Founded Dec. 10, 1790, by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia, Columbia County was named for Christopher Columbus.
Columbia County, which encompasses a land area of 290 square miles, is one of the fastest-growing counties in Georgia, with an estimated population of more than 92,000.
The per capita income, according to the 2000 census, was $23,496. The average household income for Columbia County was $55,682.
The annual average unemployment rate was 2.8 percent in September 2003.
The area's strong economy has supported rapid growth in the retail sector. According to Sales and Marketing Management magazine's 2000 Survey of Buying Power, total retail sales in Columbia County's shopping centers averaged $833 million, with a total effective buying income of $1.5 billion.
This variance provides ample room for supporting additional retail locations in the area.
A variety of affordable housing is available in the county. The choices range from apartment complexes, affordable ($70,000 to $90,000) homes, and gated communities with estate-level properties. There are two golf course communities, with two more planned.
The county also continues to improve services and add quality-of-life projects for its growing number of residents.
In 2003, officials broke ground on a new $8.5 million, 50,000-square-foot library and performing arts center that will include an indoor performance theater and outdoor amphitheater.
Officials are hoping to open Blanchard Woods next year, a new recreation park that will include room for more athletic fields in the county.
IT'S A FACT:
Restoration work is expected to start in 2004 on Columbia County's Appling courthouse. The building, which is considered the oldest operating courthouse in the state and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will continue to hold court twice a year after it is renovated, so Appling remains the official county seat.
CONTACT
Columbia County Information/Customer Service 868-3375
Ambulance 911
Animal Control 541-4077
Board of Commissioners 868-3379
Board of Education 541-0650
Board of Elections 868-3355
Burn Permit/Residential 556-3962
Business License 868-3400
Chamber of Commerce 651-0018
Columbia County Cares Food Bank 541-2834
Construction and Maintenance 541-3940
County Administrator 868-3379
County Clerk 868-3376
Department of Family and Children Services 541-1640
Department of Transportation 541-0078
Driver's License Bureau 868-8138
Emergency Management Agency 868-3303
Engineering and Environmental Services 868-3420
Extension Service UGA/4-H Office 868-3413
Fire Department Business Numbers: Appling 541-4131; Grovetown 863-2354; Harlem 556-3448; Leah 541-1222; Martinez 863-7745; Winfield 541-2800
Grovetown Public Safety 650-8117
Harlem City Police 556-6262
Health Departments: Appling 541-1318; Evans 868-3330; Grovetown/Harlem 556-3727
Landfill 868-6700
Marriage Licenses: Appling 541-1254; Evans 312-7254
Motor Vehicle License Plate: Appling 541-1808; Evans 868-6884
Planning and Development 868-3400
Public Transit 556-0807
Roads and Bridges 541-1143
Stormwater Utilities 855-RAIN
Tax Assessor's Office 541-0920
Tax Commissioner's Office 321-8297
Water Works Department 863-6928
Sheriff's Office Non-emergency 541-2800; Emergency 911
Parks and Recreation:
Appling Park, U.S. Highway 221, Appling
Bessie Thomas Community Center, 5915 Euchee Creek Drive, Grovetown 556-0308
Blanchard Park, 4541 Dewey Drive, Martinez
Eubank Blanchard Community Center, 6868 Cobb Ham Road, Appling 541-3909
Harlem Park, 385 Church St., Harlem
Patriots Park, 5445 Columbia Road, Grovetown, 863-7523
Patriots Park Gym, 5445 Columbia Road, Grovetown, 868-3458
Riverside Park, 4431 Hardy McManus Road, Evans,
Savannah Rapids Pavilion, 3300 Evans to Locks Road, Martinez, 868-3349
Wildwood Park, 6212 Holloway Road, Appling, 541-0586
