Valdosta, Georgia

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County	Lowndes County
Valdosta, Georgia, USA
Nickname: "Azalea City"
Location within the state of Georgia
Government
- Mayor	John J. Fretti
Area
- City	78.4 km² (30.3 sq mi)
- Land	77.5 km² (29.9 sq mi)
- Water	0.9 km² (0.3 sq mi)
Population (2000)
- City	43,724
- Density	563.9/km² (1,460.5/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.valdostacity.com/

The city of Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 43,724. The Census 2005 estimate showed a population of 124,838 in the Valdosta metropolitan area.

It is called the Azalea City as the plant grows in profusion there. The city hosts an annual Azalea Festival in March.

Located in the far southern portion of the state, near the Florida line, it is a commercial center of south Georgia with numerous manufacturing plants. The surrounding area produces tobacco, turpentine, pine lumber, and pulpwood. Moody Air Force Base is located nearby.

Valdosta has a number of picturesque historic districts including the beautifully maintained Fairview Historic District and its crown jewel the Roberts House, the oldest home in Lowndes County.

The city has a vibrant art scene supported actively by Valdosta State University, the Southern Artists League, the Turner Art Center, and the Snake Nation Press.

Parts of Fannie Flagg's novel Fried Green Tomatoes are set in Valdosta, although in the novel it is incorrectly referred to as the seat of "Loundes County."

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
- 3.1 MSA
- 3.2 City
4 Schools
- 4.1 High School Football
- 4.2 College Football
5 Transportation
6 Notable Residents and Natives
7 References in Fiction
8 Other References
9 External links
- 9.1 Higher Education

[edit] History

Lowndes County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located in the heart of downtown Valdosta.

Valdosta was incorporated on 7 December 1860, at which time the county government was moved from nearby Troupville. Valdosta was founded in 1860 by residents of Troupville, Georgia. Troupville was a steamboat landing on the Withlacoochee River, but when the Gulf and Atlantic Railroad was built four miles (about 6km) away, the inhabitants simply picked up the town and moved it to the railroad. There are still buildings in Valdosta that made the move.

The county's courthouse was built around 1905, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The now virtually abandoned Troupville had been named after Governor George Troup, for whom Troup County, Georgia was also named. Valdosta was named after Troup's estate, Val d'Osta, which itself was named after the Aosta Valley (Valle d'Aosta) in Italy. Recipes such as Fonduta alla Valdostana and Pollo alla Valdostana refer to the Italian region and use Fontina cheese made there, and not to the south Georgia city. The city is located on the coastal plain and has no valley.

Valdosta was once the center of long-staple cotton growing in the United States until the Boll Weevil finally killed the crop in 1917 and agriculture turned to tobacco and pine trees.

The world's second Coca-Cola bottling plant is located in Valdosta.

One of the most important boosts to the Valdosta economy was when Interstate 75 was routed and built near Valdosta. Many vacationing Americans on their way to Florida make Valdosta a convenient "last stop" on their way to Walt Disney World and the Orlando area, especially those coming from the Midwest and Ontario, Canada.

The Valdosta Baptist Church was built in 1899

A high school oratory contest once held in Valdosta was notable for the second place winner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

President George W. Bush received his National Guard flight training at Valdosta's Moody Air Force Base in November 1968.

According to some sources, the first automated teller machine (ATM) was installed at C&S Bank in Valdosta. [1]

In 1910, Fortune magazine named Valdosta the richest city in America by per capita income. [2]

[edit] Geography

Valdosta is located at 30°50′48″N, 83°16′59″W (30.846661, -83.283101)^GR1.

It is located in the coastal plain of Georgia and thus has a virtually flat landscape. Highways stretch for miles with hardly a curve, rise, or fall. The 60 miles (97km) of railway between Valdosta and Waycross was once the longest straight stretch of railroad in the world.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.4 km² (30.3 mi²). 77.5 km² (29.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.09% water.

[edit] Demographics

Valdosta water tower on W. Savannah Ave.

[edit] MSA

According to the Bureau of Census, the Valdosta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had an estimated population of 124,838 and ranked #294 in the U.S. in 2005. (The MSA consisists of Lowndes, Brooks, Lanier, and Echols Counties.)

[edit] City

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 43,724 people, 16,692 households, and 10,232 families residing in the city. The population density was 563.9/km² (1,460.3/mi²). There were 18,907 housing units at an average density of 243.8/km² (631.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.71% White, 48.49% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.18% of the population.

There were 16,692 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% are married couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 18.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,046, and the median income for a family was $38,174. Males had a median income of $27,281 versus $20,807 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,472. About 18.8% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.1% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Schools

The Valdosta School system serves the City of Valdosta with 1 high school, 2 middle schools and 6 elementary schools.

Valdosta is also the home of Valdosta State University (VSU), founded in 1906 as South Georgia State Normal College for Women. It became part of the University System of Georgia in 1950. Valdosta State College achieved university status and became VSU in 1993.

An extension of Georgia Military College is in the city limits, and Valdosta Technical College is located off of Interstate 75.

[edit] High School Football

Valdosta has a strong high school football tradition. The Valdosta High School Wildcats have the winningest high school football program in the country.^[1] Its record from 1913 through 2004 includes six national championships, 23 state championships, and 41 regional championships. Cross-town rival Lowndes High School has also built a strong program, winning four state titles since 1980 (including 2004 and 2005).[3]

In 2001, Valdosta High School's football coach, Mike O'Brien, told a national gathering of coaches:

Our program is 86 years old, and has been through 12 head coaches. We have only been below a .500 winning percentage five out of the 86 years. We have accumulated 39 region championships, 23 state championships, and six national championships. Here is a little fact to help you better understand how tough our region is. A team from our region has either won or played for a state championship 40 times in last 52 years. Valdosta is the winningest high school football team in America. Our record is 782-160-33. To put that into a better perspective for you, we could lose every game for the next 60 years and still have a winning percentage above .500. Of course if this were to occur I would no longer be the coach.

The present record as stands at the end of of the 2006 Season is 829-188-33

[edit] College Football

Valdosta State University has run a football program since 1982. The team, nicknamed the Blazers, won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2004. Two notable alumni are Jessie Tuggle, National Football League linebacker from 1987-2000 playing his entire career with the Atlanta Falcons, and Chris Hatcher, previous head coach of Valdosta State.

[edit] Transportation

The major transportation route is provided mainly by Interstate 75. The Valdosta Regional Airport is serviced by Delta Air Lines to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. There is also a Greyhound bus station.

[edit] Notable Residents and Natives

James Lord Pierpont, author of "Jingle Bells", lived many years in Valdosta, where he taught music. He later moved to Quitman, Georgia, where he died.
Vincent Burns, NFL defensive tackle Indianapolis Colts
J.D. Drew, Tim Drew, and Stephen Drew, Major League baseball players.
Randall Godfrey, NFL Seattle Seahawks, linebacker San Diego Chargers
Desmond (Desi) Relaford, A second and third baseman for the Colorado Rockies
Bill Hicks, comedian
Doc Holliday, Western dentist/gunfighter/gambler
Jay Ratliff, NFL defensive end Dallas Cowboys
Sonny Shroyer, actor best known for role as Enos Strate on The Dukes of Hazzard, born in Valdosta on August 28, 1935.
Demond Wilson, TV actor known for playing Lamont on Sanford and Son
Ossie Davis, award-winning actor, playwright, director, and social activist.
Rhett Akins, Country music artist.
Billy Joe Royal, Country music artist.
Avery Sharpe, bassist-composer who has played alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Pat Metheny.
Buck Belue, former Valdosta High School standout and quarterback of the University of Georgia's 1980 national championship team, now a radio talk show host

Luther Blue Iowa State University NFL Wide Receiver Detroit Lions/Philadelphia Eagles

[edit] References in Fiction

In Allen Steele's science fiction novel Coyote Frontier, Valdosta in the year 2070 is the site of Camp Buchanan, an internment camp for dissident liberal intellectuals.