TOWN NEWS · COLUMBIA COUNTY, GA
Harlem GA news
What is happening in Harlem: the Oliver Hardy Festival, Google's campus next door, and the stories that change daily life in the county's small railroad city.
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THE FESTIVAL
October 3, 2026The 37th annual Oliver Hardy Festival takes over downtown Harlem. Theme: Swiss Miss.
THE NEIGHBOR
Google, announced July 23, 2026The White Oak Technology Park campus sits between Appling and Harlem.
THE CLAIM TO FAME
Born here January 18, 1892Oliver Hardy. The Laurel and Hardy Museum keeps his memorabilia downtown.
What is happening in Harlem: the projects, the city decisions, and the stories that change daily life here. Every item below is dated and sourced.
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What's happening in Harlem right now
- The Oliver Hardy Festival is this weekend. The 37th annual Oliver Hardy Festival takes over downtown Harlem on Saturday, October 3, 2026: a parade, vendors, entertainment, theater shorts, and museum activities. Applications list 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and this year's theme is "Swiss Miss." (harlemga.org; Harlem Museum and Welcome Center)
- Google's campus is rising nearby. Google's White Oak Technology Park, between Appling and Harlem, was announced on July 23, 2026: an approximately 8-million-square-foot campus. A county-commissioned study models about 1,667 direct operational jobs at a full 15-million-square-foot buildout, a modeled maximum rather than a guarantee. Contractors are already holding job fairs. (Columbia County; county-commissioned study)
- The school tax rate fell again. The Columbia County Board of Education approved a 14.997-mill rollback for 2026, the sixth consecutive year of reductions. The district's 2025 graduation rate was 92.96 percent. (ccboe.net)
- Drivers got a back-to-school reminder. AAA launched its annual "School's Open, Drive Carefully" campaign at Harlem Middle School, 424 Hawes Branch Parkway, in early August 2026, with the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and the Columbia County School District. (augustatoday.com, July 31, 2026)
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The longer story
Harlem is a small Columbia County railroad city of about 4,076 residents (2024 estimate, up from 3,561 in 2020), sitting on US-78 west of Grovetown. Its identity marker is Oliver Hardy, born here on January 18, 1892. The Laurel and Hardy Museum at the Harlem Museum and Welcome Center, 135 N. Louisville St., keeps the memorabilia, and the festival each October is the town's biggest weekend of the year.
Day to day, Harlem is the quieter edge of the county: a historic brick downtown with antique shops, a coffee shop, and an ice cream parlor; KJ's Market and a Dollar General Market for groceries; and a county setting that has cut its millage in 10 of the last 11 years. The honest tradeoff is the drive: most residents commute toward Grovetown, Evans, Augusta, or Fort Gordon.
Homes.com put Harlem's median sale price at $355,550 in summer 2026, with townhouses in the low $220Ks. Harlem feeds into North Harlem or Euchee Creek Elementary, then Harlem Middle and Harlem High.
The full guide
The Harlem guide covers schools, housing, the commute, utilities, and daily life in full.
More town news: Grovetown GA news · Evans GA news · North Augusta SC news · Martinez GA news · Augusta GA news · CSRA news
FAQ
What is the Oliver Hardy Festival? Harlem's annual festival honoring Oliver Hardy, born in the town in 1892. It is held the first Saturday in October in downtown Harlem, with a parade, vendors, entertainment, theater shorts, and museum activities. The 2026 edition is the 37th.
What is Google building near Harlem? The White Oak Technology Park, an approximately 8-million-square-foot data center campus between Appling and Harlem, announced July 23, 2026. Construction is the near-term jobs story; permanent operations staffing will be far smaller.
Which schools serve Harlem? The Columbia County School District. Harlem feeds into North Harlem or Euchee Creek Elementary, then Harlem Middle and Harlem High. Verify your exact address with the district.
What does housing cost in Harlem? Homes.com put the median sale price at $355,550 in summer 2026, with townhouses in the low $220Ks. That sits between Grovetown's lower prices and Evans' higher ones.
MORE TOWN NEWS
What is happening in the other towns.
Grovetown GA news · Evans GA news · North Augusta SC news · Martinez GA news · Augusta GA news
KEEP THIS PAGE USEFUL
Stories move on and new ones break. Send corrections when you find something newer, and check the town's full guide for the evergreen details that do not change week to week.