ALBANY, GEORGIA

'Albany' is a city located in southwest Georgia. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Dougherty County.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

MSA

City

History

Albany in ''The Souls of Black Folk''

Government

Economy

Top ten employers in Dougherty County

Other notable companies

Transportation

Education

Health care

Sports

Local attractions

Museums and the arts

Parks and monuments

Registered historic places

Notable Albanians

Local media

Newspapers

Television stations

FM radio stations

AM radio stations

Miscellaneous

References

External links

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 Bureau of Census, the Albany, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had an estimated population of 163,961 and ranked #232 in the U.S. in 2006. (The MSA consisists of Dougherty, Terrell, Lee, 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 535.0/km² (1,385.5/mi²).
There were 32,062 housing units at an average density of 222.9/km² (577.3/mi²).

The racial makeup of the city was 33.21% White, 64.80% African American, 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.
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[1].
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 Nelson, 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
^[1]
as the base was renamed. Among them were the 1370th Photomapping Group ^[2], 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. ^[3]
In 1951 the Marine Corps established a large base on the eastern outskirts of the city.
In 1960 the population reached 50,000.
The Albany Movement played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph David Abernathy, were arrested with approximately 250 other protesters on December 16, 1961 while attempting to desegregate government buildings. The Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum is located in the former Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
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. [2].

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)''

★ Phoebe Putney Health Systems

★ Procter & Gamble

★ Cooper Tire & Rubber Company

★ Albany State University

★ Miller Brewing Company

★ Merck & Co., Inc. - Closed Shop!

★ Teleperformance USA

★ Coats and Clark, Inc.

★ Palmyra Medical Centers

★ BellSouth Telecommunications

Other notable companies

★ Georgia Pacific Corp.

★ Masterfoods USA

★ Thrush Aircraft

Transportation

Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (ABY) is serviced by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional carrier for Delta. 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 [3] 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 [4] at its hub. Palmyra Medical Centers [5] is a for-profit hospital.

Sports

'Club'	'Sport'	'League'	'Venue'	'Logo'
South Georgia Peanuts	Baseball	South Coast League	Paul Eames Sports Complex	South Coast League Logo
South Georgia Wildcats	Arena Football	AF2, American Conference, Southern Division	James H. Gray, Sr. Civic Center	South Georgia Wildcats Logo

Local attractions

Museums and the arts

★ Albany Area Arts Council [6]

★ Albany Ballet Theater

★ The Albany Chorale [7]

★ Albany Civic Center

★ The Albany Concert Association [8]

★ Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum [9]

★ Albany Municipal Auditorium

★ Albany Museum of Art [10]

★ The Albany Symphony Orchestra [11]

★ Flint RiverQuarium [12]

★ The Parks at Chehaw [13] - one of two accredited zoos in Georgia

★ RiverQuarium Imagination Theater (IMAX) [14]

★ Theatre Albany [15]

★ Thronateeska Heritage Center [16]

★ Weatherbee Planetarium [17]

★ Georgia Artists Guild of Albany [18]

Parks and monuments

★ Albany Civil Rights Memorial

★ Albany Railroad Depot Historic District

★ Astronauts Memorial

★ Confederate Memorial Park

★ Freedom Flame

★ Freedom Walk

★ The Guardian

★ Hillsman Park

★ Radium Springs - one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia

★ RiverFront Park

★ Royal Air Force Memorial

★ Tift Park

★ Veterans Park

Registered historic places

★ Albany District Pecan Growers' Exchange

★ Albany Housefurnishing Company

★ Albany Municipal Auditorium [19][20]

★ Albany Railroad Depot Historic District

★ Bridge House (Albany, Georgia) [21]

★ Carnegie Library of Albany

★ Davis-Exchange Bank Building

★ John A. Davis House

★ Lustron House at 1200 Fifth Avenue

★ Lustron House at 711 Ninth Avenue

★ Mount Zion Baptist Church [22]

★ New Albany Hotel [23]

★ Old St. Teresa's Catholic Church

★ Rosenberg Brothers Department Store

★ Samuel Farkas House

★ St. Nicholas Hotel

★ Tift Park

★ U.S. Post Office and Courthouse [24]

★ Union Depot (Albany, Georgia)

★ W. E. Smith House

Notable Albanians

★ Seattle Seahawks football player Deion Branch

★ Nellie Brimberry became the first Postmistress of a major U.S. Post Office in 1910

★ 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

★ 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

★ C. B. King, civil rights attorney

★ 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

★ 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

★ Olympic gold medal hurdler Angelo Taylor

★ Mark Taylor, Former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia

★ Metal Band- With Blood Comes Cleansing

★ Keith Thomas, Graduate of Columbus State University and Businessman

★ David T. Hopper - present Consul General of US Consulate in Chennai, India.

Local media

Newspapers

★ ''The Albany Herald'' [25]

★ ''The Albany Southwest Georgian'' historically Black Newspaper founded by A.C. Searles

Television stations

★ Channel 10 WALB (NBC) [26]

★ Channel 14 WABW (PBS-GPB) (Pelham, Georgia) [27]

★ Channel 31 WFXL (FOX) [28]

★ Channel 44 WSWG (CBS) [29]

★ Channel 34 W34CZ (Trinity Broadcasting Network)

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) [30]

★ 92.7 WASU (Albany State University - college, jazz, urban)

★ 93.1 WSRD (religious, talk)

★ 95.5 The Beat (hip hop)

★ 96.3 WJIZ (urban)[31]

★ 97.3 WRAK "Magic 97.3" (adult contemporary)[32]

★ 98.1 WMRZ "Kiss" (adult urban)[33]

★ 100.3 WOBB "B-100"(country)[34]

★ 101.7 WQVE "V101.7"(Urban AC)[35]

★ 102.1 WNUQ "Q102" (Top 40)[36]

★ 102.5 W273AE (religious; translator for WYFK)

★ 103.5 WJAD "Rock 103" (classic and mainstream rock) (Leesburg, Georgia)[37]

★ 104.5 WKAK "K-Country" (country)[38]

★ 105.5 WZBN(Blues) "105.5 Southern Soul"[39]

★ 106.1 WRXZ "Hot 106" (rap)

★ 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. [40]

★ The new U.S. federal courthouse in downtown Albany is dedicated to civil rights attorney C.B. King.

★ US Vice President Dick Cheney often comes to Albany and the surrounding areas to hunt quail.

★ 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 all'BEN'ny with emphasis on the second syllable, while others pronounce it 'ALL'bany with the emphasis on the first syllable.

★ Albany is part of the area code 229

References

1. Turner AFB
2. 1370th Photomapping and Charting Group
3. History of Turner Field Albany Georgia

External links

★ Old U.S. Post Office and Courthouse

★ The New Georgia Encyclopedia

★ Inc. Magazine's Top 25 Small Cities for Doing Business in America

★ History of Albany, Georgia

★ Albany Tomorrow