Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city located in southwest
Georgia. It is the
county seat of
Dougherty County. As of the 2000 Census, the population is 76,939. Some Albanians pronounce the name as all
BENny with emphasis on the second syllable, while others pronounce it
ALLbany with the emphasis on the first syllable.
Albany is located at (31.582273, -84.165557).
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.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 76,939 people, 28,620 households, and 18,889 families residing in the city. According to the Bureau of Census, the Albany, Georgia
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had an estimated population of 162,800 in 2004. (The MSA consisists of Dougherty,
Terrell,
Lee,
Worth, and
Baker Counties.) The
population density was 535.0/km² (1,385.5/mi²).
There were 32,062 housing units at an average density of 222.9/km² (577.3/mi²).
|
The Albany Government Center in downtown. |
The racial makeup of the city was 33.21%
White, 64.80%
African American, 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.
|
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 after
Albany, New York 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.
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 built a
toll bridge. 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
1911 the first
airmail flight in the U.S. was inaugurated and the first
airmail stamp was struck, both in Albany.
In
1912 the U.S. Postoffice 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
as the base was renamed. Among them were the 1370th Photomapping Group
, 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.
In
1951 the Marine Corps established a large base on the eastern outskirts of the city.
In
1960 the population reached 50,000.
The
Albany Movement played a prominent role in the
Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and
Ralph David Abernathy, were arrested with approximately 250 other protesters on December 16,
1961 while attempting to
desegregate government buildings. The
Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum is located in the former Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
In
1994 there was another severe flood, caused by
Tropical Storm Alberto, killing 4 people and displacing 22,000.
In
1998 the Flint river crested at 35 feet, once again flooding parts of Albany.
In
W.E.B. Du Bois'
The Souls of Black Folk, 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.
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.
Top ten employers in Dougherty County
(excludes City of Albany, Dougherty County, and Department of Defense)*
Phoebe Putney Health Systems*
Procter & Gamble*
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company*
Albany State University *
Miller Brewing Company*
Merck & Company, Inc.*
Teleperformance USA*
Coats and Clark*
Palmyra Medical Centers*
BellSouth TelecommunicationsOther notable companies
*
Thrush Aircraft*
Masterfoods USA*
Georgia Pacific Corp.*
MacGregor Golf CompanySouthwest 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
MexicoAlbany Transit System, operated by the city from 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 the
Georgia-Florida Parkway.
The
Dougherty County School System and several private schools provide primary and secondary education.
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 [
1] provides
tertiary occupational education.
Albany is the home of a not-for-profit regional health system with a 26 county cachement area with
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital [
2] at its hub. Palmyra Medical Centers [
3] is a for-profit hospital.
Albany is home to the
South Georgia Wildcats af2 arena football team.
Newspapers
*
The Albany Herald [
4]
Television stations
* Channel 10
WALB (NBC)
walb.com* Channel 14
WABW (PBS-GPB) (
Pelham, Georgia)
gpb.org* Channel 31
WFXL (FOX)
wfxl.comFM radio stations
* 88.5 W203AT "Family Radio" (religious, translator for KEAR)
* 89.3 WBJY (religious)
* 90.3 WAEF (religious)
* 90.7 WWXC (religious, bluegrass)
* 91.7 WUNV (NPR - news, classical) [
5]
* 92.7 WASU (
Albany State University - college, jazz, urban)
* 93.1 WSRD (religious, talk)
* 96.3 WJIZ (urban)[
6]
* 97.3 WRAK "Magic 97.3" (adult contemporary)[
7]
* 98.1 WMRZ "Kiss" (adult urban)[
8]
* 100.3 WOBB "B-100"(country)[
9]
* 101.7 WNUQ "Q-101"(pop)[
10]
* 102.1 WZBN "Blazin' 102.1" (rap)[
11]
* 102.5 W273AE (translator for WYFK, religious)
* 103.5 WJAD (classic rock) (
Leesburg, Georgia)[
12]
* 104.5 WKAK "K-Country" (country)[
13]
* 105.5 WQVE "V-105.5" (adult urban)[
14]
* 106.1 WRXZ "Hot 106" (rap)
* 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)
Museums and the arts
|
Albany Municipal Auditorium in Downtown Albany. |
* Albany Area Arts Council [
15]
* Albany Ballet Theater
* The Albany Chorale [
16]
*
Albany Civic Center* The Albany Concert Association [
17]
* Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum [
18]
* The Albany Municipal Auditorium
*
Albany Museum of Art [
19]
* The Albany Symphony Orchestra [
20]
*
Flint RiverQuarium [
21]
*
The Parks at Chehaw [
22] - one of two accredited
zoos in Georgia
*
RiverQuarium Imagination Theater (
IMAX) [
23]
*
Theatre Albany [
24]
*
Thronateeska Heritage Center [
25]
*
Wetherbee Planetarium [
26]
Parks and monuments
|
The new archway over Oglethorpe Boulevard at Front Street to welcome visitors to downtown Albany. It was built as part of the Downtown Renovation Project. |
* 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
*
Royal Air Force Memorial* Tift Park
* Veterans Park
Registered historic places
*
Albany District Pecan Growers' Exchange*
Albany Housefurnishing Company*
Albany Municipal Auditorium*
Albany Railroad Depot Historic District*
Bridge House (Albany, Georgia)*
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*
New Albany Hotel*
Old St. Teresa's Catholic Church*
Rosenberg Brothers Department Store*
Samuel Farkas House*
St. Nicholas Hotel*
Tift Park*
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse*
Union Depot (Albany, Georgia)*
W. E. Smith House*
New England Patriots football player
Deion Branch*
Nellie Brimberry became the first
Postmistress of a major U.S. Post Office in
1910*
Pianist,
songwriter and
soul singer Ray Charles was born in Albany on
September 23,
1930 as "Ray Charles Robinson"
*
Olympic gold medal jumper Alice Coachman was born in Albany
November 9,
1923*
U.S. Representative from
Illinois William Levi Dawson was from Albany
*
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*
Edward "Skip" Gnehm,
United States ambassador to
Jordan,
Australia and
Kuwait lived in Albany
*
Astronaut Thomas J. Hennen was born in Albany
*
Big Band leader and
jazz trumpeteer Harry James was born in Albany on
March 5,
1916.
*
Architect Edward Vason Jones*
Hamilton Jordan, former
White House Chief of Staff, was raised in Albany
*
Baseball player
Ray Knight, also managed the
Cincinnati Reds*
Golfer Nancy Lopez lives in Albany and is married to
Ray Knight*
Amelia Marshall,
soap opera actress, was born in Albany
*
Jo Marie Payton-Noble, Played Harriet Winslow on the US television show
Family Matters*
Science fiction writer Paul Preuss was born in Albany
*
Conductor and
composer Wallingford Riegger was born in Albany on
April 29,
1885* U.S. Representative from Illinois
Bobby Rush was born in Albany
*
Ray Stevens, American
country music singer
* Olympic gold medal
hurdler Angelo Taylor*
Mark Taylor, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
*
Travis Richter guitarist for the
post hardcore band
From First to Last*
Albany, Texas was named in 1873 by county clerk William Cruger after his former home of Albany, Georgia. [
27]
* The new U.S. federal
courthouse in downtown Albany is dedicated to
civil rights attorney C.B. King.
*
US Vice President Dick Cheney often comes to Albany and the surrounding areas to hunt quail.
* Nicknames for Albany include:
**
Artesian City
** Good Life City
**
Pecan Capital of the World
**
Quail Hunting Capital of the World
*
Old U.S. Post Office and Courthouse*
The New Georgia Encyclopedia*
Inc. Magazine's Top 25 Small Cities for Doing Business in America*
History of Albany, Georgia*
The Albany Mall
