About Sylvania

Sylvania is located in east central Georgia on the Savannah River Parkway, 54 miles southeast of Augusta and 58 miles northwest of Savannah. The city's population according to the 2010 census, was 2,956, representing a 10 percent growth over the 2000 census numbers. Sylvania is the county seat of Screven County.

Sylvania is a quiet community, boasting low crime rates with many benefits like top quality schools, churches and a modern local hospital. One of the biggest advantages to living in Sylvania is the closeness of the community. Everyone is friendly, and residents warmly welcomes visitors and newcomers alike. Sylvania evokes images of Norman Rockwell paintings and is a wonderful place to raise children.

The peaceful, iconic Southern city bisected by U.S. Hwy. 301, is a short drive from the eastern coast of Georgia. The Savannah River Parkway connects Savannah and Augusta by way of Sylvania, Millen and Waynesboro. A second leg extends from Millen to Statesboro and then to I-16. The four land highway divided with a grassy median is approximately 156 miles long and is being considered as part of Interstate 3, which ultimately is planned to run from Savannah to Knoxville, TN.

The exact date of the settlement of Sylvania is somewhat a mystery, but the county seat was moved to Sylvania from its former location at Jacksonborough by the state legislature in 1847.

Although off the beaten path, Sylvania has a country club, a well-stocked public library and two radio stations. Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro operates an adult education center here. Sylvania is also home to a local newspaper founded in 1879 with a unique name, the Sylvania Telephone. The local weekly has brought national attention to Sylvania by earning first-place awards for four consecutive years from the National Newspaper Association for its Newspapers in Education sponsorship program.

The rural areas surrounding Sylvania are known for hunting and fishing and comfortable motels serve to welcome guests to our city. Sylvania also has four local banks with assets totaling more than $140 million, 65 local churches and two shopping centers

Sylvania calls itself the "Azalea and Dogwood City" and the "Welcome Station City," based on our historic state welcome center, the oldest in the United States. Popular annual events include the Screven County Livestock Festival in April and the Air Exposition in the fall.

Sylvania is a rural, agricultural community with 40 percent of its labor force employed in manufacturing.  major industries include Koyo Bearings and King America. Other local employers include AMIKids, a resident  school for Georgia's at-risk youth, Optim Medical Center-Screven, a locally run facility providing excellent healthcare for Screven County residents, and Pine-View Health Care Center.

Local companies provide high speed internet access from any location in the city. More than 2,200 acres of industrial sites and parks are available in the Screven County for industrial and business development.  The county is classified as Freeport (exemption from inventory taxes) for all classes of inventory: raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods. Classified as a Tier 1, Screven County qualifies for the State Job Tax Credit of $4000 per job. There are additional state and local incentives designed to make locating in Sylvania an excellent choice for industry.