Echols County is a county in Georgia, United States, on the Florida state line in the southern part of the state. It had a population of 3,697 at the 2020 census and covers 421 square miles (1,090 km2), centred near 30\u00b043\u2032N 82\u00b054\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Statenville is the county seat, and its postal code is 31648 — the only ZIP code covering the entire county. Echols has no incorporated cities or towns; every community here is unincorporated, a status it shares with only one other Georgia county. The county sits in the Eastern time zone and is part of the Valdosta, GA metropolitan statistical area.<\/p>\n
Echols County has no incorporated municipalities. Statenville, its former county seat town, disincorporated in 2008 and is now governed directly by the county. The places below are unincorporated communities and one extinct settlement, all listed as CDP\/Unincorp. because none carries its own municipal government.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statenville<\/td>\n | Unincorp. · county seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Fruitland<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Howell<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Needmore<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Haylow<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Mayday<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pineland<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Potter<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 31648<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tarver<\/td>\n | Extinct settlement<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Two names from older lists were dropped here: “Alexis” and “Bamburg” have no independent record as Echols County places and could not be verified against any source, so they are omitted rather than guessed at (see notes).<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nEchols County is unusual even by rural-Georgia standards: it has only one ZIP code for its entire 421 square miles, since no other community has ever had its own post office.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nEchols County lies in the Coastal Plain of far south Georgia, dominated by pine flatwoods and the swamps of the Alapaha and Suwannee river basins. Whitehead Bay, a well-known cypress swamp, sits within the county. The western half of the county drains into the Alapaha River sub-basin, while the eastern half, from east of Statenville to just west of Fargo, lies in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin — both part of the larger Suwannee River basin that continues south into Florida.<\/p>\n Echols County borders Clinch County to the northeast, Lanier County to the north, and Lowndes County to the west, all within Georgia. To the south and southeast it borders Hamilton County and Columbia County in Florida, along the state line.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nThe 2020 census counted 3,697 residents, entirely classified as rural — Echols has no urban population at all. Statenville is the largest community, followed by Fruitland. Median household income in the county runs well below the Georgia median of $74,632; Echols is among the state’s lowest-income counties. Population density is about 8.9 people per square mile, among the lowest in the state.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nAgriculture and forestry anchor the local economy — pine timber, row crops, and cattle grazing dominate the county’s land use, much as they have for over a century. Echols County’s small population and lack of incorporated towns mean most residents commute to Valdosta in neighboring Lowndes County for shopping, healthcare, and larger employers. Reed Bingham State Park and the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge draw hunters, anglers, and paddlers to the area’s swamps and blackwater lakes.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nThe Georgia General Assembly created Echols County on December 13, 1858, carving it from parts of Lowndes and Clinch counties. It was named for Robert Milner Echols (1798–1847), a Georgia militia general. Statenville served as the seat from the county’s founding and functioned as an incorporated town for a century and a half before voting to disincorporate in 2008, leaving Echols the only Georgia county besides Webster whose government runs entirely without a municipality.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nUS Routes 41, 129, and 441 cross the county, along with Georgia State Routes 7, 11, 89, 94, 135, 187, and 376.<\/p>\n
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