Forestry Commission

About forestry service, 31549, Lumber City, GA, US, Georgia

Sylvania is a city in and the county seat of Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,634 in 2020. == History == The area was inhabited for thousands of years by various cultures of indigenous peoples. By the time of European encounter, it was occupied by the Yuchi peoples, but some Creeks, the Uchee's allies, moved into the area during Colonial times. The town of Sylvania was founded in 1790 by settlers migrating to the area after the American Revolutionary War. The word "Sylvania" comes from the Latin word sylvan or sylva which means "forest land" or "place in the woods." Sylvania was part of the Black Belt of Georgia, developed for cultivation after the invention of the cotton gin made it easier to handle short-fiber cotton. Cotton was the most important commodity crop until late in the 19th century. Planters imported many enslaved African Americans to cultivate the crops. By 1830, the county was filled with people. The county seat was moved from Jacksonborough to Sylvania in 1847.