| The Big City of Vidalia, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Vidalia's water tower | |
| Location in Toombs County and the state of Georgia | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| Counties | Toombs, Montgomery |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.4 sq mi (45.2 km2) |
| • Land | 17.3 sq mi (44.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 299 ft (91 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 10,491 |
| • Density | 602.9/sq mi (232.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 30474-30475 |
| Area code(s) | 912 |
| FIPS code | 13-79388[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0324704[2] |
Vidalia,(officially pron. vy-DALE-yah, /vaɪˈdeɪljə/ referred to as vy-DAY-yuh, /vaɪˈdeɪjə/ by most residents) is a city in Toombs and very slightly into Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,491. It is the largest city in Toombs, but is not the county seat. Like so many towns in the region, it grew up around a train depot that serviced farmers in the area who grew such crops as pecans and tobacco. The famous sweet onions were not an important crop until much later.
Although it has never been officially confirmed, it is believed by locals that the 1996 song Vidalia alludes to the Vidalia Sweet Onion crop with its lyrics "...sweet Vidalia, You always gotta make me cry!" While uncertainty remains about the song, Vidalia sweet onions have recently made a name for the town through national media and the Onions and Ogres advertisement campaign which features the cartoon ogre Shrek.
Vidalia is the principal city of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Montgomery and Toombs counties[3] and had a combined population of 34,337 at the 2000 census.[1]
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45 km2), of which, 17.3 square miles (45 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.63%) is water. Vidalia is located at (32.215305, -82.410086)[4].
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 10,491 people, 4,167 households, and 2,758 families residing in the city; of these, 160 people lived in Montgomery and the rest in Toombs counties. The population density was 605.4 people per square mile (233.7/km²). There were 4,676 housing units at an average density of 269.8 per square mile (104.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.61% White, 36.88% African American, 0.89% Asian, 0.14% Native American, 1.82% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.24% of the population.
There were 4,167 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,365, and the median income for a family was $40,091. Males had a median income of $30,180 versus $18,496 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,369. About 15.4% of families and 19.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.
The school district holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.[5] The district has 144 full-time teachers and over 2,408 students.[6]
Vidalia has a mixed economy, but its largest industry is agriculture. Since 1931, Granex onions grown in and near Vidalia have been licensed and sold internationally as Vidalia onions. In 1986, the Vidalia Onion Trademark Act granted a state trademark and protection on the onions of the Vidalia and Toombs County, Georgia area. The 1989 Federal Marketing Order #955 of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service gave the growers and handlers the legal rights to establish the Vidalia Onion Committee, and it granted U.S. federal protection of the onion's name and production.
Most people know Vidalia because of its onions. The Vidalia onion was first produced about 1931 when a farmer named Mose Coleman discovered that the onions he produced were sweeter than other onions. Other farmers started producing the same onion, and in the 1940s the Vidalia onion became an item sold to tourists.
Vidalia onion growers have protected their brand, and today all onions labelled Vidalia must be grown in one of thirteen different counties in Georgia or in specific portions of seven other counties. Because of their taste and reputation, they are able to command an increased price in the marketplace.
In 1990, the Vidalia Onion was named as the "official vegetable" of the state of Georgia. Year 2000 production was estimated at 40,000,000 fifty-pound (22.68 kg) bags.
(See: Vidalia Onion and Protection as a Geographic Indication) Each spring Vidalia holds a world famous Onion festival. The event lasts for five days and draws in many tourists with its wide variety of activities.[7]
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