Candler County, Georgia’s 150th county, covers an area of 247 square miles and was carved from parts of Bulloch, Emanuel, and Tattnall counties by a constitutional amendment in 1914.
The southeastern Georgia county was named for Georgia governor Allen D. Candler. Candler County is one of only twenty-five Georgia counties that still have the same boundaries assigned at the time of their formation.
The county seat of Candler is Metter. The current courthouse was built in 1921 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Two other buildings were listed on the National Register in 2002: the Candler County Jail and the old Metter High School. The Candler County Jail, a two-story brick building constructed in 1916, was originally a combination jail and dwelling for the sheriff. It now houses such county services as the emergency management agency. The old Metter High School was built in 1910 and later purchased by the Candler County Historical Society for museum purposes. The Metter Advertiser is said to be the only newspaper in the United States ever to have been owned and published by a municipality.
Pulaski, about six and a half miles from Metter, is the only other incorporated town in the county. The Central of Georgia Railway had a route going through the area, and white settlers found Pulaski to be an attractive place to build a community.
Prior to World War II (1941-45), the economy of Candler County was entirely agricultural, with timber, cotton, tobacco, and poultry products being the mainstays. Now the county relies heavily on the service industry.
According to the 2020 census, the county population is 10,981.
Annual events include Another Bloomin’ Festival each Easter weekend. Notable residents include the evangelist Michael Guido, whose radio program is broadcast to audiences on all seven continents and whose newspaper column is published worldwide. His chapel and garden in Metter are open to the public.
