Hazlehurst dates to 1880, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 26% of U.S. towns · #180 of 263 in Georgia. What drives it
Most of Hazlehurst was built recently: 0.5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Its Register listings are the Jeff Davis County Courthouse and the Pace House. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1971 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hazlehurst’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hazlehurst is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #180 of 263 in Georgia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hazlehurst’s overall grade.
Georgia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Georgia town has 10.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hazlehurst’s 7.3 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Georgia towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1880.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
Initially called "Handtown" due to the Hand Family living in the area, it wasn't until the establishment of the railroad line from Macon to Brunswick that an actual community began to populate in the area. It was formally founded circa 1880 as depot on the Macon and Brunswick Railroad. The depot was first named "Milepost 8" before eventually gaining the name "Hazlehurst". The community was named for railroad surveyor Col. George Hazlehurst. In 1891, the community was incorporated as a town. A courthouse was not built until 1907, after the formation of Jeff Davis County the previous year.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1880, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hazlehurst’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1890 counted 290 people here.
How does Hazlehurst rank for history?
Hazlehurst is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns, #180 of 263 in Georgia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Hazlehurst?
Two places: the Jeff Davis County Courthouse (listed 1980) and the Pace House (2003).
How old are the homes in Hazlehurst?
0.5% of Hazlehurst’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.8% for a Georgia town; the median home was built in 1975.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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