Jesup, Georgia

Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County.

History
By February 1869, Willis Clary had begun building a two-story hotel near the junction of Macon and Brunswick Railroad and the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad and four stores had sprung up in the area. Clary became a driving force for the establishment of what would become Jesup and was its first mayor.

By September 1869, the town included five stores, a sawmill, and a railroad eating house in addition to Clary's hotel. By December 1869 the community had become known as Jesup.

Jesup was named for Thomas Jesup, a general during the Second Seminole War.

The area was then part of Appling County, Georgia. On August 27, 1872, eastern sections of Appling land districts 3 and 4 were added to Wayne County. In 1873, the seat of Wayne County was transferred to Jesup from Waynesville.

In 2021, Rose Marcus made history by becoming the first African American City Manager and first African American female City Manager for the City of Jesup in Jesup, GA.

Geography
Jesup is located at 31.60194°N, -81.885°W (31.601866, -81.885070).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.6 sqmi, of which, 16.5 sqmi of it is land and 0.1 sqmi of it (0.30%) is water. It is 35 miles west of Hinesville and 12 miles southwest of Ludowici, Georgia.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,809 people, 3,754 households, and 2,365 families residing in the city.

Government and infrastructure
The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Correctional Institution in Jesup. The United States Postal Service operates the Jesup Post Office.

Education
The Wayne County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of a pre-K center, five elementary schools, two middle schools, a high school, and an academy school. The district has 320 full-time teachers and over 5,256 students.

Jesup is home to Coastal Pines Technical College as well as one high school, Wayne County High School, which is located within the city limits. This complex replaced the original Wayne County High School on Orange Street, and was completed in 2002. In 2014, the county school system took bids for asbestos removal and the demolition of buildings belonging to the old high school. Until its demolition, the original facility was still providing usefulness, housing the Jesup Police, the Boys and Girls Club of Wayne County, and the Three Rivers Regional Library System's Regional Office. The Jesup Police Department is now located in the facilities previously housing Jesup Elementary, at 642 E. Plum Street. All sporting events except basketball and tennis and track including football, baseball, soccer, and softball, are held at the original Wayne County High School complex.

The Wayne County Library borders the sports complex.

Transportation
Amtrak's Silver Meteor passenger train stops at the Jesup Amtrak Station.

United States highways that pass through Jesup are U.S. Highway 25, U.S. Highway 84, U.S. Highway 301, and U.S. Highway 341.

Jesup-Wayne County Airport, also known as William A. Zorn Airport (FAA location identifier: JES), is located south of town.

Notable people

 * Ed Bacon - progressive Episcopal priest and author of 8 Habits of Love: Open Your Heart, Open Your Mind
 * Randall Bramblett - musician
 * Tasha Cobbs - Grammy-winning gospel singer
 * Len Hauss - former NFL football player
 * Tre' Jackson - current NFL football player
 * Greyson Lambert- former University of Georgia quarterback
 * David Larson- Olympian Gold medalist in the 1984 Summer Olympics
 * T. Y. McGill - current NFL football player
 * Lindsay Scott - former NFL football player
 * Erwin C. Surrency - legal historian, author, professor
 * John Warren - former NFL player
 * Drew Worsham - musician