[5] The city was named in honor of William Brandon Folks, M.D., a prominent physician and surgeon in his day.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Folkston has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km2), all land.

To provide for a safe viewing situation, the city has built a platform for visitors, along with picnic tables, chairs, barbecue pits, restrooms,[24] grills, and even WiFi.

Freight trains pass through the Folkston Funnel, and proceed to terminals such as Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami.

[25] At the covered viewing platform, there is an active scanner running and visitors can listen to train engineers.