Glynn County, Georgia

Glynn County is a county in Georgia, United States, on the Atlantic coast southeast of Savannah, taking in the port city of Brunswick and the Sea Islands of Jekyll, Sea Island and St. Simons. It had a population of 84,499 at the 2020 census and covers 585 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 420 square miles is land and 165 square miles is tidal marsh and water, centred near 31°13′N 81°29′W.

Brunswick is the county seat, and its postal code is 31520. The county holds one incorporated city, six census-designated places, and dozens of named unincorporated communities, neighbourhoods, and marsh-side subdivisions. Glynn County observes Eastern time and carries FIPS code 13127.

Towns & Villages in Glynn County

Glynn County has one incorporated city (Brunswick, the seat) and six census-designated places, chief among them the resort communities of St. Simons Island and Jekyll Island. Everything else on the list below is an unincorporated neighbourhood, marsh subdivision, or historic locality with no municipal government of its own — the table marks these “Unincorp.” Georgia has no civil townships, so no township column is used.

Two duplicate entries in the old scrape (a second “Everett,” “Sterling,” and “Jekyll Island” line) have been merged into their single table rows above.

ZIP Codes

• 31520 — Brunswick (also serves Dock Junction, Sterling, and most mainland unincorporated communities)
• 31523 — Brunswick (west side)
• 31525 — Brunswick (north side, also serves Everett and Country Club Estates)
• 31522 — St. Simons Island
• 31527 — Jekyll Island
• 31561 — Sea Island (PO Box ZIP)

Most of the small marsh-side neighbourhoods and mobile-home parks on the mainland use one of Brunswick’s three ZIP codes rather than a ZIP of their own.

Geography

Glynn County sits on Georgia’s Atlantic coast where the Altamaha, Satilla, and Turtle rivers meet a broad belt of tidal salt marsh before opening onto the Sea Islands — Jekyll Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island, and St. Simons Island. Marsh and open water cover more than a quarter of the county, which is why the University of Georgia Marine Institute operates a research station on nearby Sapelo Island and the marshes here inspired Sidney Lanier’s poem “The Marshes of Glynn.” The mainland is low, flat coastal plain drained toward Fancy Bluff Creek and the Turtle River.

Glynn County borders McIntosh County to the north and Brantley County to the west, with Camden County to the southwest and Wayne County to the northwest.

Demographics

Glynn County’s population was 84,499 at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 201 people per square mile of land. Brunswick, the county seat, is the largest community at 15,210 residents; St. Simons is the largest of the unincorporated coastal communities. Median household income in the county trails the Georgia median of $74,632, reflecting a tourism- and service-heavy local economy alongside higher-earning retiree and second-home households on the islands.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism is the county’s single largest industry, centred on the resort communities of St. Simons Island, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island. The Port of Brunswick ranks among the busiest automobile ports in the country, handling roll-on/roll-off vehicle trade that anchors the county’s logistics and manufacturing base. Major employers include the Southeast Georgia Health System, Georgia-Pacific’s Brunswick pulp mill (operating since 1937), King & Prince Seafood, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco, which trains agents for dozens of federal agencies. The College of Coastal Georgia, based in Brunswick, enrolls more than 3,000 students.

History

Glynn County was created February 5, 1777, as one of Georgia’s original eight counties, and is named for John Glynn, a member of the British House of Commons who defended the American colonial cause. The area’s plantation-era history included large rice and Sea Island cotton estates worked by enslaved people; the Ebo Landing site on St. Simons Island, listed on the county’s old settlement roll, marks a documented 1803 mass drowning of enslaved Igbo captives who chose death over bondage after an uprising aboard a slave ship. Brunswick grew as a deep-water port through the 19th and 20th centuries, and the World War II-era Liberty ship yards at Brunswick built more than 90 vessels for the war effort.

Getting There

Interstate 95 runs the length of the county, with US 17, US 25, US 82, and US 341 providing local and regional routes onto the islands via the F.J. Torras Causeway (to St. Simons) and the Jekyll Island Causeway.

• Savannah — 75 miles north
• Jacksonville, Florida — 70 miles south
• Waycross — 45 miles west
• Atlanta — 280 miles northwest

The nearest commercial airport is Jacksonville International Airport, about 70 miles south; Brunswick Golden Isles Airport offers limited regional and charter service within the county.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Glynn County, Georgia?
It is on Georgia’s Atlantic coast, southeast of Savannah, taking in the port city of Brunswick and the Sea Islands of Jekyll, Sea Island, and St. Simons.

What is the population of Glynn County?
84,499 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Glynn County?
585 square miles (1,520 km2) in total, of which 420 square miles is land and 165 square miles is tidal marsh and water.

What is the county seat of Glynn County?
Brunswick.

How many towns and communities are in Glynn County?
One incorporated city, six census-designated places, and dozens of unincorporated neighbourhoods and marsh-side communities.

What ZIP codes are in Glynn County?
31520, 31521, 31522, 31523, 31524, 31525, 31527, and 31561.

What are the Golden Isles?
The local name for Glynn County’s barrier and Sea Islands — Jekyll Island, Sea Island, Little St. Simons Island, and St. Simons Island — the county’s main tourism draw.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.