Sycamore, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Sycamore · Turner County, Georgia
Population 1,124 (est. 2026: ~1,000)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -2.49% annual growth projection

Sycamore, Georgia

Turner County, Georgia · Population 692

Sycamore sits in the flat, agricultural heart of South Georgia, about 35 miles south of Cordele and roughly 60 miles north of Valdosta. Turner County is small — just over 9,000 people — and Sycamore serves as its county seat, a role that punches above the town's modest size. The surrounding landscape is classic South Georgia: peach orchards, peanut fields, and pine stands broken by two-lane highways. Life here moves at the pace of a small county seat — deliberate, community-rooted, and largely unchanged by the pressures that reshape larger Georgia cities.

People & Demographics

The Census ACS 2022 figures put Sycamore's population at 1,223 for the survey universe, with an official city population of 692. Median age is 30.6 — notably young, shaped in large part by the 366 children under 18 living here. That's a significant share of the total population, and it's reflected in an average household size of 4.06, well above typical Georgia figures.

The racial and ethnic breakdown shows 933 white residents, 158 Black residents, and 243 Hispanic or Latino residents — meaning the Hispanic community represents nearly 20% of the population, a higher share than most small Georgia county seats of comparable size. There are 244 households in town, 171 of them family households.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Sycamore is $41,538, and per capita income sits at $15,904. Both figures trail Georgia's statewide medians considerably, reflecting the economic realities common to rural South Georgia. Of 420 people in the labor force, 67 are unemployed — an unemployment rate around 16%, which is high by any measure and underscores the limited local job market.

Poverty is a real presence: 305 residents fall below the federal poverty line. Agriculture, local government, and county services employ a significant portion of the workforce, as is typical in county seats of this scale. The nearest meaningful employment concentration outside Turner County is the Cordele area to the north.

Housing

Sycamore has 277 total housing units, 244 of them occupied and 33 vacant — a vacancy rate around 12%. Of occupied units, 172 are owner-occupied and 72 are renter-occupied, putting the homeownership rate near 70%.

The median home value is $72,900, which makes Sycamore one of the more affordable places to purchase a home in Georgia — though affordability here reflects both low incomes and limited market demand. Median rent runs $659 per month. For buyers or renters priced out of larger Georgia markets, the cost of entry is low, but employment opportunity is the tradeoff.

Schools

Children in Sycamore attend Turner County schools, all consolidated under the county system:

All three schools serve the entire county, not just Sycamore proper, which is typical for rural Georgia where a single school system covers the full county population of roughly 9,000.

Getting Around

Sycamore is a car-required town. Of 348 workers, 253 drive alone and 82 carpool — together accounting for nearly all commuters. Public transit use is zero. Six workers report working from home. The aggregate commute time for all workers is 6,125 minutes, averaging just under 18 minutes per worker, suggesting most employment is relatively nearby rather than long-haul into larger metros.

Healthcare

No hospital operates within Sycamore itself. Residents typically travel to Cordele (Crisp Regional Hospital, roughly 35 miles north) or Tifton (Tift Regional Medical Center, roughly 35 miles southwest) for hospital-level care. For a current list of registered healthcare providers with Sycamore addresses, the CMS NPI Registry maintains searchable records.

Library

The Victoria Evans Memorial Library serves Sycamore residents and is located 0.9 miles from the town center. Phone: (229) 567-4027. It is the primary public library resource for Turner County.

Parks & Recreation

Two significant National Park Service sites are within reasonable driving distance:

Both sites draw visitors from across the state and country, making South Georgia a more destination-worthy region than its size might suggest.

Natural Hazards

Turner County has a documented history of repeated disaster declarations. The county has been struck by or affected by every major Atlantic hurricane track that reached inland Georgia in recent memory:

The pattern is clear: residents in this part of South Georgia should expect recurring tropical weather impacts, wind events, and flooding. Fifteen federal disaster declarations in Turner County since 2000 is not a rounding error — it reflects genuine and repeated exposure.

Government & Municipal Code

Sycamore's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/sycamore-city-georgia. The municipality currently has no building code on file, which is relevant for anyone planning construction or renovation — local permitting requirements may differ from what buyers or contractors expect in larger jurisdictions.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Sycamore are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts are tracked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Ashburn 3 ENE, located 1.2 miles away.

References

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