Albany is a city in and the
county seat of
Dougherty County,
Georgia,
United States, in the
southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the
Albany, Georgia metropolitan area.
Geography
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.
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. The MSA consisists of Dougherty,
Terrell,
Lee,
Mitchell,
Worth, and
Baker Counties.
City
As of the
census 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 racial makeup of the city was 64.80% African American, 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
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.
Some historians have cited that Albany was not founded by Nelson Tift, but was founded by a group of Quakers who settled along the banks of the Flint River-having exhausted the navigatable waters of the river. These Quakers named their new found settlement "Albany" because it was the same distance up the Hudson River to Albany, New York, as it was up the Flint River to their new settlement. The historical accounts of the day are that Nelson Tift actually purchased the land from the Quakers on account of the fact that the Quakers were forced to return to New York having encountered a hostile climate and Native American populuation; and, as a consequence, Nelson Tift did not actually found Albany, Georgia.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
Economy
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 Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany)Other notable companies
Transportation
Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (ABY) is serviced by
Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional carrier for
Delta and by
DayJet. 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 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 Georgia State Route 300 (Georgia-Florida Parkway).
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, Byne Memorial Baptist School, St. Theresa's Catholic School and Life Christian School.
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 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 at its hub. Palmyra Medical Centers
is a for-profit hospital.
Sports
Local attractions
Museums and the arts
Parks and monuments
Registered historic places
Notable Albanians
- Seattle Seahawks football player Deion Branch
- Nellie Brimberry became the first Postmistress of a major U.S. Post Office in 1910
- Bill Stanfill, starting defensive end on Miami's back-to-back Super Bowl champs in the early 1970s, resides and practices real estate in Albany
- 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
- Darion Crawford ("Smoke") from the hip-hop band Field Mob
- U.S. Representative from Illinois William L. 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
- Mary Hood, award-winning author of How Far She Went, And Venus Is Blue and Familiar Heat, lived here during high school
- Big Band leader and jazz trumpeteer Harry James was born in Albany on March 5, 1916
- Shawn Johnson ("Shawn J") of the hip-hop band Field Mob
- 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
- Russell Malone, Jazz guitar virtuoso, was born and raised 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
- Merritt Ranew, Milwaukee Braves baseball player
- Travis Richter, guitarist for the post hardcore band From First to Last
- 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, country music singer
- Angelo Taylor, Olympic gold medal hurdler
- Mark Taylor, Former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
- Dontonio Wingfield, former NBA basketball player
- Montavious Stanley, NFL player, Atlanta Falcons
- Daryl Smith, NFL player, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Alexander Johnson, NBA player, Miami Heat
- Bobby Dews, former Atlanta Braves bullpen and 3rd base coach, and his wife Glenda resided in Albany
- Lee James, Olympic silver medalist in light heavyweight weightlifting in 1976, attended Westover High School in Albany
- With Blood Comes Cleansing, Christian deathcore band based out of Albany
Local media
Newspapers
Television stations
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)
- 92.7 WASU (Albany State University - college, jazz, urban)
- 93.1 WSRD (religious, talk)
- 96.3 WJIZ (urban)
- 97.3 WRAK "Magic 97.3" (adult contemporary)
- 98.1 WMRZ "Kiss" (adult urban)
- 100.3 WOBB "B-100"(country)
- 101.7 WQVE "V101.7"(Urban AC)
- 102.1 WNUQ "Q102" (Top 40)
- 102.5 W273AE (religious; translator for WYFK)
- 103.5 WJAD "Rock 103" (classic and mainstream rock) (Leesburg, Georgia)
- 104.5 WKAK "K-Country" (country)
- 105.5 WZBN(Blues) "105.5 Southern Soul"
- 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
- 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.
- Some Albanians pronounce the name as allBENny with emphasis on the second syllable, while others pronounce it ALLbany with the emphasis on the first syllable.
- 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
External links
