Lowndes County, Georgia

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Lowndes County, Georgia
Map
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	December 23, 1825
Seat	Valdosta
Largest city	Valdosta
Area - Total - Land - Water	511 sq mi (1,323 km²) 504 sq mi (1,306 km²) 6 sq mi (17 km²), 1.26%
Population^Est. - (2005) - Density	96,705 183/sq mi (294/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website: www.lowndescounty.com
Named for: William Jones Lowndes

Lowndes County (pronounced Lounds) is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created December 23, 1825. As of 2000, the population was 92,115; the 2007 Census estimates show a population of 101,790 [1]. The county seat is Valdosta.

It is the largest county in the Valdosta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county is a major commercial, educational, and manufacturing center of south Georgia with considerable forest products including pulpwood and naval stores, such as turpentine and rosin. Part of Grand Bay, a 13,000-acre (53 km²) swamp is located in Lowndes County.

The county was named for William Jones Lowndes, whose father, Rawlins Lowndes, had been a Revolutionary War leader from South Carolina.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Major highways
- 1.2 Adjacent counties
2 Demographics
3 Economy
4 Incorporated cities and military base
5 Unincorporated cities and towns
6 Education
7 Recreation
8 External links

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 511 square miles (1,323 km²), of which, 504 square miles (1,306 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (17 km²) of it (1.26%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

Berrien County (north)
Lanier County (northeast)
Echols County (east)
Hamilton County, Florida (southeast)
Madison County, Florida (southwest)
Brooks County (west)
Cook County (northwest)

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 92,115 people, 32,654 households, and 22,237 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile (71/km²). There were 36,551 housing units at an average density of 72 per square mile (28/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.00% White, 33.99% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. 2.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 32,654 households out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.50% were married couples living together, 15.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.90% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 15.10% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 18.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,132, and the median income for a family was $41,580. Males had a median income of $28,411 versus $20,755 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,683. About 13.90% of families and 18.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.80% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Economy

The top ten employers in Lowndes County are: [2]

Moody Air Force Base
South Georgia Medical Center
Valdosta State University
Lowndes County School System
Valdosta City School System[3]
Convergys Corporation
City of Valdosta
Lowndes County
Lowe's Distribution Center
Roadway Express

[edit] Incorporated cities and military base

Lowndes County Courthouse

[edit] Unincorporated cities and towns

Barretts
Bemiss
Clyattville
Minneola
Naylor
Twin Lakes

[edit] Education

Within Lowndes County is the Lowndes County School System and the Valdosta School System which serves the City of Valdosta.

Also within the county is Valdosta State University, Valdosta Technical College and an extension campus of the Georgia Military College (of Milledgeville, Georgia).

Lowndes County has four high schools, two public, and two private. Lowndes High School recently won the Georgia AAAAA football championship in 2004, 2005, and 2007. The Valdosta Wildcats of Valdosta High School are the winningest high school football program in America. The two private high schools, Valwood and Georgia Christian, are two smaller schools in Lowndes and Valdosta.