On February 7, 2008, an explosion at the historic Dixie Crystals sugar plant, established in 1916 on Oxnard Drive, killed 14 people and injured at least 40 others. The victims ranged in age from 18 to 56. The blast could be heard as far away as Levy, South Carolina, where it shook house walls. The accident brought Port Wentworth national and international notice; it was widely reported in European and Asian media.
Geography
Port Wentworth is located in the northern corner of Chatham County at. It is bordered by Effingham County to the north, by Garden City to the southeast, and by the Savannah city limits to the southwest. Within the Port Wentworth city limits are the localities of Meinhard and Monteith. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and, or 0.91%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 5,359 people, 2,042 households, and 1,378 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 2,226 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 61.1% White, 31.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.8% some other race, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.2% of the population. There were 2,042 households out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were headed by married couplesliving together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58, and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For the period 2008-12, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $50,031, and the median income for a family was $59,552. Male full-time workers had a median income of $47,786 versus $35,367 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,295. About 11.7% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.
