According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 30.3 square miles (78.4 kmē). 29.9 square miles (77.5 kmē) of it is land
and 0.3 square miles (0.9 kmē) of it is water. The total area is 1.09%
water.
Demographics
MSA
According to the Bureau of Census, the Valdosta, Georgia
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had an estimated population of 124,838
and ranked #294 in the U.S. in 2005. (The MSA consists of Lowndes, Brooks,
Lanier, and Echols Counties.)
City
As of the census of 2000, there were 43,724 people, 16,692 households,
and 10,232 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,460.3
people per square mile (563.9/kmē). There were 18,907 housing units at an
average density of 631.5/sq mi (243.8/kmē). The racial makeup of the city
was 47.71% White, 48.49% African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.40%
Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 1.24% from two or
more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.18% of the population.
There were 16,692 households out of which 30.9% had children under the
age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were
married
couples living together, 19.5% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 38.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up
of individuals and 8.7% 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
3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18,
18.4% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who
were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100
females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
were 81.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,046, and the median
income for a family was $38,174. Males had a median income of $27,281 versus
$20,807 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,472. About 18.8% of families and
24.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 32.1% of those under age 18 and 18.9% of those
age 65 or over.
Schools
The Valdosta School system serves the City of Valdosta with 3 high
school, 4 middle schools and 6 elementary schools.
Valdosta is also the home of
Valdosta State University (VSU), founded in 1906 as South Georgia State
Normal College for Women. It became part of the University System of Georgia
in 1950. Valdosta State College achieved
university status and became VSU in 1993.
An extension of
Georgia Military College is in the city limits, and Valdosta Technical
College is located off of
Interstate 75.
High School Football
Valdosta has a strong
high
school
football tradition. The
Valdosta High School Wildcats have the winningest high school football
program in the country.
Its record from 1913 through 2004 includes six national championships, 23
state championships, and 41 regional championships. Cross-town rival Lowndes
High School has also built a strong program, winning four state titles since
1980 (including 2004, 2005 and 2007).
In 2001, Valdosta High School's
football coach, Mike O'Brien, told a national gathering of coaches:
Our program is 86 years old, and has been through 12 head coaches. We
have only been below a .500 winning percentage five out of the 86 years.
We have accumulated 39 region championships, 23 state championships, and
six national championships. Here is a little fact to help you better
understand how tough our region is. A team from our region has either won
or played for a state championship 40 times in last 52 years. Valdosta is
the winningest high school football team in America. Our record is
782-160-33. To put that into a better perspective for you, we could lose
every game for the next 60 years and still have a winning percentage above
.500. Of course if this were to occur I would no longer be the coach.
The present record as stands at the end of the 2007 Season is 838-191-33
College Football
Valdosta State University began fielding an NCAA Division II football
program in 1982. The Blazers won the
NCAA Division II National Championship on December 15, 2007 with a
victory over NW Missouri State, 25-20. This was their second National
Championship, having won their first in 2004 over Pittsburg State, 35-31.
Their first appearance in the Division II National Championship Game was in
2002, when VSU fell to Grand Valley State, 31-24. The Blazers also have won
5 Gulf South Conference football championships (1996, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2004). Two notable alumni are
Jessie Tuggle,
National Football League linebacker from 1987-2000 playing his entire
career with the
Atlanta Falcons, and Chris Hatcher, previous head coach of Valdosta
State and current coach of the
Georgia Southern Eagles. Hatcher amassed a 68-10 record with one
national championship and four conference crowns during his six-year tenure
at Valdosta State. David Dean, former VSU offensive coordinator, is the
current football head coach at Valdosta State University. In 2007 the VSU
Blazers won another National Title. Update:Valdosta State won the
2012 Division II National Championship.
Notable
residents and natives
James Lord Pierpont, the author of "Jingle Bells," lived many years in
Valdosta, where he taught music. He later moved to Quitman, Georgia, where he died.
Buck Belue, former Valdosta High School standout and quarterback of
the University of Georgia's 1980 national championship team, now a radio
talk show host
Vincent Burns, NFL defensive tackle Indianapolis Colts
Randall Godfrey, NFL linebacker, Seattle Seahawks & San Diego Chargers
Desmond (Desi) Relaford, Major League Baseball infielder, Texas Rangers
Bill Hicks, comedian
Doc Holliday, Western dentist/gunfighter/gambler
George Baker (spiritual leader), known as Father Divine
Jay
Ratliff, NFL defensive end,
Dallas Cowboys
Sonny Shroyer, actor best known for role as
Enos Strate on
The Dukes of Hazzard, born in Valdosta on August 28, 1935.
Demond Wilson, TV actor known for playing Lamont on
Sanford and Son
Ossie Davis, award-winning actor, playwright, director, and social
activist.
Rhett Akins, Country music artist.
Billy Joe Royal, Country music artist.
Valdosta in Fiction
Parts of
Fannie Flagg's novel
Fried Green Tomatoes are set in Valdosta, although in the novel it
is incorrectly referred to as the seat of "Loundes County."
In
Allen Steele's science fiction novel Coyote Frontier, Valdosta
in the year 2070 is the site of Camp Buchanan, an internment camp for
dissident liberal intellectuals.
Scenes from
Ernest in the Army take place in Valdosta, even though the entire
film was shot in
South Africa.
