Lakeland is a city in

Lanier County Lanier County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,078. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Lakeland. The county is named after the Georgia poet S ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States. The city is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Lanier County. It is part of the

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metr ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. The population was 3,366 at the 2010 census. 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. For many years, Lakeland owned and operated its own railroad. Numerous festivals are held in the county throughout each year, one of which is the Flatlanders Frolic Arts and Crafts Show. This event features bluegrass music, a road race and various other Labor Day weekend events. Also held in Lanier County is the Living Murals Celebration, held in the spring, and most recently the Georgia Deep Woods Deerfest, a festival featuring wild game suppers and firearms giveaways.

History

By the late 1830s, a community known as Alapaha had come into existence along the road from

Waresboro, Georgia Waresboro is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Ware County, Georgia, United States, located west of Waycross. The community is part of the Waycross Micropolitan Statistical Area. It was first listed as a CDP in t ...

Troupville, Georgia "Troupville" (occasionally recorded as Troupeville) is an unincorporated community in Lowndes County, Georgia, United States, near Valdosta. Troupville was a riverboat landing near the confluence of the Withlacoochee River and the Little River ( ...

near the mill established by Joshua Lee on what is now

Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge The Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a 4,049 acre (16.4 km²) National Wildlife Refuge located in Lanier County, Georgia. Banks Lake is a natural pocosin or Sink (geography), sink of ancient geologic origin. The refuge was established i ...

. In 1838, a post office was established and was officially named Alapaha after the nearby

Alapaha River The Alapaha River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 river in southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a tributary of the S ...

. 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. 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.

Geography

Lakeland is located at (31.039214, -83.070397). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.28%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 2,875 people, 997 households, and 631 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 2,730 people, 966 households, and 661 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,162 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 67.18%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 29.27%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.66% Native American, 0.48%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.77% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.86% of the population. There were 966 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% 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 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,346, and the median income for a family was $28,487. Males had a median income of $23,457 versus $19,276 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $13,156. About 25.3% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 38.9% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The

Lanier County School District The Lanier County School District is a public school district in Lanier County, Georgia, United States, based in Lakeland. It serves the communities of Lakeland and Stockton. Schools The Lanier County School District has one primary school, on ...

holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 94 full-time teachers and over 1,345 students. *Lanier County Primary School *Lanier County Elementary School *Lanier County Middle School *

Lanier County High School Lanier County High School (LCHS) is a high school in Lakeland, Georgia, United States. The school is part of the Lanier County School District, which serves Lanier County Lanier County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state ...

The

South Georgia Regional Library 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, Geo ...

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.Miller Lakeland Library
"

. Retrieved on May 10, 2017. File:Lanier County High School.jpg,

File:Lanier County Middle School.jpg, Lanier County Middle School File:Lanier County Elementary School.jpg, Lanier County Elementary School File:Lanier County Primary School.jpg, Lanier County Primary School File:W L Miller Memorial Library.JPG, W. L. Miller Memorial Library of the

References

{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Lanier County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in the Valdosta metropolitan area