Albany

City of Albany, Georgia
—  City  —
Seal
Nickname(s): The Good Life City, The Artesian City
Location in Dougherty County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°34′56″N 84°9′56″W / 31.58222°N 84.16556°W / 31.58222; -84.16556Coordinates: 31°34′56″N 84°9′56″W / 31.58222°N 84.16556°W / 31.58222; -84.16556
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Dougherty
Incorporated (city)	December 27, 1838
Government
- Mayor	Willie Adams, Jr. (D)
Area
- City	55.9 sq mi (144.7 km2)
- Land	55.5 sq mi (144.8 km2)
- Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	203 ft (62 m)
Population (2000)
- City	76,939 (city proper)
- Density	1,385.5/sq mi (535.0/km2)
- Metro	164,069
	2007 metro pop. est.[1]
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	229
FIPS code	13-01052[2]
GNIS feature ID	0310424[3]
Website	Albany, Georgia

Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state.^[4] It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area.

Geography

Albany is located at (31.582273, -84.165557)^[5].

The total area is 0.59% water. Albany lies in a belt of rich farmland in the East Gulf coastal plain on the banks of the Flint River.

Demographics

MSA

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had an estimated population of 164,069 and ranked #234 in the U.S. in 2007^[6]. The MSA consisists of Dougherty, Terrell, Lee, Mitchell, Worth, and Baker Counties.

City

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 76,939 people, 28,620 households, and 18,889 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,385.5 people per square mile (535.0/km²). There were 32,062 housing units at an average density of 577.3/sq mi (222.9/km²).

The Albany Government Center in downtown.

The racial makeup of the city was 64.80% African American and Black, 33.21% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.23% of the population.

There were 28,620 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 25.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 13.0% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,639, and the median income for a family was $33,843. Males had a median income of $30,204 versus $22,268 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,485. About 21.5% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

Nelson Tift, founder of Albany, Georgia

The area where Albany is located was formerly inhabited by the Creek Indians. They called it Thronateeska after the flint found near the river. The Creeks used this stone to make arrowheads and other tools.

Connecticut businessman Nelson Tift settled along the Flint River in October, 1836 and named the new town Albany, after New York's state capital because they both sit at the navigable head of a river.

The city was laid out by Alexander Shotwell in 1836. The city was incorporated by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia on December 27, 1838[1].

Surrounded by a prosperous farming region which produced large amounts of cotton, Albany was in a prime location for transportation of cotton by steamboats on the river, over which Tift had Horace King, a former slave, build a toll bridge in 1858. Albany later became a railroad hub and there is an exhibit on trains at the Thronateeska Heritage Center, which is located at the old railroad station.

In 1841 the Flint river flooded the city.

On April 11, 1906, the Carnegie Library opened downtown. It functioned as a library until 1985. In 1992 it reopened as the headquarters of the Albany Area Arts Council.

In 1912 the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse building opened downtown.

In 1925 the Flint river again flooded the city.

In 1937 Chehaw park was established as a part of a New Deal program.

On February 10, 1940, a severe tornado killed eighteen people and caused wide scale damage.

In the summer of 1940 a Major Peacock approached the Albany Chamber of Commerce about the possibility of locating an Army Air Corp training base in Albany. Construction under the Army Corp of Engineers began March 25, 1941. The field was temporarily deactivated between August 15, 1946 and September 1, 1947 but then reactivated to support the Cold War, with the US Air Force stationing B-52 units and support units there. A number of other missions were hosted at Turner Air Force Base ^[7] as the base was renamed. Among them were the 1370th Photomapping Group ^[8], and refueling and maintenance functions. The base was transferred to control of the US Navy in 1967 and was deactivated in 1974. In 1979 the Miller Brewing Company purchased part of the property to build a new brewing plant. ^[9]

In 1951 the Marine Corps established a large base on the eastern outskirts of the city.

In 1960 the population reached 50,000.

During the early 1960s, Albany played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement (see Albany Movement).

In 1994 there was another severe flood, caused by Tropical Storm Alberto, killing 14 people and displacing 22,000.

In 1998 the Flint river crested at 35 feet, once again flooding parts of Albany.

In 2002, Sherwood Pictures began producing feature Christian films out of Albany. Flywheel (2003), Facing the Giants (2006), and Fireproof (2008) would stun Hollywood by becoming some of the highest grossing Christian films of all time. Brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick wrote and produced each film as an outreach of Sherwood Baptist Church. Soundtracks and novels would follow, establishing Sherwood as a worldwide ministry.

Albany in The Souls of Black Folk

In W. E. B. Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk (1903), Albany was featured in several chapters as a typical African American rural town in the South. In the book, Du Bois discussed the culture, agribusiness, and economy of the region. Du Bois described Albany as a small town where local sharecroppers lived. Much of the soil had been depleted of nutrients because of intense cotton cultivation. Once a bustling community full of cotton gins and toiling slaves, the place had declined steadily in the late 1800s as the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation drastically altered the demographics and economy of Albany. Du Bois wrote that Dougherty County had many decaying one-room slave cabins and unfenced land. Despite the problems, local folklore, customs, and the culture made Albany a unique town in the South.

Government

Elected officials include a mayor and six city commissioners, all of whom serve four-year terms. The commissioners represent the wards from which they are elected. There is also an appointed city manager who acts as the chief administrative officer. The city has been governed by a city commission and city manager since January 14, 1924. [2].

Economy

An M88 Recovery Vehicle at the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany undergoes depot maintenance in 2005.

Although Albany has expanded considerably in the past few decades, it is still able to retain the population and environment of a Southern town. Today, although the city is still surrounded by pecan groves, pine trees, farms and plantations, almost none of the population is employed in agriculture.

Health care, education and the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany are the largest employers. Manufacturing, transportation, and retail trade are also important foundations of Albany's economy and the city acts as a hub for commerce in southwest Georgia.

On December 17, 2008, Cooper Tire and Rubber, one of Albany's largest employers, announced plans to close the local manufacturing facility. Approximately 1,400 employees at the plant will lose their jobs over the course of the next 12 months as Cooper completes the plant shut down.

Top nine employers in Dougherty County

(excludes City of Albany, Dougherty County, and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany)

• Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital
• Procter & Gamble
• Albany State University
• Miller Brewing Company
• Teleperformance USA
• Coats and Clark, Inc.
• Palmyra Medical Centers
• BellSouth Telecommunications
• United Parcel Service

Other notable companies

• Georgia Pacific Corp.
• MARS Snackfood US
• Mediacom
• Sherwood Pictures
• Thrush Aircraft

Transportation

Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (ABY) is serviced by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional carrier for Delta. Both UPS and DHL use the airport as a sorting facility.

Freight rail service is provided by Georgia Southwestern Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway.

Greyhound Lines offers intercity transportation to locations throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico

Albany Transit System, operated by the city since 1974, provides fixed-route and paratransit services in Albany and Dougherty county, including service to the airport. The main transfer station is downtown.

Albany is located on Georgia State Route 300 (Georgia-Florida Parkway).

The intersection of Lonesome & Hardup was named the fourth wackiest street name according to a 2006 poll by Car Connection website.^[10]

Education

The Dougherty County School System and several private schools provide primary and secondary education. Private schools include Far Horizons Montessori School, Deerfield-Windsor School, Sherwood Christian Academy, Darsey Private High School, Byne Memorial Baptist School, St. Teresa's Catholic School, Life Christian School and Young Unlimited Minds Institute (YUMI).

Albany is home to the historically black Albany State University (ASU) and Darton College. Both are part of the University System of Georgia.

Albany Technical College [3] provides tertiary occupational education.

Health care

Albany is the home of a not-for-profit regional health system with a 26 county cachement area with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital [4] at its hub. Palmyra Medical Centers [5] is a for-profit hospital.

Sports

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Logo
South Georgia Wildcats	Arena Football	AF2, American Conference, Southern Division	James H. Gray, Sr. Civic Center

Local attractions

Museums and the arts

Albany Municipal Auditorium

• Albany Area Arts Council [6]
• Albany Ballet Theater
• The Albany Chorale [7]
• Albany Civic Center
• The Albany Concert Association [8]
• Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum [9]
• Albany Municipal Auditorium
• Albany Museum of Art [10]
• The Albany Symphony Orchestra [11]
• Flint RiverQuarium [12]
• The Parks at Chehaw [13] - one of two accredited zoos in Georgia
• RiverQuarium Imagination Theater (Iwerks 8/70 3D large format) [14]
• Theatre Albany [15]
• Thronateeska Heritage Center [16]
• Weatherbee Planetarium [17]
• Albany Mall [www.albanygeorgia.biz/albanymall.html]

Parks and monuments

The new archway over Oglethorpe Boulevard at Front Street welcomes visitors to downtown Albany.

The Rosenberg Brothers Department Store, now headquarters of The Albany Herald.

Ray Charles statue, centerpiece of Ray Charles Plaza

• Albany Civil Rights Memorial
• Albany Railroad Depot Historic District
• Astronauts Memorial
• Confederate Memorial Park
• Freedom Flame
• Freedom Walk
• The Guardian
• Hillsman Park
• Radium Springs - one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia
• RiverFront Park
• Ray Charles Plaza
• Royal Air Force Memorial
• Tift Park
• Veterans Park

Registered historic places

• Albany District Pecan Growers' Exchange
• Albany Housefurnishing Company
• Albany Municipal Auditorium [18] [19]
• Albany Railroad Depot Historic District
• Bridge House (Albany, Georgia) [20]
• Carnegie Library of Albany
• Davis-Exchange Bank Building
• John A. Davis House
• Lustron House at 1200 Fifth Avenue
• Lustron House at 711 Ninth Avenue
• Mount Zion Baptist Church [21]
• New Albany Hotel [22]
• Old St. Teresa's Catholic Church
• Rosenberg Brothers Department Store
• Samuel Farkas House
• St. Nicholas Hotel
• Tift Park
• U.S. Post Office and Courthouse [23]
• Union Depot (Albany, Georgia)
• W. E. Smith House

Notable Albanians

Composer, pianist, and singer Ray Charles

Ray Charles Plaza in Downtown Albany

• Pianist, songwriter and soul singer Ray Charles was born in Albany on September 23, 1930 as "Ray Charles Robinson"
• Big Band leader and jazz trumpeteer Harry James was born in Albany on March 5, 1916
• Paula Deen, chef and host of Paula's Home Cooking on the Television Food Network
• Jim Fowler, animal expert and host of the television show, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
• Ray Stevens, country music singer
• Olympic gold medal jumper Alice Coachman was born in Albany November 9, 1923
• U.S. Representative from Illinois William L. Dawson was from Albany
• Hamilton Jordan, former White House Chief of Staff, was raised in Albany
• World Series MVP Ray Knight, also managed the Cincinnati Reds
• Golfer Nancy Lopez lives in Albany
• Merritt Ranew, Milwaukee Braves baseball player
• Conductor and composer Wallingford Riegger was born in Albany on April 29, 1885
• U.S. Representative from Illinois Bobby Rush was born in Albany
• Angelo Taylor, Olympic gold medal hurdler
• Reginald D. Hunter, stand-up comedian based in the United Kingdom
• Mark Taylor, Former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
• Montavious Stanley, NFL player, Atlanta Falcons
• Daryl Smith, NFL player, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Alexander Johnson, NBA player, Miami Heat
• Super Bowl MVP football player Deion Branch
• Nellie Brimberry became the first Postmistress of a major U.S. Post Office in 1910
• Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, filmmakers and authors, reside in Albany
• Deathcore band With Blood Comes Cleansing
• Travis Richter, guitarist and screamer for From First To Last
• Jo Marie Payton, actress that played in Family Matters and The Proud Family
• Olympic silver medalist weightlifter Lee James attended Westover High School in Albany
• Kregg Lumpkin, NFL player for the Green Bay Packers

Local media

Newspapers

• The Albany Herald [24]
• The Albany Southwest Georgian historically Black Newspaper founded by A.C. Searles
• The Albany Journal Published since 1939

Television stations

• Channel 10 WALB (NBC) [25]
• Channel 14 WABW (PBS-GPB) (Pelham, Georgia) [26]
• Channel 24 WBSK (CW) Cable Only
• Channel 31 WFXL (FOX) [27]
• Channel 44 WSWG (CBS) [28]
• Channel 34 W34CZ (Trinity Broadcasting Network)

FM radio stations

• 88.5 W203AT (religious; translator for KEAR)
• 89.3 WBJY (religious)
• 90.3 WAEF (religious)
• 90.7 WWXC (religious, bluegrass)
• 91.7 WUNV (NPR - news, classical) [29]
• 92.7 WASU (Albany State University - college, jazz, urban)
• 93.1 WSRD (religious, talk)
• 96.3 WJIZ (urban)[30]
• 97.3 WRAK "Magic 97.3" (adult contemporary)[31]
• 98.1 WMRZ "Kiss" (adult urban)[32]
• 100.3 WOBB "B-100"(country)[33]
• 101.7 WQVE "V101.7"(Urban AC)[34]
• 102.1 WNUQ "Q102" (Top 40)[35]
• 102.5 W273AE (religious; translator for WYFK)
• 103.5 WJAD "Rock 103" (classic and mainstream rock) (Leesburg, Georgia)[36]
• 104.5 WKAK "K-Country" (country)[37]
• 105.5 WZBN "Power 105.5" (Urban)
• 106.1 KLOV (Christian Contemporary)
• 107.7 WEGC "Mix 107.7" (adult contemporary)

AM radio stations

• 960 WJYZ (gospel)
• 1250 WSRA (ESPN sports)
• 1450 WGPC (sports)
• 1590 WALG (news, talk)

Miscellaneous

• Name is commonly pronounced as allBENny with emphasis on the second syllable, and rarely pronounced ALLbany with the emphasis on the first syllable as the city in New York is.
• Albany, Texas was named in 1873 by county clerk William Cruger after his former home of Albany, Georgia.
• The new U.S. federal courthouse in downtown Albany is dedicated to civil rights attorney C.B. King.
• Nicknames for Albany include:
  • Artesian City
  • Good Life City
  • Pecan Capital of the World
  • Quail Hunting Capital of the World

• In 1972 the manager of a local theater, Mr. Jenkins, was convicted of "distributing obscene material" for showing the film Carnal Knowledge, in Jenkins v. Georgia.
• Albany is the only city in the entire nation that has had a Super Bowl MVP, a World Series MVP, and an Olympic Gold Medalist.

References

1. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007 (CBSA-EST2007-01)" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2008-03-27. http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2007/CBSA-EST2007-01.csv. Retrieved 2008-05-22. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
6. ^ U.S. Metropolitan Areas by Population and Growth, U.S. Census Bureau, 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
7. ^ "Turner AFB". http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Turner_AFB.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-11. 
8. ^ "1370th Photomapping and Charting Group". http://www.1370th.com/index.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-11. 
9. ^ "History of Turner Field Albany Georgia". http://www.turnerfield-miller.com. Retrieved 2006-05-11. 
10. ^ See the entry for September 19 on Ben Scott, Schott's Miscellany Calendar 2009 (New York: Workman Publishing Company, 2008).

Albany, GA is the home of the Southwest, GA Radio & Music Conference

External links

• Old U.S. Post Office and Courthouse
• The New Georgia Encyclopedia
• History of Albany, Georgia

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Dougherty County, Georgia County seat: Albany City Albany CDP Putney Unincorporated community Radium Springs

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