Nicholls is an incorporated city in rural Coffee County
Shaded by the loblolly pine trees of southeast Georgia, Nicholls is a small incorporated city midway between Douglas and Alma along Georgia State Route 32. “These kinds of smaller towns are like pitstops in between bigger towns,” says Molly Mullis, a Realtor with GA DreamWorks Realty. As of 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau reports a little more than 3,100 residents living in Nicholls. This rural town is mostly residential aside from a handful of convenience stores and government buildings that house offices for both the city and greater Coffee County. People driving into Nicholls can see farms and distribution centers scattered along the city’s outskirts, indicative of the town’s agriculture and manufacturing industries. A railroad running through the middle of town is owned by CSX Transportation, a freight company that operates an extensive rail network across the Eastern United States. Nicholls lacks a proper, walkable downtown area; most of the city’s municipal buildings and commercial businesses are spread out along Route 32. For an established downtown area with entertainment, shopping and dining, most people head 13 miles west to the city of Douglas. A lack of commercial amenities in Nicholls can be partially attributed to the Coffee Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison complex in the town’s northern countryside. But those who choose to call Nicholls home appreciate the fact that they live in a pastoral, rural town with comparatively affordable housing prices while, at the same time, still being within relatively easy driving distance of urban amenities.
Affordable ranch homes, bungalows in Nicholls
While Nicholls is home to a variety of housing styles, ranch-style homes, Craftsman bungalows and farmhouses are most common. A handful of homes showcase Victorian-inspired designs, and the town has also experienced a slight uptick in new builds over the past decade. Properties are typically situated on ample lots shaded by oak trees and often separated from neighboring lots by untamed foliage. The farther from the center of town, the larger the lots gradually get. Turnkey single-family properties and manufactured homes mostly range from $100,000 to $370,000, with a median sale price of $170,000. Relative to state and national-level housing costs, this area has more affordable options for Nicholls residents, most of whom are homeowners.
Students attend Coffee County Schools
Nicholls is zoned for the Coffee County Schools district, which receives an overall B-minus rating from Niche. “The public school systems around here are considered to be pretty good,” Mullis says. Students in prekindergarten through fifth grade can start off at Nicholls Elementary, which is rated B-minus. It was the city’s first schoolhouse built in 1909, although it’s been extensively renovated since then. Coffee Middle School also scored a B-minus, while Coffee High School has a B rating. The district also includes the B-rated Wiregrass Regional College and Career Academy (WRCCA), an alternative public school focusing on early preparation for higher education and career pathway programs. The closest collegiate campus to Nicholls is South Georgia State College in Douglas, a 20-minute drive away.
Crime and the Coffee Correctional Facility
Nicholls has an overall CAP Index Crime Score of 4 out of 10, which is on par with the national average. This city is home to the Coffee Correctional Facility, a private CoreCivic prison complex and medium-security facility for adult males convicted of felonies. The prison can hold more than 2,600 inmates and offers vocational programs for trade skills like carpentry, masonry, computers and horticulture. The complex has a total of eight individual buildings and is completely fenced in by barbed wire. The prison is also a major employer in the area.
Popular state and national parks near Nicholls
Recreational facilities in Nicholls include neighborhood basketball courts and a community gymnasium adjoining a small, gated playground. More playground amenities are located at Nicholls Elementary School campus, which is also gated, though it is open to the public when school is not in session. Located in the southern outskirts of Nicholls is the Wiregrass Arena, an event venue that hosts county fairs, community events, equestrian shows and live performances, including concerts.
Just down the road west of Nicholls is General Coffee State Park in the Chatterton community. Covering more than 1,500 acres, this state park is best known for its Heritage Farm, an exhibit of agriculture and history with log cabins, farm animal enclosures and crop-specific amenities like a tobacco barn. Another well-known park feature is a cypress swamp that visitors can access via a boardwalk. The Seventeen-Mile River feeds the swamp and several fishing ponds. “Your biggest wildlife park in this region would be the Okefenokee Swamp and National Wildlife Refuge in Waycross,” Mullis says. Located just beyond the city of Waycross, Okefenokee is home to the largest blackwater swamp in North America and is an hour-long drive from Nicholls. Parkgoers can join guided boat tours through the swamplands or get a birds-eye view of local wildlife from the park’s observation deck.
Douglas has shopping centers, restaurants and a downtown
Nicholls’ minimal selection of stores and dining options lines Georgia Highway 32 – or State Route 32 – which runs through the town. There are a few places to grab basic food items and household necessities, including Family Dollar, Dollar General and a Food Mart convenience store. For more comprehensive shopping, people can drive to larger shopping centers in Douglas, less than 20 minutes away. The Douglas Square shopping center has national retailers like Publix Supermarket, PetSmart and Marshalls. Residents can also head to Douglas for dining options like restaurants and fast-food chains; the only places to eat in Nicholls are Casa Del Sol Mexican Kitchen and Mr. SZE Chinese Food, which are counter-serve eateries.
Traveling through Georgia's Wiregrass Region
Like many other rural settings, Nicholls is a car-dependent community with no public transportation services. Georgia State Route 32 is a busy east-west highway that cuts through town, splitting it into two halves. Residents can easily access Route 32 and take it 13 miles west straight to Douglas. Similarly, it’s a straight shot to Alma going east for 11 miles on Route 32. The nearest airport, Valdosta Regional Airport, is 77 miles away, a drive that typically exceeds an hour-and-a-half. The airport is relatively small and offers three flights a day to and from Atlanta. The Coffee Regional Medical Center in Douglas has a 24-hour emergency department, and it takes roughly 20 minutes to get there from Nicholls. The smaller Bacon County Hospital and Health System in Alma is a 15-minute drive east and also offers some emergency services.
