Columbia County Information

Rapid growth has transformed this county from a rural neighbor of Augusta to the major suburban county in the second largest metropolitan area in Georgia. There are many reasons for this rapid growth (475 percent since 1970) - a growing and diversified job market, a premier school system, affordable land, open spaces lending an air of the countryside, and a stable, conservative county government. Columbia County is predominantly residential and includes a highly-skilled workforce. Household income levels rank third among Georgia's 159 counties. The predominantly rural county had 22,327 residents in 1970 and the current estimated population is 107,000.

The two largest "cities" in Columbia County, Martinez and Evans, are not actually cities ... they are census-designated places (CDP). Martinez is located on the eastern edge of the county adjacent to Augusta and had an estimated population of 32,390 in 2005. Evans, with an estimated population of 20,681 in 2005, is the current center of the county's explosive growth and is the defacto county seat, even though the traditional courthouse remains in Appling.

Appling, chartered in 1816, was one of 187 inactive municipalities which lost their charters in 1995 as a result of a 1993 Act of the General Assembly. There is some controversy over whether or not Appling ever was incorporated.

Incorporated cities in Columbia County are Harlem and Grovetown.

Harlem, located in the southern part of Columbia County, is the birthplace of Oliver Hardy, the rotund member of one of Hollywood's greatest comedy team. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy remained partners and friends until Hardy's death in 1957.

Grovetown, located near Fort Gordon, is growing rapidly with its population increasing from 6,089 in 2000 to an estimated 8,200 today.

With 1,200 miles of shoreline, Clarks Hill Lake is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi and is partially located in Columbia County. The lake, which is also known as Thurmond Lake, was created in 1946 when the Army Corps of Engineers built the Clarks Hill Dam on the Savannah River.

The Augusta Canal Heritage Area, which is partially in Columbia County, has been designated a historical waterway by the U.S. Congress and designated as a Regionally Important Resource (RIR).

Columbia County's high schools consistently rank among the top high schools in the state and the nation.