Ephesus, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Ephesus · Heard County, Georgia
Population 555 (est. 2026: ~900)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 15.68% annual growth projection

Ephesus, Georgia

Heard County, Georgia · Population 471

Ephesus sits in the rural western edge of Heard County, tucked into a part of Georgia that most Georgians couldn't find on a map without help. It lies roughly 70 miles southwest of Atlanta, closer in spirit to the Alabama state line than to any major city. The population is small enough that nearly every resident knows their neighbors. Heard County itself holds only about 11,400 people, and Ephesus accounts for roughly 4 percent of that count. This is not a suburb. It is not a bedroom community with HOA newsletters. It is a small Georgia town with a young population, modest incomes, and the kind of low housing costs that increasingly draw people priced out of metro markets.

People & Demographics

The Census ACS 2022 estimate puts Ephesus at 553 residents across 205 households. The median age is 29.9 — strikingly young for a rural Georgia community, where the statewide median sits closer to 37. That youth shows up in the household composition: 161 children under 18 live here, spread across 152 family households. Average household size is 2.70 people.

The population is 548 white residents out of 553 total. The poverty count stands at 66 individuals, representing roughly 12 percent of the population — a figure worth watching in a town where most workers are commuting elsewhere for income.

Economy & Employment

Of the 279 residents counted in the labor force, 12 are unemployed — an unemployment rate of about 4.3 percent. Median household income is $66,875, which sits above the Heard County average and holds its own against Georgia's statewide median. Per capita income is $31,141.

There is no significant employment center within Ephesus itself. The town functions as a residential base; workers drive out and drive back. Franklin, the Heard County seat, is the nearest hub for county government jobs, retail, and services. For anything larger — healthcare systems, manufacturing corridors, professional employment — residents are looking at LaGrange or the outer Atlanta metro.

Housing

Ephesus has 221 total housing units, of which 205 are occupied and 16 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 7 percent, which is low and signals stable demand. Owner-occupancy is strong: 156 units are owner-occupied versus 49 renter-occupied, putting the homeownership rate near 76 percent.

Median home value is $148,400. Median rent is $725 per month. Both figures are well below Georgia state averages, which makes Ephesus genuinely affordable by any reasonable measure. For buyers priced out of metro Atlanta or even mid-size Georgia cities, these numbers represent real purchasing power.

Schools

Ephesus students are served by Heard County Schools. The schools drawing from this area include:

All schools operate under the Heard County school system. There are no schools physically located within Ephesus city limits — students are transported to county facilities.

Getting Around

Ephesus is car-dependent, without exception. Of 250 workers counted in commuting data, 224 drove alone to work. Five carpooled. Four walked. Thirteen worked from home. Zero used public transit — because none exists.

Aggregate travel time across all workers totals 6,510 minutes, which averages to roughly 26 minutes per commute one way. That suggests most jobs are reachable within 30 minutes, likely in Franklin or surrounding communities, though some residents are certainly making longer runs toward LaGrange or beyond.

Healthcare

No hospitals or clinical providers are listed within Ephesus. The nearest significant medical facility for Heard County residents is generally WellStar West Georgia Medical Center in LaGrange, approximately 30 miles east. For provider searches specific to Ephesus, the CMS NPI Registry returns current licensed providers by city.

Library

The Centralhatchee Public Library serves this area and is located 0.1 miles from Ephesus. Contact: (678) 853-9047. For a town of this size, having a public library within walking distance is a meaningful community asset.

Parks & Recreation

The nearest National Park Service sites include Horseshoe Bend National Military Park and Freedom Riders National Monument, both located in Alabama. The Horseshoe Bend visitor center is 43.2 miles from Ephesus — a reasonable day trip that places this corner of Georgia within reach of significant Civil War and civil rights history.

For local outdoor use, Heard County's rural landscape offers informal access to streams, woods, and undeveloped land, though designated recreational infrastructure is limited at the county level.

Natural Hazards

Heard County has a long and active FEMA disaster declaration history. The county has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1998:

The pattern is consistent: this part of Georgia gets hit by remnant tropical systems tracking inland from the Gulf, takes ice and winter storm events seriously, and sits in tornado-prone terrain. Residents should maintain storm preparation plans year-round.

Government & Municipal Code

Ephesus operates as an incorporated city in Heard County. The municipal code is published through Municode and is publicly accessible at library.municode.com/ga/ephesus-city-georgia. The city does not have an adopted building code on file.

Weather

Current forecasts for the Ephesus area are available through the National Weather Service forecast page. Active weather alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is in Franklin, 5.6 miles away.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)