Harlem, Georgia
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1922 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Grovetown-Harlem census division. It lies in ZIP code area 30814. The Survey maps it on the Harlem quadrangle. 3,571 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 554 feet above sea level.
Population over time
4 figuresHarlem grew from 292 to 3,571 between 1880 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 292 | |
| 2000 | 1,814 | |
| 2010 | 2,666 | +852 (+47%) |
| 2020 | 3,571 | +905 (+34%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1922 USGS Harlem quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1948 USGS Harlem quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1948 USGS Harlem quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Harlem quadrangle1:24000
- 1953 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Thomson quadrangle1:100000
- 1988 USGS Athens quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
284 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 284 fires within 5 miles of Harlem between 1992 and 2020, burning about 547 acres in total. 11 started naturally. 36 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 159 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 36 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 23 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 20 |
| Smoking | 18 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Natural | 11 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2010 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2011-COLUMBIA-003 |
| 8 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | 4.1 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 8 September 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 September 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2011-MCDUFFIE-003 |
| 6 September 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1999 | Smoking | 6.9 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1.7 acres | Georgia Forestry Commission | not named |
| 27 September 2001 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Georgia Forestry Commission | FY2002-COLUMBIA-003 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Harlem: 1 occurrence, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Brick Clay, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campania Mine | Clay | Producer | ||
| Campania Pit | Brick Clay | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
19 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Harlem in 19 storm reports between 1997 and 2024: 11 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 1 lightning, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | Lightning | Harlem | $200,000 | Media reported a fire to a home on Wells Dr in Harlem that was caused by a lightning strike. The home sustained major damage. No injuries reported. |
| April 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | $7,000 | SKYWARN HAM and Emergency Manager reported trees and Powerlines in Harlem and areas to the east. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | $6,000 | SKYWARN spotters reported trees down on Bell street, Trippe street, and Hecks streat. |
| February 2012 | Hail | Harlem | $5,000 | Emergency Manager reported 1 inch hail in Harlem and Grovetown. |
| July 2024 | Flash Flood | Harlem | - | Columbia County Dispatch reported flash flooding entering the Dollar General Market in Harlem. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Columbia County Emergency Manager reported a tree down near the intersection of Ansley Pl and S Louisville St in Harlem. The EM also reported a tree down near the intersection of Peachtree St and S Louisville St on the south side of Harlem. |
| January 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Columbia Co GA EM reported one tree down at County Line Rd and Sawdust Rd, resulting in a total of 794 customers losing power. Time estimated. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Columbia Co dispatch reported multiple trees down within the town limits of Harlem, including one that fell on a house and car on W. Forrest St. Time estimated. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Trees were downed on Harp Dr, and near the intersection of Harlem Wrens Rd and Boggy Gut Creek Rd. A power line was downed along Freeman Harriss Rd. Time estimated. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Harlem | - | Public shared video, via social media, of hail up to half dollar size in Harlem, GA. |
| August 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Columbia Co GA Sheriff reported tree in roadway at N Fairfield Dr and Sawdust Rd in Harlem. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Harlem | - | SKYWARN spotter reported 3/4 inch hail just west of Harlem. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Sheriff reported many trees down on Gordon Highway. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Harlem | - | EM reported 3/4 inch hail in western and southwest part of county around Harlem. |
| February 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | Sheriff reported scattered trees down from Harlem to Appling. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | WAGT TV reported some trees down in southwest Columbia county. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Harlem | - | EPD reported trees down. |
| April 1998 | Hail | Harlem | - | Spotter reports dime size inch hail. |
| April 1997 | Hail | Harlem | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawdust | 1.1 miles | 16 | |
| Campania | 1.2 miles | 16 | |
| Berzelia | 3.3 miles | 16 | |
| Grovetown | 6.6 miles | 20 | |
| Forrest (historical) | 6.6 miles | 20 | |
| Lewiston Downs | 7.9 miles | 20 | |
| Maddox | 8.1 miles | 20 | |
| Kettle Creek | 8.5 miles | 20 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Harlem | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1013335 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 331913. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.









