Blythe, GA

Blythe is a Richmond County city about 20 miles southwest of Augusta, with 744 residents in the 2020 census. U.S. 1, also called Deans Bridge Road, and Georgia Highway 88 meet the city’s road network. Blythe Elementary School sits in the middle of town, while City Hall, the police department, a community center, a park with a gazebo, and the city water system keep municipal services close to the old center. Blythe remains part of the Augusta metropolitan area but still has the footprint of a small agricultural town.

Sam Tarver built the first house here in 1832. The community cycled through several post-office names, including Bonnie Doon, Tomb’s Post Office, and Boggy, before Blythe was chosen in 1885. The Augusta Southern Railroad reached the area that same year, bringing a depot, a store, and a more concentrated village around the Tarver house. The first county school opened in 1894; a larger school followed in 1920, and the present Blythe Elementary was dedicated in 1977 after its predecessor burned. Passenger and freight service eventually ended, and the city returned toward farming and residential life. Blythe is a Georgia railroad town whose school, road, and old farm families still define the local map.