Lakeland, Georgia | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 31°2′21″N83°4′13″W / 31.03917°N 83.07028°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Lanier |
Area | |
• Total | 3.15 sq mi (8.16 km2) |
• Land | 3.10 sq mi (8.04 km2) |
• Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.12 km2) |
Elevation | 200 ft (61 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,875 |
• Density | 926.52/sq mi (357.79/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 31635 |
Area code | 229 |
FIPS code | 13-44592 [2] |
GNIS feature ID | 0356347 [3] |
Lakeland is a city and the county seat of Lanier County, Georgia, United States. The city is the county seat of Lanier County. [4] It is part of the Valdosta, Georgia metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,875 at the 2020 census. [5]
Originally called Alapaha and then Milltown or Mill Town, Lakeland received its current name in 1925 in honor of its proximity to Grand Bay Lake, Lake Irma, and Banks Lake. [6] For many years, Lakeland owned and operated its own railroad.
The town has an array of festival all year long, including Market Day & ‘LA DAY. This is a celebration among the African Americans of the surrounding counties to come and enjoy vendors and music, though usually called off by nightfall by local law enforcement. The town also is one of the few cities in Georgia with murals of both slaves & plantation owners. [ citation needed ]
By the late 1830s, a community known as Alapaha had come into existence along the road from Waresboro, Georgia to Troupville, Georgia near the mill established by Joshua Lee on what is now Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. In 1838, a post office was established and was officially named Alapaha after the nearby Alapaha River. In 1848, Joshua Lee sold his mill to William Lastinger. In the 1850s, additional mills were established in the area and the population of the community continued to grow. In 1857, Alapaha was renamed Milltown. During the American Civil, William Lastinger sold his mill to Henry Banks. [7] Milltown was incorporated in 1901. In 1919, Milltown was designated seat of the newly formed Lanier County. In 1928, the city was incorporated and renamed to its present form of Lakeland. [8]
Lakeland is located at 31°2′21″N83°4′13″W / 31.03917°N 83.07028°W (31.039214, -83.070397). [9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), of which 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (1.28%) is water.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 1,247 | — | |
1920 | 860 | −31.0% | |
1930 | 1,006 | 17.0% | |
1940 | 1,502 | 49.3% | |
1950 | 1,551 | 3.3% | |
1960 | 2,236 | 44.2% | |
1970 | 2,569 | 14.9% | |
1980 | 2,647 | 3.0% | |
1990 | 2,467 | −6.8% | |
2000 | 2,730 | 10.7% | |
2010 | 3,366 | 23.3% | |
2020 | 2,875 | −14.6% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [10] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 1,486 | 51.69% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,152 | 40.07% |
Native American | 3 | 0.1% |
Asian | 26 | 0.9% |
Pacific Islander | 6 | 0.21% |
Other/Mixed | 114 | 3.97% |
Hispanic or Latino | 88 | 3.06% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,875 people, 997 households, and 631 families residing in the city.
The Lanier County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. [11] The district has 94 full-time teachers and over 1,345 students. [12]
The South Georgia Regional Library operates the W. L. Miller Memorial Library in Lakeland. Initially the community was served by a library that was only open during school periods, and therefore people in the community considered it to be a school library rather than a complete community library. This small library opened in the courthouse office of the superintendent of the county school system in 1950. It was relocated to the Lanier County Primary School's Kindergarten building and then to a portion of Lanier County High School. The first standalone library, then the Lanier-Lakeland Library, opened on May 18, 1980. The current facility, built as part of a State of Georgia grant-funded library wave and partially financed by the W. L. Miller family through a $45,000 donation, opened on March 13, 1988. It was renovated from August 9 through August 23 in 2012. [13]
Lowndes County is a county located in the south-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 118,251. The county seat is Valdosta. The county was created December 23, 1825.
Lanier County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,877. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Lakeland. The county is named after the Georgia poet Sidney Lanier.
Irwin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,666. The county seat is Ocilla. The county was created on December 15, 1818. It was named for Governor Jared Irwin.
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Berrien County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,160. The county seat is Nashville. The county was created February 25, 1856 out of portions of Coffee, Irwin and Lowndes counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. It is named after Georgia senator John M. Berrien.
Jennings is a town in Hamilton County, Florida, United States. The population was 749 at the 2020 census, down from 878 at the 2010 census. Actor Andrew Prine was born here.
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Lake Park is a city in Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. The population was 932 in 2020, up from 733 in 2010.
Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As the principal city of the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, which in 2021 had a metropolitan population of 149,590, it includes Brooks County to the west. With a city population of 55,378 in 2020, Valdosta is the home of Valdosta State University, a regional university in the University System of Georgia with over 12,000 students.
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Stockton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lanier County, Georgia, United States.
The Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of four counties: Brooks, Echols, Lanier, and Lowndes. Located in Southeastern Georgia, it is anchored by the city of Valdosta. As of 2022 American Community Survey, the metropolitan area's population was 151,408.
South Georgia Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America located in southern Georgia. The council headquarters is located in Valdosta, Georgia. The council serves Scouts in Atkinson, Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Calhoun, Brooks, Clay, Coffee, Cook, Clinch, Crisp, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Schley, Sumter, Terrell, Tift, Turner, Wilcox and Worth counties.
State Route 122 (SR 122) is a 98.2-mile-long (158.0 km) state highway that travels west-to-east through portions of Thomas, Brooks, Lowndes, Lanier, Clinch, and Ware counties in the southern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway connects the cities of Thomasville and Waycross, via Lakeland.
The South Georgia Regional Library (SGRL) is a public library system consisting of six branches across the counties of Lowndes, Echols, and Lanier, Georgia. The headquarters library is the Valdosta-Lowndes County Library located in Valdosta, Georgia.