This Chatham County Georgia map follows the coastal urban area from Savannah west to Pooler and Bloomingdale, north toward the Savannah River port corridor, and east to Tybee Island. Tidal rivers, salt marshes, and islands occupy a substantial part of the county, so the relationship between place labels and waterways matters as much as the outer land boundary.
Table of Contents
Chatham County map JPG file
The button beneath the on-page image opens the JPG original for documents and presentation slides.
- Coverage: county boundary and eight incorporated municipalities
- Download format: JPG
Quick Facts
| Jurisdiction | Chatham County, Georgia, United States (federal FIPS 13051) |
|---|---|
| County seat | Savannah |
| Created | February 5, 1777; one of Georgia’s original eight counties |
| Municipal labels | Savannah, Pooler, Tybee Island, Garden City, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt, Vernonburg, and Bloomingdale |
| 2020 census population | 295,291 |
| 2024 Gazetteer area | 432.719 square miles of land; 197.255 square miles of water |
| Principal corridors | I-16, I-95, U.S. 80, and Port of Savannah rail and highway links |
| Defining waters | Savannah River, Ogeechee River, Wilmington River, Vernon River, and the Atlantic coast |
| File format | JPG |
Combining the Census Bureau’s 2024 Gazetteer figures means water accounts for about 31 percent of the county’s area. That proportion explains why short straight-line distances can require travel over a limited set of bridges and causeways and why extensive marsh and tidal channels fall inside the county boundary.
What the Map Shows
The labels fall into three functional areas. Savannah is the administrative, historic, and commercial center. Garden City and Port Wentworth sit near the Savannah River port and logistics corridor, while Pooler and Bloomingdale occupy the western growth axis around I-95 and I-16.
On the eastern side, Thunderbolt stands along the Wilmington River and Tybee Island occupies the Atlantic barrier-island end of the county. U.S. 80 links Bloomingdale, Garden City, Savannah, the marsh islands, and Tybee, forming an east–west corridor across nearly the full map.
Vernonburg is a very small incorporated town south of Savannah on the Vernon River. Wilmington Island, Whitemarsh Island, Skidaway Island, and Georgetown are substantial residential communities but are unincorporated, so they do not appear in this municipality-based label set. The number of labels should not be read as the number of settled places.
The county line is a simplified administrative frame. It does not precisely encode the changing tidal shoreline, shipping channels, municipal limits, parcels, or FEMA flood zones. Around the islands and marshes, consult an official thematic layer before treating a thin feature as a road, waterway, or legal boundary.
County Layout and Location
Chatham County occupies the northern part of Georgia’s Atlantic coast. South Carolina lies across the Savannah River to the north; Effingham and Bryan counties are to the west, Liberty County is to the southwest, and the county opens through sounds and barrier islands to the Atlantic on the east.
The Savannah River serves as both a northern boundary and a deepwater shipping channel. Georgia Ports Authority facilities along the river, including Garden City Terminal northwest of central Savannah, tie the positions of Garden City and Port Wentworth to the port’s warehouse, rail, and highway network. That freight geography also influences development farther west.
I-16 reaches the coast from inland Georgia and terminates in Savannah, while I-95 crosses the western county from north to south. Pooler and the airport area near their junction form an automobile- and logistics-oriented landscape quite different from the marsh islands to the east.
U.S. 80 runs from Bloomingdale through Garden City and Savannah, then crosses a sequence of bridges and causeways to Tybee Island. That constrained coastal approach becomes especially important during evacuation or severe weather, although a county locator cannot represent lane controls, congestion, or directed evacuation traffic.
Between the Savannah River in the north and the Ogeechee River in the south, the Little Ogeechee, Vernon, Skidaway, and Wilmington rivers divide mainland, interior islands, and barrier islands. Tybee, Ossabaw, and Wassaw illustrate why the county’s water area and irregular shorelines are essential parts of its geography rather than decorative edges.
Local Context
Chatham was one of the first eight counties established by Georgia in 1777. Its name honors William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham, who supported colonial rights. Savannah, founded in 1733, remains the county seat and the historical core of Georgia’s earliest colonial settlement.
Savannah’s planned historic district and riverfront represent the older central-city pattern, but the contemporary county extends well beyond it. Residential and commercial growth around Pooler, port activity to the northwest, and island neighborhoods and coastal tourism to the east form distinct subregions within one county.
Fort Pulaski National Monument occupies Cockspur Island along U.S. 80 between Savannah and Tybee Island. Its position near the mouth of the Savannah River reflects the strategic importance of the shipping approach, connecting the county’s military history with the same water corridor used by the modern port.
Storm surge, high tides, and heavy rainfall create different forms of flood exposure across this low coastal landscape. Chatham County flood zones, CEMA hurricane evacuation zones, and an active evacuation order are separate products; property research and emergency travel therefore require different official maps.
Ways to Use This Map
- Divide the county into Savannah’s central core, the western suburbs, the northern port corridor, and the eastern barrier islands
- Trace how the I-16/I-95 junction and the U.S. 80 coastal corridor connect the labeled municipalities
- Explain why tidal rivers and salt marshes constrain road access even where straight-line distances appear short
- Compare the port-oriented locations of Garden City and Port Wentworth with Pooler’s inland growth position
- Place a county-scale locator in a lesson, report, or presentation using the JPG download
Use the download for administrative orientation and settlement patterns. Check Georgia DOT for road conditions, Georgia Ports Authority for port facilities, county and FEMA products for flood insurance zones, and CEMA for current hurricane evacuation information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Wilmington Island and Skidaway Island not labeled?
They are well-known residential communities but are not incorporated municipalities. The label set follows the eight places classified as cities or towns in the Census Gazetteer, so a populated unincorporated area may still be absent.
Why do Pooler and Tybee Island have such different settings?
Pooler sits on the western inland growth axis near I-95, I-16, and the airport. Tybee Island is a barrier-island city at the eastern end of U.S. 80, where bridge access, tides, and coastal hazards play a much larger role.
Does it identify flood zones or hurricane evacuation routes?
No. Stop at county-scale orientation. FEMA flood maps describe long-term insurance risk, while CEMA zones and orders guide actions during a storm; their purposes and update cycles are different.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Chatham County
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2024 Gazetteer Files
- Chatham County government: Incorporated Cities & Towns
- Georgia Department of Community Affairs: Chatham County plans
- Georgia Ports Authority: Port of Savannah
- Georgia Department of Transportation: official highway maps
- Chatham County government: Flood Zone Information
- Chatham Emergency Management Agency: Evacuation Zones
- National Park Service: Fort Pulaski National Monument
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