The county is named for Colonel Daniel Appling, who was considered Georgia’s most outstanding soldier in the War of 1812. The county was created in 1818 from treaty lands obtained from the Creek Indians. At one time, Appling County was known as the “Turpentine Capital of the World.” Incorporated in 1875, the City of Baxley was named for Wilson Baxley. Baxley was an early settler from coastal North Carolina, who operated a general store in the pre-developed town.

Points of Interest

Lake Mayer and the Altamaha River are available for boating, swimming, and fishing. The Georgia Power Company’s Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Power Plant is located within the county on the Altamaha River. Completed in 1974, the Hatch Plant makes Georgia Power one of the county’s largest employer.

Notable Citizens

Home to the late writer Caroline Miller, the first Georgian to receive the Pulitzer Prize.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 512 square miles, of which 507 square miles is land and 5.2 square miles (1.0%) is water.

Appling county is located in southeast Georgia. The county offers a variety of natural recreation sites, including Lake Mayer, the A. Randall Tuten Environmental Park, and Moody Swamp.  Appling county is in the Altamaha River basin and the Satilla River basin.