Thunderbolt is a town located in Chatham County, Georgia, approximately five miles southeast of downtown Savannah. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 2,668. It is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thunderbolt runs along the western shore of the Wilmington River. The town is important to Georgia's shrimping industry, with scores of docks for shrimping trawlers. The town's picturesque atmosphere and seafood restaurants draw many local visitors.
History
An early variant name was "Warsaw". The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the town as "Warsaw" in 1856. An act of legislature officially changed the town's name to "Thunderbolt" in 1921. According to tradition, Thunderbolt was named from an incident when lightning strike caused a spring to open up.
Geography
Thunderbolt is located at 32°1'56" North, 81°3'6" West. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.5 square miles, of which 1.3 square miles is land and 0.2 square mile is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,668 people, 1,088 households, and 565 families residing in the town. The population density was. There were 1,088 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the town was 52.9% White, 35.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.2% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 9.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 997 households out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couplesliving together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.85. In the town, the population was spread out with 17.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,327, and the median income for a family was $49,583. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $22,128 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,592. 13.6% of the population and 8.4% of families were below the poverty line. 33.3% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
