Harlem

The birthplace of comedian Oliver Hardy; the annual Harlem Oliver Hardy Festival is held on the first Saturday each October on Main Street in his honor.

• Official Name — Harlem • Settlement Type — City • Mapsize — 250px • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — United States • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Name1 — Georgia • Subdivision Type2 — County • Subdivision Name2 — Columbia, McDuffie • Unit Pref — Imperial • Area Total Km2 — 17.11 • Area Land Km2 — 17.06 • Area Water Km2 — 0.04 • Area Total Sq Mi — 6.60 • Area Land Sq Mi — 6.59 • Area Water Sq Mi — 0.02 • Population As Of — 2020 • Population Total — 3571 • Population Density Km2 — 209.28 • Population Density Sq Mi — 542.05 • Timezone — EST • Utc Offset — -5 • Timezone Dst — EDT • Utc Offset Dst — -4 • Elevation M — 169 • Elevation Ft — 554 • Postal Code Type — ZIP code • Postal Code — 30814 • Area Code — 706 • Blank Name — FIPS code • Blank Info — 13-36696 • Blank1 Name — GNIS feature ID • Blank1 Info — 0331913 • Website — harlemga.org

From the building of the Georgia Railroad which passes through town until at least the 1860s, Harlem was known as Saw Dust. The town is twinned with Ulverston in England, the birthplace of Stan Laurel, comedy partner of Oliver Hardy.

Harlem is located primarily in southern Columbia County at (33.416822, -82.313762), with its western boundary following the McDuffie County line. U.S. Routes 78 and 278 pass through the center of town, leading east 23 mi to downtown Augusta and west 12 mi to Thomson. U.S. Route 221 crosses US 78/278 in the center of town, leading north 5 mi to Interstate 20 and 21 mi to the South Carolina border, and south 16 mi to Wrens. According to the United States Census Bureau, Harlem has a total area of 11.7 km2, of which 0.04 sqkm, or 0.36%, is water.

• Sawdust (area code: 706 & 762) is a neighborhood in the city (formerly a separate unincorporated community); along the Columbia–McDuffie county line. U.S. Routes 78 and 278, 1 mi west of the center of Harlem and 3 mi east of Dearing. It was so named on account of there being several sawmills near the original town site. The name sometimes is spelled out as "Saw Dust". A post office called Saw Dust was established in 1852, and remained in operation until 1895.

As of the 2020 census, Harlem had a population of 3,571. The median age was 33.4 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.3 males age 18 and over. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. There were 1,318 households in Harlem, of which 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.2% were married-couple households, 15.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 645 families residing in the city. There were 1,419 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%. Harlem racial composition as of 2020 • Race — Num. — Perc. • White (non-Hispanic) — 2,408 — 67.43% • Black or African American (non-Hispanic) — 754 — 21.11% • Native American — 12 — 0.34% • Asian — 24 — 0.67% • Pacific Islander — 11 — 0.31% • Other/Mixed — 198 — 5.54% • Hispanic or Latino — 164 — 4.59%

The Harlem Museum and Welcome Center, also known as the Laurel and Hardy Museum, preserves memorabilia, screens Laurel and Hardy films, and receives thousands of visitors annually.

Originally opened in 1949 as Harlem's first movie theatre, the Columbia Theatre is undergoing redevelopment as part of downtown cultural revitalization.

The Harlem Merchants Association fosters local economic growth through events, workshops, and community initiatives aimed at supporting small businesses in the city. The Harlem Merchants Association supports local entrepreneurs through networking, events, and community initiatives.

• Oliver Hardy – famed comedian, one-half of Laurel and Hardy; annual Laurel and Hardy Festival held in Harlem.

The Oliver Hardy Festival is a free community celebration held annually on the first Saturday in October in downtown Harlem to honor local native and comedy legend Oliver Hardy. Established in 1988, the festival draws 20,000–35,000 attendees, according to estimates from the Harlem Museum and Welcome Center and local businesses—many times larger than the town's population—providing a significant boost to small-town tourism and generating an important yearly economic impact.

WGAC‑FM (95.1 MHz) is a news/talk radio station licensed to Harlem, broadcasting to the Augusta metropolitan area via simulcast with WGAC 580. It operates under the Beasley Broadcast Group and began under its current format in 2011.