Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States. Folkston is in the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The population was 2,502 as of the 2010 census, up from 2,178 in 2000, largely due to the extension of the city boundary to include D. Ray James Prison. History Folkston was founded on August 19, 1911. The city was named in honor of William Brandon Folks, M.D., a prominent physician and surgeon in his day. In the years 1925 through 1927, many new and commodious residences were built and several modern brick buildings were erected, including the Citizen Bank Block, the Masonic Temple building, a grammar school building, and a courthouse. Shortly after its creation, the village of Folkston was incorporated as a town government and functioned as a town until 1911 when the area was incorporated as a city. For a number of years, Folkston was the self-proclaimed "Marriage Capital of the World"; Floridians who could not endure their state's waiting period before tying the knot would cross the state line to wed. Geography Folkston is located near the southern boundary of Georgia at (30.834437, -82.004829). U.S. Routes 1, 23, and 301 pass through the city as Second Street, leading south to Jacksonville, Florida. Route 1 and 23 lead northwest to Waycross, while Route 301 leads north to Jesup. The eastern entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is southwest of Folkston via GA 23 and GA 121. According to the United States Census Bureau, Folkston has a total area of , all land. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,464 people, 1,082 households, and 667 families residing in the city. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 2,502 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 50.0% Black, 45.4% White, 0.1% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.0% from some other race and 2.3% from two or more races. 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 2,178 people, 817 households, and 548 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 976 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 46.14% White; 51.52% African American; 0.18% Native American. 0.41% Asian; 0.05% Pacific Islander; 0.18% from other races, and 1.52% from two or