Mendes, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Mendes · Tattnall County, Georgia
Population 197 (est. 2026: ~1,100)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 65.99% annual growth projection

Mendes, Georgia

Tattnall County, Georgia · Population 124

Mendes sits in the flat coastal plain of southeast Georgia, a small census-designated place tucked into Tattnall County along the agricultural corridors that define this part of the state. With a population of 124, it registers as a quiet rural settlement — no downtown, no commercial strip — but the people who live here are rooted. The median age of 50.2 reflects a mature, established community, and the ownership rate tells the same story: most households here own their homes and have for some time. The nearest town of any size is Reidsville, the Tattnall County seat, and the broader regional pull runs toward Savannah to the southeast and Statesboro to the northwest.

People & Demographics

The ACS 2022 estimates put Mendes at 227 residents across 103 occupied households, with an average household size of 2.20. Of those households, 98 are family households — a notably high share that points to a tight-knit, family-oriented community. There are 55 children under 18 in the CDP.

Racially, the community is predominantly white (172 residents), with 42 Black residents and 13 Hispanic or Latino residents. No Asian population was recorded. Tattnall County as a whole counts 22,842 people, making Mendes one of its smaller settlements.

The median age of 50.2 sits noticeably above Georgia's statewide median, consistent with rural communities where younger residents have relocated to metro areas.

Economy & Employment

The income picture in Mendes stands out sharply against its rural surroundings. The median household income of $111,477 is well above both Tattnall County norms and Georgia's statewide median, which hovers around $65,000. Per capita income comes in at $42,822.

Of the 140 residents in the labor force, zero were counted as unemployed at the time of the survey — an unusually tight labor picture. Despite that, 20 residents fall below the poverty line, a figure that reflects how income inequality can coexist with a high median in small populations.

The economy of the broader county leans on agriculture, timber, and public sector employment. Mendes residents commute out for most work.

Housing

Mendes has 131 total housing units, of which 103 are occupied and 28 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 21%, which is high but not unusual for rural Georgia CDPs where some units are seasonal or inherited property held out of the rental market.

Of occupied units, 87 are owner-occupied and 16 are renter-occupied. That 84% ownership rate is one of the defining characteristics of this community. The median home value is $146,600 — modest by statewide standards but in line with rural Tattnall County. No reliable median rent figure is available from the survey data.

Schools

Mendes children attend Tattnall County Schools. The relevant campuses serving this part of the county include:

South Tattnall Elementary (838 students) and South Tattnall Middle (382 students) serve the southern portion of the county. Assignment by address determines which elementary and middle school a student attends. All high school students county-wide feed into the single Tattnall County High School.

Getting Around

Mendes is car-dependent. Of 140 workers, 81 drove alone to work and 33 carpooled. No residents used public transit or walked to work. Twenty-six worked from home, a meaningful share (roughly 19%) that reflects either remote employment or farm-based work.

The aggregate travel time for all workers combined was 3,470 minutes, suggesting an average one-way commute in the range of 25 minutes — consistent with driving to Reidsville, Glennville, or further toward Statesboro or Savannah for employment.

Healthcare

Optim Medical Center – Tattnall serves as the primary hospital for this area. The Tattnall County Library's proximity to Reidsville places most medical infrastructure in that town. For a full list of healthcare providers registered in Mendes and surrounding ZIP codes, the CMS NPI Registry can be searched directly: NPI Registry – Mendes, GA.

Library

The Tattnall County Library serves Mendes residents and sits approximately 5.2 miles away. Phone: (912) 557-6247. It is part of the regional public library network serving rural southeast Georgia.

Natural Hazards

Tattnall County has a long and active FEMA disaster declaration history that reflects the county's exposure to Atlantic hurricane tracks and severe weather systems. Declared disasters include:

The pattern is clear: this part of Georgia sits in the path of named storms with regularity. Between 2016 and 2024, the county received federal disaster declarations in six out of nine years. Residents should maintain storm preparedness infrastructure and understand flood zone designations for their specific parcels.

Government & Municipal Code

Mendes has a municipal code published through Municode: library.municode.com/ga/mendes-cdp-georgia. The code does not include a local building code, meaning construction and building standards default to state and county-level requirements.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions are provided by the National Weather Service based on Mendes coordinates (32.0385°N, 82.0492°W):

The nearest weather observation station is Reidsville, approximately 5.2 miles away. The climate is humid subtropical — hot summers, mild winters, and a long hurricane season that runs June through November with real consequence, as the disaster history above makes plain.

References

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