Richmond Hill lies in southern Bryan County on the Ogeechee River, south of Savannah on the mainland, with I-95 exits 87 and 90 feeding it and Exit 82 opening the southern growth area. US 17 and GA 144 run through the middle, GA 144 carries the name Ford Avenue, and US 17 continues south toward Midway.
That name runs through the town’s history. Richmond Hill began as Ways Station when the railroad came through southern Bryan County around 1856, and much of what stands today came from Henry Ford, who wintered here and built. The Community House at 10512 Ford Avenue, designed by Cletus William Bergen in 1936, is Ford-era and was listed individually on the National Register in 2024. The Richmond Hill History Museum occupies the former Ford Kindergarten at 11460 Ford Avenue. The city charter came later, in 1962.
The city has built a good deal of parkland since. J. F. Gregory Recreational Park covers 335 acres with a lagoon, a walking trail and a birding tower, and Sterling Creek Park covers 187 acres at 1700 Elbow Swamp Road. Out toward the coast, Fort McAllister State Historic Park holds the Civil War earthworks that Sherman’s forces stormed and took on December 13, 1864, closing his march to the sea, and it has camping and Ogeechee River access.
People are arriving for all of it. The Census counted 16,633 residents and 6,380 housing units in 2020, and the estimate for July 2025 was 20,022, twenty percent above the count. Only 66 of those homes were held for seasonal or occasional use, so what is arriving is residents.
The jobs are close and varied. The city’s 2024 financial report names the Bryan County Board of Education, FedEx, Publix, Ford Field and River Club, MacAljon, Kroger, Hyundai MOBIS, the City of Richmond Hill, Medline and Sommers Oil among its principal employers, and Belfast Commerce Park offers rail-served industrial sites with I-95 frontage. Bryan County School District serves the city.
Two things nearby are worth placing correctly. Fort Stewart occupies central Bryan County and is a major regional employer, and it sits outside the Richmond Hill city limits. And the Ford Avenue Historic District is a local designation, adopted by the city in January 2021, rather than a National Register listing, so we do not describe it as one.
Sourced: founding as Ways Station and incorporation, Bryan County comprehensive plan and City of Richmond Hill. Population and housing units, U.S. Census Bureau 2020 count and Vintage 2025 estimate. Park acreages and addresses, City of Richmond Hill. Community House listing 2024, Fort McAllister listing 1970 and the December 1864 assault, National Park Service and Georgia DNR. Employers, the City’s 2024 annual financial report, whose own table notes that 2024 employment counts were not available.