This Charlton County Georgia map places Folkston and Homeland inside the long southeastern county that meets Florida. Those two labels are only the starting point: the county’s geography is shaped by the Okefenokee Swamp to the west, the St. Marys River system along the state line, and southern unincorporated communities such as St. George and Moniac.
Table of Contents
Charlton County map JPG file
The button below the on-page image opens the JPG original for printing or insertion into a document.
- Coverage: county boundary, Folkston, and Homeland
- Download format: JPG
Quick Facts
| Jurisdiction | Charlton County, Georgia, United States (federal FIPS 13049) |
|---|---|
| County seat | Folkston |
| Created | February 18, 1854, from Camden County |
| Incorporated municipalities | Folkston and Homeland |
| 2020 census population | 12,518 |
| 2025 population estimate | 13,121 |
| Land area and 2020 density | 780.09 square miles; 16.0 people per square mile |
| Principal corridors | U.S. 1, U.S. 23, U.S. 301, and Georgia 121 |
| Defining natural features | Okefenokee Swamp; headwaters of the St. Marys and Suwannee rivers |
| File format | JPG |
The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate of 13,121 residents is about 4.8 percent above the 2020 census count of 12,518. With 780.09 square miles of land and a 2020 density of 16.0 people per square mile, the large spaces between labels represent wetland, forest, farms, and rural roads rather than an empty urban grid.
What the Map Shows
Folkston serves as the administrative anchor and as the place where major highway and rail movements converge. Homeland sits immediately north of Folkston, creating a short incorporated corridor while most of the county extends much farther south, west, and north.
St. George lies in southern Charlton County, while Moniac and Georgia Bend are unincorporated communities near the Florida line. They remain important service and residential points even though they are not labeled here. To locate them, trace Georgia 121 south from Folkston and compare the result with a current official highway source.
The outer line marks county jurisdiction. It is not the precise boundary of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, a swamp-access diagram, a parcel survey, a flood-hazard layer, or a wildfire operations map. Decisions involving land, evacuation, or refuge travel require the current subject map from the responsible agency.
County Layout and Location
Charlton borders Camden County on the east, Brantley County on the northeast, Ware County on the northwest, and Clinch County on the west, with Florida to the south. The low Atlantic Coastal Plain terrain means that roads routed around wetlands and river crossings often explain travel better than straight-line distance.
U.S. 1, 23, and 301 enter Georgia together across the St. Marys River, continue through Folkston, and remain concurrent to Homeland. North of Homeland, U.S. 301 turns toward Brantley County and Nahunta while U.S. 1 and 23 continue toward Waycross, making the Folkston–Homeland corridor a regional fork in northbound travel.
Georgia 121 links Folkston with St. George and Florida to the south and connects with the approach to the main Okefenokee entrance southwest of town. In this wetland county, identifying the highway branch is more informative than estimating a direct line between two points.
Railroads reached the area in the 1880s and helped Folkston grow. Today the concentration of rail traffic through town is popularly called the Folkston Funnel. The county seat’s 1901 transfer from Traders Hill to Folkston placed government at the same transportation node.
The Okefenokee sends water in two directions. The Suwannee River leaves the swamp toward Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, while the St. Marys River runs toward the Atlantic and helps define the Georgia–Florida border. A USGS gauge on the North Prong St. Marys at Moniac highlights the relationship among the county’s southern settlements, waterways, and crossings.
Local Context
The Georgia legislature created Charlton County from part of Camden County on February 18, 1854, and added land from Ware County in 1855. It was named for Robert Milledge Charlton, a Georgia lawyer and former United States senator.
Traders Hill on the St. Marys River was the first county seat. After the first train arrived in 1881, settlement grew around Folkston; moving the seat there in 1901 records a broader shift from a river trading place to a railroad-centered town.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as roughly 407,000 acres, including 353,981 acres designated as federal wilderness. The wetland is also recognized under the Ramsar Convention. Its principal Suwannee Canal Recreation Area entrance is about 11 miles southwest of Folkston, giving the city a practical role as the swamp’s eastern gateway.
Fire is both a natural process in the swamp and peatlands and a public-safety concern for nearby communities. Refuge managers use prescribed fire and wildfire response, so travelers heading toward the refuge or St. George during dry periods should check current refuge notices and Charlton County emergency information.
Ways to Use This Map
- Place Charlton County along the Georgia–Florida border and compare its neighboring counties
- Separate the Folkston–Homeland municipal corridor from the St. George–Moniac southern service area
- Orient a trip toward the Okefenokee eastern entrance before consulting official visitor directions
- Study how rail lines, U.S. 1/23/301, and Georgia 121 influenced settlement and the county-seat move
- Insert a county-level locator into a report, lesson, or presentation using the JPG download
Treat the download as a county locator. Navigation, swamp water levels, wildfire and smoke conditions, flood risk, refuge closures, and legal property boundaries can change or require authoritative detail; consult the agencies that maintain those records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are only Folkston and Homeland labeled?
They are Charlton County’s incorporated municipalities, and Folkston is the county seat. St. George, Moniac, and Georgia Bend are unincorporated communities, so their absence reflects the label selection on this compact administrative locator rather than their lack of local importance.
Where is St. George in relation to Folkston?
St. George is in the county’s long southern section and is reached from Folkston along Georgia 121. Use a current Georgia Department of Transportation map or a county service-location page for exact roads and addresses.
Can it guide an Okefenokee visit or a flood or fire decision?
It can establish the relative location of the county and Folkston, but it is not a safety or navigation layer. Follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notices for refuge entrances and closures, USGS readings for river conditions, and current county or state emergency instructions.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Charlton County
- Charlton County government: History
- Georgia Department of Community Affairs: Charlton County and Cities of Folkston & Homeland
- New Georgia Encyclopedia: Charlton County
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Visit Okefenokee
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Okefenokee management
- U.S. Geological Survey: North Prong St. Marys River at Moniac gauge
- Georgia Department of Transportation: official highway maps
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