City History

The Valdosta/Lowndes County area has always been a popular gathering place. Beginning with the Creek and Seminole Indians, the Spanish missionaries and the American pioneers, the fertile and beautiful land of this area has enticed people to make their homes here.

Lowndes County was established in 1825. Its first county seat, Franklinville, was established in 1828. In 1837, the city of Troupville became the county seat. When the Gulf and Atlantic Railroad decided to put a right-of-way four miles south of Troupville, the citizens of Troupville made an interesting move to ensure the future prosperity of their town--they picked it up and moved it four miles.

The town was then renamed Valdosta, in honor of "Val d'Aosta," the plantation home of former Governor George Troup. In 1860, Valdosta was incorporated as the new seat of county government.

Valdosta's history has been closely tied to the soil. The sandy loam allowed the city to become the inland capital for Sea Island cotton. When cotton crops were devastated by the boll weevil in the early 1900s, other crops such as pecans, peanuts, and tobacco rose in popularity.

Valdosta's business district experienced tremendous growth from 1890 to the late 1920s, and most of the city's historic public buildings were constructed around this time. The Valdosta Heritage foundation is dedicated to saving and restoring the remaining historic buildings, homes, and districts of the city. Valdosta now has three National Register Historic Districts--Downtown, Victorian Fairview, and Patterson Street.

The determination of the little town that moved to the railroad is still evident today in the city that is moving into a prosperous future. Agriculture continues to be a driving force. Pine trees, now the area's most important raw material, are grown and harvested for a variety of uses. And the city's location and success keep attracting more business and industry, including nationally-known brands such as SAFT America. All of this and a remarkable quality of life combine to make Valdosta "South Georgia's Regional City."

For anyone wishing to see and learn more about Valdosta's history, brochures with walking tours of the city are provided by the Valdosta Lowndes County Visitor's Bureau. Please call the Visitor's Bureau at (229) 245-0513 for more information. Tours are also available of many of the city's historic homes, such as the Crescent, which serves as the headquarters for the Valdosta Garden Center, and the Barber Pittman House, which was home to the first bottler of Coca-Cola outside of Atlanta and now houses the Chamber of Commerce. To tour the Crescent, please call (229) 244-6747. For tours of the Barber House, please call the Chamber of Commerce at (229) 247-8100.

Fast Facts

• Valdosta is the 11th largest city in Georgia.
• Valdosta has a population is over 48,000.
• Voted ESPN’s “TitleTown USA” by fans across America in 2008.
• Chosen by Relocate-America in 2008 and 2009 as one of the top 100 places to live.
• Ranked 5th Highest MSA in the Nation in Property Value Retention in a June 2008 report released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
• Designated as Georgia’s “Best Adventure Town” in National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s 50 Best Places to Live & Play in 2007.
• Named one of the "Top 200 Great Locations in the South for Aviation & Aerospace" in the November 2008 issue of Southern Business & Development magazine.
• Valdosta/Lowndes County Industrial Authority selected in 2008 Expansion Solution Magazine’s as one of five national recipients of Expansion Solution Magazine's 2008 Award of Excellence in Advanced Manufacturing.
• Named in 2008 as one of the five newest communities, in partnership with the City of Remerton, selected to participate in the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Signature Community Program, one of only 17 designated Signature Communities since the program’s inception in 2005.
• The Valdosta Main Street Program and the Downtown Valdosta Business Association (DVBA) received the Best Retail Booster award in the Promotion Category for Downtown Valdosta’s First Friday event from the Georgia Downtown Association and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) at the 2008 Georgia Downtown Conference.
• Designated a Fit Friendly Company by the American Heart Association and featured in the October 2008 issue of Forbes Magazine. Valdosta was selected as a Fit Friendly Company for its employee fitness programs which helps reduce medical costs and improves the quality of life of our employees.
• Ranked 95^th among the 179 best small places for business or careers in the United States by Forbes magazine in 2008.
• Selected as a Tree City USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the 24th consecutive year for its commitment to community forestry in 2010.
• The Valdosta Fire Department (VFD) was selected by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency to facilitate one of four Georgia Search and Rescue Teams in the state, with the assistance of a $1.1 million grant awarded in 2006 for the purchase of a structural collapse vehicle, equipment and training for a 70-plus member GSAR team that serves Valdosta and Southwest Georgia.
• Three time winner of the Magnolia Award given by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs each year for the past six years, given for outstanding achievements in affordable housing.
• Valdosta City Hall is featured in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “This Place Matters” campaign, an initiative that is helping communities protect, enhance, and enjoy the places that matter to them. Valdosta joins other historic places of interest from across the country, such as Washington, D.C., New Orleans, La., and Nashville, Tenn.
• In 2008, the Valdosta Police Department received its reaccreditation and was designated a “Flagship Agency” for the second time in three years by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
• The Valdosta Fire Department maintains the Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 2 rating, one of the highest in the state.
• Ranked 8^th Best Place to Locate a Restaurant in the Nation by Restaurant Business News Magazine, according to a study by Claritas/Integras. Valdosta was the only Georgia city to rank within the top ten in 2007.
• Rated 38^th in emerging Metro Areas within the nation by Sperling’s Best Places in 2007.
• Designated by Site Selection Magazine in 2006 and 2007 as the Governor’s Cup third place winner in America for tier-three MSAs (population under 200,000) for business location and existing industry expansion.
• Named as 5^th Best Destination Location for Logistics in the Nation by Expansion Solutions Magazine in 2007.
• Selected to participate in the WaterFirst Community Program by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for the City’s commitment to excellence in the management and stewardship of its water resources.
• Chosen as “One of the 11 Great Places to Retire in the South” by Retirement Lifestyles Magazine in 2007 and featured again in the magazine’s Sept/Oct 2008 issue.
• One of six cities in Georgia honored as a 2007 “Trendsetter” by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) for exceptional programs and outstanding performance in the category of Public Works for cities with a population of 20,000 to 80,000.
• Became a certified Azalea City by the Azalea Society of America in 2007, a certification that compliments the beauty of our city and which must meet certain requirements and be renewed every five years.
• Received the Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award from the National Community Development Association for the city’s organization and administration of the 2006 Southern Hospitality Workcamp and in recognition of its outstanding achievements and exemplary uses of the community development block grant funds to better the community. The City was one of only 11 cities from across the country to receive this award.
• Recipient of the 2009 Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 24th consecutive year and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the 14th consecutive year, the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting and financial reporting, validating the excellence of the City of Valdosta Finance Department.
• The City of Valdosta’s Main Street Program was selected by the National Trust Main Street Center as a semifinalist for a 2006 Great American Main Street Award--one of only 11 cities nationally.
• One of 17 communities selected in 2005 by the National Community Development Association (NCDA) to receive the first Terrence R. Duvernay HOME Program Awards of Excellence for exemplary affordable housing projects which have used HOME Investment Partnership Program funds (Valdosta received this award for the 2003 Jimmy Carter Work Project which resulted in the creation of 50 homes for first-time homebuyers, and winner were selected on the basis of four criteria: (1) innovation; (2) public/private partnerships; (3) leveraging of resources; and (4) project sustainability).
• Valdosta was one of six cities in Georgia honored as a 2007 “Trendsetter” by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA).
• Lowndes County has a population of 100,000+ and is one of Georgia's fastest-growing counties.
• Valdosta has the 2nd highest retail pull factor, pulling consumers from 15-17 counties in South Georgia and North Florida.
• Valdosta was voted by Expansion Solutions magazine as the fifth destination location for logistics in the nation.
• Valdosta Regional Airport has one of the longest runways in the state.
• The composer of "Jingle Bells," James Lord Pierpoint, was from Valdosta.
• Famous gunfighter and gambler, Doc Holliday, spent part of his childhood in Valdosta and his father served as the city's third mayor.
• The Valdosta High School Wildcat football team, which has won more games than any other high school in the nation, has given rise to the city's nickname -- "Winnersville."