Cuba, Georgia, was settled circa 1875 and had a post office from 1883-1890. It was named for the Caribbean island and may have evolved around a plantation. Geographical designations based on “exotic” locales were common in the 19th century.

If you use the map to locate Cuba today, you’ll find this abandoned grocery store beside U.S. Highway 27, a couple of miles south of Blakely. But the historical settlement was actually about a quarter mile down the dirt road to the west, near Cuba Presbyterian Church.

Note: A photo search for Cuba, Georgia, on the internet will deliver images of Mrs. Roy Redd’s Grocery, Cuba, Ga, in Forsyth County, but this is misleading. No such community ever existed and in a recent article in the Forsyth County News, Kelly Whitmire explains: One of the most recognizable looks into old Forsyth is on a Coca-Cola sign in front of an old store on Friendship Circle with the words “Mrs. Roy Redd Cuba, Ga.” …locals didn’t pronounce the name the same way as the country and instead called it “Cubey.” The name came from a popular card game played at the store.