Effingham

Formed February 5, 1777 (4^th county)

Effingham County (64,768), Springfield (2,702), Rincon (10,937)

The Modern style red brick courthouse was built in 2007.  It is located on Pine Street at Jackson Street.  Georgia State Highway 119 is Laurel Street.  Lott & Barber Architects provided the design.  The 1908 earlier courthouse continues to be used for court offices.  The new courthouse features columns and veteran memorials are across the street.  The county was one of the original counties created on February 5, 1777.  Tuckasee-King (1784), Elberton (1787), Ebenezer (1797) and Springfield (1799) have all been the county seat.  The county was named for the Earl of Effingham.  The county seat’s name came from a local plantation.  The county center is 5.5 miles West of Springfield nearer Guyton. 

Effingham County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 6 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-one Superior Court Judges serve Effingham, Appling, Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Coffee, Evans, Glynn, Jeff Davis, Jenkins, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, Ware, and Wayne counties and a State Judge and Six County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Effingham County (judicial.) Effingham County is the southeast part of the state on the border with South Carolina.  Savannah, Georgia is immediately southeast of the county and Augusta, Georgia is northwest.  The county is surrounded clockwise by South Carolina and Chatham, Bryan, Bulloch, and Screven counties.  The Savannah River forms the eastern border with South Carolina.  The Ogeechee River forms the western border. 

The area of the county is 480 square miles.  It is 31 of 159 in size in the state.  It ranks 39 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 134.9 persons per square mile making it 47 out of 159 in the state.  Effingham County has 24.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 16 clips the tip of the county from Chatham County, east, to Bryan County, west.  United States Highway 80 parallels Interstate Highway 16 from Chatham County to Bryan County.  The county is an overall diamond shape.  Springfield is located near the county center.  Rincon is located in the southeast quarter of the county.  Springfield is the county seat and Rincon is the largest city.  Springfield is 4.2% of the county population while Rincon is 16.9% of the county population.  This county is in the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.