Valdosta-Lowndes County History

Perfect Timing

While strategic geography and sandy loam soil have played an important part in the success of Valdosta-Lowndes County, the fact is we’ve always been quick to go the extra mile to seize the right opportunity. Actually, it was four miles in the 1850s. That’s when the Gulf and Atlantic Railroad came through Lowndes County and missed the county seat of Troupville by four miles. Undeterred, citizens simply migrated the four miles in order to open a depot and reap rail prosperity.

Named in honor of Val d’Aosta, the plantation home of the former city’s namesake, Governor George Troup, Valdosta became the flourishing capital of the Sea Island cotton trade. Yet when the boll weevil wreaked devastation on cotton crops at the turn of the century, local farmers wasted no time in switching to other forms of agriculture such as pecans, peanuts, and tobacco. Furthermore, realizing that the state also needed a better crop of teachers, the city donated $50,000 toward the creation of South Georgia State Normal College, which opened in 1913 and eventually became Valdosta State University. And in the late 1930s with war brewing in Europe, local leaders reached out to the Defense Department and were successful in helping Moody Army Air Field open two months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Later, the airfield became Moody Air Force Base, which today serves as host for the 23d Wing and the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing.

On the Go, On the Grow

Valdosta-Lowndes is a thriving community with an economy balanced for growth, where wages are increasing at a healthy pace, yet costs of living and business remain competitively low. The secret to our success is no secret: We’re ready to meet the future with confidence while being mindful to save what is best about the past. Valdosta’s rich architectural traditions, for example, are preserved in no less than three historic districts designated by the National Register of Historic Places—Downtown Valdosta, Victorian Fairview, and Patterson Street. In the heart of Valdosta, on the historic campus of Valdosta State University, lush palm trees and Spanish Mission architecture make for an inviting environment where students, faculty, and community members are learning and connecting.

Connections are key to the quality of life in Valdosta-Lowndes County, as residents engage not only with the scenic setting, but also have expansive choices for shopping, dining, arts, entertainment, and culture. This is the place to live life to the fullest in a vibrant, non-stop regional center, where the cultural, medical, and commercial hub serves 11-counties in South Georgia and North Florida.

And when it’s time for a getaway, Valdosta-Lowndes is positioned perfectly for regional travel, midway between Orlando and Atlanta, both are approximately a four-hour drive. Whether you're headed to the resorts of Jekyll Island and St. Simons or the sugar-white sands of Fort Walton Beach, beach destinations on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast are within a short drive. Traveling further is a breeze at the Valdosta Regional Airport, which is equipped with the third-longest runway in the state.

Just as Valdosta is an ideal launching point for travel, it also has an extensive selection of post-secondary learning resources. Whether you want to earn a bachelor's or graduate degree or fine-tune your job skills at a top-ranked technical college, you’ll find the right opportunity here in Valdosta, along with top-quality K3-12 options.

Winning Ways

 The list is long of tangible benefits—strategic location, mild climate, thriving civic and commercial assets healthcare, education, and retail—yet it’s also the intangibles that make Lowndes County one of Georgia’s fastest-growing communities.  From high school to college play, Valdosta-Lowndes County is known for its winning tradition, the notoriety has earned us the nickname “Winnersville,” along with other accolades, including ESPN’s “Title Town,” Rand-McNally’s “Friendliest City,” and USA Today’s “Best of the Road,” all bringing us more vitality.