Effingham County, Georgia

Effingham County, Georgia
Effingham County Courthouse in Springfield
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 5, 1777
Named for	Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Effingham
Seat	Springfield
Largest city	Rincon
Area
• Total	483 sq mi (1,251 km2)
• Land	478 sq mi (1,238 km2)
• Water	5.2 sq mi (13 km2), 1.1%
Population
• (2010)	52,250
• Density	109/sq mi (42/km²)
Congressional districts	1st, 12th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.effga.com

Effingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,250. The seat is Springfield.

Effingham County is included in the Savannah, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 2008, Effingham County was ranked as the sixth fastest-growing midsize county in the nation from 2000 to 2007 by the U.S. Census Bureau. The county had a 35.1% growth rate over that period.

Effingham was among the original counties of the state of Georgia, created February 5, 1777 during the American Revolution from the colonial parishes of St. Matthew and St. Phillip. Its name honors Lord Effingham, an English champion of colonial rights, who resigned his commission rather than fight against the rebel colonists during the American Revolution.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 483 square miles (1,250 km²), of which 478 square miles (1,240 km²) is land and 5.2 square miles (13 km²) (1.1%) is water.

The entire western edge of Effingham County, from south of Newington to east of Guyton, then south to southwest of Meldrim, is located in the Lower Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The bulk of the rest of the county is located in the Lower Savannah River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A narrow rectangular portion of south Effingham County, from south of Pineora through Meldrim, is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.