Greater Valdosta is the business, cultural, educational, medical, leisure, and retail hub for eleven South Georgia and North Florida counties and more than 1.2 million citizens. With our upcoming Metro status Valdosta, Georgia’s tenth largest city, and Lowndes County is quickly becoming the fasted growing area in Georgia and is home to Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta State University, and two Regional Medical Centers. Strong industrial and business opportunities, strategic location, and progressive economy make the Valdosta-Lowndes area idea for a great place to live, work, and visit. Come join in on the excitement! It’s the right location for you.
People and products move easily in and out of the Valdosta area by land, air, and sea. Located at a major Interstate crossroad, Valdosta is easily accessible by I-75 and I-10. The city's modern airport has daily connecting flights to Atlanta, which means the rest of the country and the rest of the world are just a few hours away.
Businesses looking to ship products need look no further than the city's railroad tracks. As the regional rail center, Valdosta is served by CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Valdosta Railway. If ships are the preferred mode of transportation, the ports of Savannah, GA, Brunswick, GA, and Jacksonville, FL, are all nearby.
In Valdosta, business is booming. Large companies attract skilled workers, and the area's factory outlets, malls, and shops attract droves of shoppers. In the past decade alone, 7,500 new jobs were created as a result of the area's growing economy.
According to 2000 Census, the City of Valdosta had a population of 43,724 persons. Between 1990 and 2000, the city experienced a population increase of 9.2%, compared to the state growth during this period of 26.4%.
In Valdosta, 47.7% of the residents were white and 48.5% were black, according to 2000 Census. Hispanics, who may be identified as either white or black, represented 2.2% of the city's residents. Statewide, 65.1% of the population were white, 28.7% were black, and 5.3% were Hispanic.
According to the 2000 Census, 26.1% of the city's residents were age 18 or younger, while 10.5% were age 65 or older. Statewide, 26.5% of the population were age 18 or younger and 9.6% were age 65 or older.
The 1990 Census indicates that in Valdosta, 69.5% of the adult population (25 years of age and older) were high school graduates or higher and 21.1% of the adult population held a bachelor's degree or higher. Statewide, 70.9% of the adult population were high school graduates or higher and 19.3% held a bachelor's degree or higher.
School-age children in the City of Valdosta attend schools in the Valdosta City school system. Between 1992 and 1996, the average dropout rate for students in grades 8 through 12 was 10.1%. Statewide, the average dropout rate was 7.9% for the same time period. The Department of Education has changed the method of calculating total enrollment, which is used to calculate dropout rates. For the 1997-98 school year, the dropout rate for students in grades 9 through 12 was 9.8%, compared to the statewide rate of 6.5%.
Between 1992 and 1996, the infant mortality rate in the City of Valdosta was 12.5 per 1,000 infants. The statewide rate was 9.8 per 1,000 infants.
The 2000 Census indicates that 12.3% of the total households in Valdosta were headed by females with children under 18 years of age, compared with a statewide figure of 8.6%.
Also, 8.7% of the heads of households in Valdosta were 65 years or older in age, compared with the statewide figure of 7%.
According to the 1990 Census, the percentage of the population with incomes below the poverty level in Valdosta was 23.8%. Georgia's poverty rate for the same year was 11.5% and the national rate was 13.5%. In addition, 33.4% of the children under 18 years of age and 25.3% of the elderly, persons age 65 years and over, lived below the poverty level in Valdosta.
Based on 1990 Census data, 50.1% of the housing units in Valdosta were owner-occupied. The median value of these units was $59,600. Statewide, 64.9% of the housing units were owner-occupied, with a median value of $71,300.
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