Hazlehurst, Georgia

Hazlehurst is a city in and the county seat of Jeff Davis County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,088 in 2020.

WWW hazlehurstga.gov

History

Initially called "Handtown" due to the Hand Family living in the area, it wasn't until the establishment of the railroad line from Macon to Brunswick that an actual community began to populate in the area. It was formally founded circa 1880 as depot on the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. The depot was first named "Milepost 8" before eventually gaining the name "Hazlehurst". The community was named for railroad surveyor Col. George Hazlehurst. In 1891, the community was incorporated as a town. A courthouse was not built until 1907, after the formation of Jeff Davis County the previous year.

Geography

Transportation

Hazlehurst is served by the intersection of U.S. routes 23, [U.S. Route U.S. Route 221 in Georgia|221 in Georgia|221] and 341. U.S. 23 heads south, south-east for 25 miles towards Alma and north-west for 8 miles to Lumber City, while U.S. 341 travels south-east for roughly 16 miles to Baxley and joins U.S. 23 heading north-west towards Lumber City. U.S. 221 heads 29 miles north-east towards Vidalia and south-west for 31 miles to Douglas.
Aside from the Macon-Brunswick railroad running through the center of town, the Hazlehurst Municipal Airport, a roughly 165 acre facility located just northwest of the city.

Demographics

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	2,078	50.83%
Black or African American	1,359	33.24%
Native American	9	0.22%
Asian	22	0.54%
Pacific Islander	3	0.07%
Other/Mixed	123	3.01%
Hispanic or Latino	494	12.08%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,088 people, 1,494 households, and 894 families residing in the city.

Education

Jeff Davis County School District

The Jeff Davis County School District consists of a primary school, an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 210 classroom teachers and 3,075 students.