Glynn County, one of the state's original eight counties created on February 5, 1777, was named afterJohn Glynn,[3] a member of the British House of Commons who defended the cause of the American Colonies before theAmerican Revolution. TheBattle of Bloody Marsh was fought in Glynn County.James Oglethorpe builtFort Frederica, which was used a base in the American Revolutionary War.Glynn Academy, established to educate boys, is the second oldest school in Georgia.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 585 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 420 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 165 square miles (430 km2) (28.3%) is water.[4]
The majority of Glynn County is located in theCumberland-St. Simons sub-basin of theSt. Marys-Satilla River basin. Most of the county's northern and northwestern border area is located in theAltamaha River sub-basin of the basin by the same name.[5]
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 84,499, 34,339 households, and 22,352 families residing in the county.[18] The median age was 43.7 years; 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older.[18]
For every 100 females there were 88.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.3 males age 18 and over.[18] 81.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 18.6% lived in rural areas.[19]
The racial makeup of the county was 64.2% White, 24.5% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.7% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.5% of the population.[20]
There were 34,339 households in the county, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 32.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 42,156 housing units, of which 18.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 63.5% were owner-occupied and 36.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.2%.[18]
Glynn County is home to fourSuperfund sites. Those include the "LCP Chemicals Georgia" site,[22] the "Brunswick Wood Preserving" site,[23] the "Hercules 009 Landfill" site,[24] and the "Terry Creek Dredge Spoil Areas/Hercules Outfall" site.[25]
The Hanlin Group, Inc., which maintained a facility named "LCP Chemicals" in Glynn County just outside the corporate limits of Brunswick, was convicted of dumping 150 tons ofmercury into Purvis Creek, a tributary of theTurtle River and surrounding tidal marshes between the mid-1980s and its closure in 1994. Three executives were sentenced to prison time over the incident.[26]
The LCP facility had been declared aSuperfund site when it closed in 1994. It had been under scrutiny by theEPA after Servicebiologists discoveredmercury poisoning in endangeredwood storks onSt. Simons Island. Fish, shellfish, crabs, and shrimps taken in coastal waters, as well as other bird species, also contained the toxic metal. The Service traced the source of the contamination to the LCP plant and documented the extent of the damage to wildlife resources. Their effort resulted in the addition ofEndangered Species Act charges to those that would be brought against Hanlin and its officers.[27]
In 2020, theFederal Bureau of Investigation ranked the Brunswick metropolitan area (which includes the counties of Glynn,Brantley andMcIntosh) as the 7th most dangerous metropolitan area in the state of Georgia.[28]
On August 29, 2009, Glynn County residentGuy Heinze Jr. murdered eight members of his extended family including his father, Guy Heinze Sr. in the family's trailer located in New Hope Plantation Mobile Home Park near Brunswick. Two others were critically injured, with one dying later in a hospital inSavannah. Heinze Jr. avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole on October 30, 2013.[29]
As of the 2020s, Glynn County is a Republican stronghold, voting 64.5% forDonald Trump in2024. Similar toSoutheast Georgia, Glynn County is heavily Republican, having last voted Democratic in1980, when the Democratic nominee was Georgia nativeJimmy Carter. Democratic strength is concentrated in Brunswick, while the rural parts of Glynn County lean more Republican.
