| Official Name: | Jesup, Georgia |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Georgia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Wayne |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Ralph Hickox |
| Leader Title1: | City Manager |
| Leader Name1: | Nicholas D. Ellis |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 43.41 |
| Area Land Km2: | 42.85 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.56 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 16.76 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 16.55 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.21 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 9809 |
| Population Density Km2: | 228.90 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 592.83 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 31.6019°N -81.885°W |
| Elevation M: | 29 |
| Elevation Ft: | 95 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 31545-31546, 31599 |
| Area Code: | 912 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 13-42268[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0316104[3] |
| Website: | http://www.jesupga.gov/ |
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.[4]
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.[5] 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.[6] By December 1869 the community had become known as Jesup.
Jesup was named for Thomas Jesup, a general during the Second Seminole War.[7]
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.[8] In 1873, the seat of Wayne County was transferred to Jesup from Waynesville.[9]
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.
Jesup is located at 31.6019°N -81.885°W (31.601866, -81.885070).[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.6sqmi, of which, 16.5sqmi of it is land and 0.1sqmi of it (0.30%) is water. It is 35 miles west of Hinesville and 12 miles southwest of Ludowici, Georgia.
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,692 | 47.83% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 3,954 | 40.31% | |
| Native American | 27 | 0.28% | |
| Asian | 92 | 0.94% | |
| Other/Mixed | 336 | 3.43% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 708 | 7.22% |
The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Correctional Institution in Jesup.[12] The United States Postal Service operates the Jesup Post Office.[13]
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.[14] The district has 320 full-time teachers and over 5,256 students.[15]
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.[16] 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.
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.