Initially called "Handtown" due to the Hand Family living in the area, it wasn't until the establishment of the railroad line from Macon to Brunswick that an actual community began to populate in the area.

[5] It was formally founded circa 1880 as depot on the Macon and Brunswick Railroad.

[8] A courthouse was not built until 1907, after the formation of Jeff Davis County the previous year.

Aside from the Macon-Brunswick railroad running through the center of town, the Hazlehurst Municipal Airport, a roughly 165 acre facility located just northwest of the city.

[11] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,088 people, 1,494 households, and 894 families residing in the city.