Tifton

Tifton, Georgia, USA
Tifton City Hall
Nickname(s): Friendly City (city nickname is also shared with Hazel Park, Michigan)
Location in Tift County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°27′48″N 83°30′36″W / 31.46333°N 83.51°W / 31.46333; -83.51
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Tift
Government
- Mayor	Jamie Cater
- City Manager	Michael Vollmer
Area
- Total	9.0 sq mi (23.4 km2)
- Land	8.9 sq mi (23.1 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	354 ft (108 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	15,060
- Density	1,686.2/sq mi (651.1/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	31793-31794
Area code(s)	229
FIPS code	13-76476[1]
GNIS feature ID	0324159[2]
Website	http://www.tifton.net

Tifton is a city in Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Tift County^[3].

Geography

Tifton is located at 31°27′48″N 83°30′36″W / 31.46333°N 83.51°W / 31.46333; -83.51 (31.463418, -83.510065)^[4].

Major highways

• Interstate 75
• U.S. Highway 41
• U.S. Highway 82
• U.S. Highway 319
• Georgia State Route 125

Airports

• Henry Tift Myers Airport

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 15,060 people, 5,532 households, and 3,601 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,686.2 people per square mile (651.1/km²). There were 6,102 housing units at an average density of 683.2/sq mi (263.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.26% White, 31.57% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.61% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.56% of the population.

Workers in the Tifton Cotton Mills. January 1909. Photographed by Lewis Hine.

There were 5,532 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% 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 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 14.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,234, and the median income for a family was $37,023. Males had a median income of $27,206 versus $20,174 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,455. About 20.7% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.0% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

An example of the frequent Interstate 75 billboards that advertise Tifton and its amenities.

In 2000, Tifton officially became the Reading Capital of the World, a distinction based on amassing over 2 million points in the Accelerated Reader program and achieving other goals such as increasing library circulation and reducing illiteracy rates. This distinction was celebrated on Nov. 15, 2000, when a packed high school stadium read aloud from Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, as a 30-foot Cat in the Hat balloon swayed overhead. The crowd then read silently from books of their own, earning the city dual entries in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most people reading together in one place^{[citation needed]} as well as the most reading together silently^{[citation needed]}. Although Tifton is the reading capital of the world, the only public bookstore in town is The Christian Bookstore on Main Street. Tifton has a public library, in addition to an extensive college library located at nearby Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. [1]

The city has previously been recognized as a Top 100 Small Town and as the Cleanest City in America.^{[citation needed]}

See also: http://www.tifton.net/tiftonhistory.html

Points of interest

• Coastal Plain Research Arboretum
• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC)
• Georgia Agrirama

Until recently, Tifton was the home of the world's second largest magnolia tree, which was located in Magnolia Tree Park. According to an article published in the Tifton Gazette in March 2006, the magnolia somehow caught fire and was burned down in August 2004 and the gates around it remain locked to this day.^[5] Although it no longer grows, the tree still stands. It is not known where the new second largest magnolia tree resides.

Tifton is the birthplace of classical singer Adriana Zabala, country singer Cyndi Thomson, LPGA major winner Nanci Bowen, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Dennis Dove, and members of alternative rock band September Hase.

Tifton is also the birthplace of Clay Shiver, an All-American American football player and a member of Florida State University's all-time football team^[6]. Shiver continued his career by playing for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL.

Dina Titus, a Nevada state senator who was the 2006 Democratic nominee for governor of Nevada and is now a U.S Congresswoman-elect grew up in Tifton.

Nick Green, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, attended high school in Tifton^[7].

Tifton also has a large music demographic with several venues including the Lamplighter Pub and New Boys Bar and Grill.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ "Landmark still recuperating from fire". The Tifton Gazette. 2006. http://www.tiftongazette.com/archivesearch/local_story_070221211.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-13. 
6. ^ "Florida State all-time team". 2001-01-31. http://www.athlonsports.com/college-football/4210/florida-state-all-time-team. Retrieved on 2008-02-24. 
7. ^ "Green reporting to Major League camp". 2008-02-12. http://www.tiftongazette.com/sports/local_story_043222542.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-24. 

External links

• Tifton, Georgia website

• Tifton, Georgia is at coordinates 31°27′48″N 83°30′36″W / 31.463418°N 83.510065°W / 31.463418; -83.510065 (Tifton, Georgia)Coordinates: 31°27′48″N 83°30′36″W / 31.463418°N 83.510065°W / 31.463418; -83.510065 (Tifton, Georgia)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Tift County, Georgia County seat: Tifton Cities Omega‡ | Tifton | Ty Ty CDPs Phillipsburg | Unionville Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties