouse is across the street and has veteran memorials on its grounds.  The county was named for the Earl of Camden.  The county seat is named for a local plant.  The county center is 12 miles Southeast of Woodbine nearer Harrietts Bluff. 

Camden County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-one Superior Court Judges serve Camden, Appling, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Charlton, Chatham, Coffee, Effingham, Evans, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Ware, and Wayne counties and Five County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Camden County (judicial.) The county is in the furthest southeast corner of the state on the Atlantic Ocean and bordering Florida.  The Saint Marys River forms its southern border.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Glynn County and the Atlantic Ocean and Florida and Charlton and Brantley counties. 

The area of the county is 630 square miles.  It is 11 of 159 in size in the state.  It ranks 41 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 86.9 persons per square mile making it 62 out of 159 in the state.  Camden County has 69.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 95 crosses the county north to south from Glynn County to Florida.  United States Highway 17 parallels Interstate Highway 95 from Glynn County to Florida.  The county appears to be a bag with Woodbine being located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Saint Marys is in the extreme southeast corner of the county.  Woodbine is the county seat and Saint Marys is the largest city.  Woodbine is 1.9% of the county population while Saint Marys is 33.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Saint Marys Micropolitan Statistical Area.