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LOCATION
Statesboro and Brooklet, 8 miles apart from one another, are nestled within Bulloch County and are well connected to all the major neighboring cities and ports. Respectively only 45 and 35 miles northwest from the historic port of Savannah by HI 80, they reach Augusta 75 miles away to the north via US 301, and Atlanta by Interstate16 (GA 404), 190 miles northeast.
Statesboro is included on the southern leg of the Savannah River Parkway, a four-lane connector to be completed between Savannah and Augusta.
The Veterans Memorial Parkway encircles most of Statesboro. Finished in 1994, this road extends south from Highway 80 West then circles north to Highway 301 North and is a major contributor to the new industrial development for Statesboro.
HI 80 runs through Brooklet and connects it to Interstate16 (GA 404).
TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
With a lot of students and teachers to get to and fro, Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport offers easy transportation 3 miles north east of the city.
Exactly one hour away from Statesboro, the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is easily accessible by I-95 and US- 80. It connects passengers to 16 non-stop destinations and to 13 major markets.
Atlanta is reached daily by Air Tran and Delta, Houston and Newark by Continental Express, Detroit and Minneapolis by Northwest Airlink, and Washington by a new comer, Independence Air.
Rental cars are readily available.
BRIEF HISTORY
It was in the mid 1500’s that the Spanish Hernando de Soto first explored what is now the state of Georgia, populated then by the native Creek and Cherokee Indians who had settled there many centuries ago. Gen. James Oglethorpe established the first permanent settlement in 1733 in what is now Savannah, and with others, colonized and claimed the territory .In 1742 defeated the Spaniards. The tragic fate and exile of the Cherokee Indians has been recorded by what has been remembered as “The Trail of Tears”.
Bulloch County was formed in 1796, named after Archibald Bulloch, a native of South Carolina, who served actively for the organization of the state, and who was slated to serve as first governor. It is now one of the 150 Georgian Counties.
After the revolution, free land was promised to soldiers, and Irish, Welsh, German and Scotch came migrating from the northern states. By 1806, a log courthouse was erected, along with a jail, but the town for quite a few years counted as few as 25 locals.
Georgia during the Civil War was known to be a stronghold and some its events, such as the burning of Atlanta has been well documented.
By 1866, Statesboro was created and it remains the only city of this name in the US. The Bank of Statesboro, established in 1894, was needed to accommodate the growing banking needs of the local merchants, farmers, grocers etc…
Cotton provided the strongest crop and was farmed by most, followed closely by tobacco. Other crops such as the pecan nut and the peanut were developed also. The pine an abundant local resource, supplies half of the world’s resin and turpentine, and makes for ¾ of the US production. A few miles east of Statesboro, Portal each year celebrates the Portal’s Cat Face Festival. In 1902, “the Oil Mill”, a factory that processed cottonseed oil, seeds and meal, was established as Statesboro first industrial venue. The railroads were built and established the main means for transportation and commerce.
Toward the end of the century, the railroad joining Statesboro to Savannah, determined the creation of Brooklet. Then a village bordering the railroad crossing, it gained prominence and by 1901, two of its neighboring villages merged and made what is now the town of Brooklet.
By the turn of the 21st century, well established as a prestigious academic town, Statesboro has now also successfully become a main modern industrial center that offers new employments and opportunities.
SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Examine a dinosaur egg, splash all summer long in a brand new water park, golf all week end long or eat peanuts till you drop, Statesboro and Brooklet offer a dazzling choice of entertainments and relaxations options.
By virtue of having a university in their own backyard, residents of Statesboro and Brooklet benefit from many stimulating cultural and educational offers. Especially unique are the local museum, that specializes in paleontology and the planetarium that earned an excellence award in the international competition for the 2004 Sky and Telescope Astronomy Day Award.
The Magnolia Gardens, the GSU botanical Gardens, and three Wildlife centers also provides education and a sanctuary for bald eagles and bird of prey.
The sports are diversified, and almost every weekend young people of all ages are engaged competitively. The Georgia Southern Eagles has made Bulloch County proud by competing nationally, and winning records in football, basketball, baseball and golf. A brand new water park, “Splash in the Boro”, and a huge new park, the “Mill Creek Park”, famous for its Fishing Rodeo in April, are the latest additions to an already long list of parks.
The azalea, the state’s wildflower, blooms exuberantly from the campus to the countryside and graces the lovely, lush southern country landscape of Statesboro and Brooklet. The annual Azalea Festival rewards the most spectacular display in the county.
Brooklet’s unchanged small town charm welcomes thousands visitors each year to participate in the Peanut Festival. Freshly boiled, aromatically roasted, ground to a smooth or chunky butter, peanuts are to be enjoyed in more ways than can be listed, in the many booths that line the streets and that also offer many local arts and crafts. The Antique Tractors race fits nicely into the summer southern atmosphere by rewarding who can travel the slowest without stalling.
Life is good in “The Boro”!
EDUCATION
Statesboro and Brooklet have it all! A University in your own backyard!
It is the dedication and cooperation of all citizens that helped create for Statesboro and for Brooklet an all-encompassing school program, under the heading of the Bulloch County School system.
From kindergarten to university, the education provided is so varied that no one needs to leave Statesboro to earn up to a university graduate degree.
In the early days, farmers acknowledging the importance of giving the children some means to learn, donated an unused field to build an one room log building called the “Old Fields Schools”. Children walked to school then and were taught by a teacher, or a volunteer adult.
Then, in1906, the citizens of Statesboro donated some 275 acres of land, and $25,000 cash, and free water and electricity for 10 years, to assure the beginnings of the First District Agricultural School, which today is the renowned Georgia Southern University.
This University is the largest and most comprehensive center of higher education for the whole of southern Georgia. Academic distinction, excellent teaching guarantee the 16,000 students in campus, success in the 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered all the way trough doctorates in its seven Colleges.
For those looking for a technical education, the Ogeechee Technical College offers its 1450+ students a solid base for over 100 programs of study that can lead to employment in about 85 fields. Along with the university, the college also offers many programs on line, thus widening their educational reach and service.
An encouraging amount of students are able to make use of the Hope Grant.
A highly successful Georgian endeavor, this grant is dedicated to help youth and adult to expend their educational opportunities beyond high school.
For the little ones beginning their education, Statesboro offers six elementary schools, and six middle and high schools. Brooklet also provides two elementary, and three middle and high schools.
A well-rounded educational program is what Statesboro and Brooklet are proudly contributing to the southern land of Georgia, along with a public library touted to be, by far, the best of Georgia.
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- NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
