Brantley County is a county in Georgia, United States, about 30 miles west of Brunswick. It had
a population of 18,021 at the 2020 census, an estimated 18,936 more recently, and covers 447
square miles (1,160 km2) centred near 31°12′N 81°59′W.
Nahunta is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 31553. The
county holds 2 incorporated cities and 5 unincorporated communities, three of which the Census
Bureau also tracks as census-designated places, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is
13025.
Towns & Villages in Brantley County
Brantley County has 7 named places on record: 2 incorporated cities and 5 unincorporated
communities, three of which double as census-designated places. CDP stands for census designated
place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary and no separate
population count. Georgia counties have no civil townships, so the table below skips that
column.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nahunta | City · seat | 1,013 | 31553 |
| Hoboken | City | 480 | 31542 |
| Waynesville | CDP | 331 | 31566 |
| Hortense | CDP | 252 | 31543 |
| Hickox | CDP | 234 | 31553 |
| Fort Mudge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Schlatterville | Unincorp. | — | — |
Waynesville takes its name from Wayne County, the county Brantley was partly carved out of in
1920 — it sits near the old Post Road on the Glynn County line. Hickox shares Nahunta’s
31553 ZIP rather than having a code of its own; both lie along US 301 a few miles apart.
ZIP Codes
- 31553 — Nahunta (also covers Hickox, four miles south)
- 31542 — Hoboken
- 31543 — Hortense
- 31566 — Waynesville
Fort Mudge and Schlatterville have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the
nearest incorporated town’s code.
Geography
Brantley County sits in Georgia’s southeastern coastal plain, a flat, pine-forested belt
between the Okefenokee Swamp basin and the Atlantic coast. Of its 447 square miles, 442 are land
and 4.8 are water, about 1.1 percent. The Satilla River crosses the county and is its principal
waterway, draining the low, sandy terrain toward the Atlantic.
Wayne County lies to the northeast, Glynn County to the east, Camden County to the southeast,
Charlton County to the south, Ware County to the west, and Pierce County to the northwest. Of
these, Glynn County, Charlton County and Ware County have their own pages on this
site; Wayne, Camden and Pierce counties do not.
Demographics
Brantley County had a population of 18,021 at the 2020 census, and the most recent Census
Bureau estimate puts the county near 18,936 residents. Nahunta and Hoboken are its only
incorporated places; together the county’s three CDPs and two unincorporated communities
hold the remaining, mostly rural, population. The county is 90.54 percent non-Hispanic White and
3.12 percent Black or African American, and roughly 99.3 percent of residents live outside any
incorporated city. Median household income runs about $58,239, well below Georgia’s
statewide figure of $74,632 (2023 ACS). Land area works out to roughly 41 people per square mile,
sparse even by rural Georgia standards.
Economy & Local Life
Retail trade is the county’s largest employer, with 879 workers, followed by health care
and social assistance at 851 and transportation and warehousing at 841. Transportation and
warehousing pays the best of the three, averaging $73,125 a year, reflecting the county’s
position along US 82 and US 301 between Waycross and the port of Brunswick. The Brantley County
School District runs the public schools serving Nahunta, Hoboken and the surrounding
communities.
History
Georgia voters amended the state constitution on November 2, 1920, to create Brantley County
from parts of Charlton, Pierce and Wayne counties. The name honors either U.S. Representative
William Gordon Brantley or his father, Benjamin Daniel Brantley, a local merchant and Confederate
Army veteran; sources disagree on which. Hoboken, founded as a transfer name from Hoboken, New
Jersey, and incorporated in 1920, briefly served as the first county seat before the designation
moved to Nahunta in 1923. Nahunta itself began as a settlement called Victoria around 1870 and
took its present name in 1899; it incorporated as a city in 1925.
Getting There
No interstate highway crosses Brantley County. US 82 and US 301 cross through Nahunta, along
with state routes 15, 23, 32, 95, 110, 121 and 520.
- Brunswick — about 30 miles east
- Waycross — about 25 miles west
- Jesup — about 20 miles north
- Folkston — about 22 miles south
Brunswick Golden Isles Airport, about 30 miles east near Brunswick in Glynn County, is the
nearest airport with scheduled airline service, flying Delta Connection regional jets to Atlanta.
Amtrak’s Silver Meteor makes a stop in Jesup, roughly 20 miles north in Wayne County, on its
New York–Miami route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Brantley County located?
It sits in Georgia’s southeastern coastal plain, about 30 miles west of Brunswick, bordered
by Wayne, Glynn, Camden, Charlton, Ware and Pierce counties.
What is the population of Brantley County?
18,021 at the 2020 census, with a more recent Census Bureau estimate near 18,936.
How big is Brantley County?
447 square miles (1,160 km2), of which 442 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Brantley County?
Nahunta is the county seat, a role it took over from Hoboken in 1923.
How many towns and cities are in Brantley County?
Two incorporated cities, Nahunta and Hoboken, plus five unincorporated communities: Waynesville,
Hortense and Hickox (also census-designated places), Fort Mudge and Schlatterville.
What ZIP codes does Brantley County use?
31553 for Nahunta and Hickox, 31542 for Hoboken, 31543 for Hortense and 31566 for
Waynesville.
What is Brantley County known for?
Its position on US 82 and US 301 between the Okefenokee Swamp region and the port city of
Brunswick, and the Satilla River, which crosses the county.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.