South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) is a

Public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

Americus, Georgia Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley an ...

. It has a satellite campus in

Cordele, Georgia Cordele is a city in and the county seat of Crisp County, Georgia, United States. The population was 11,147 at the 2010 census. Cordele calls itself the Watermelon Capital of the World. History Cordele was incorporated on January 1, 1888, and ...

. SGTC serves many neighboring counties including Macon, Sumter, Webster, and Crisp County.

History

Originally, SGTC served as the Air Force training facility during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, otherwise known as

Souther Field Souther Field is a former military airfield, located Northeast of Americus, Georgia. It was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the United States entry into World War I in April 1917. After World War II, the proper ...

. In fact,

Charles A. Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

purchased his first plane (a Jenny) from Souther Field. Lindbergh would later gain international recognition as the first person to fly from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

nonstop in "

The Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that was flown by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first solo nonstop transatlanti ...

" in 1927. In 1948, the school was named South Georgia Trade and Vocational School. The phrase "trade school" was later removed in 1963. After the change, the school was labeled the South Georgia Technical and Vocational School. The school name changed once more as a result of 1988 a legislative act, though its current name did not become official until Governor

Roy Barnes Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11, 1948)Cook, James F. (2005). ''The Governors of Georgia, 1754-2004, 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded.'' Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. is an American attorney and politician who served as the 80th Govern ...

enacted the Educational Reform Bill on November 2, 2000.

Location

South Georgia Technical College is located on the outskirts of Americus, in

Sumter County, Georgia Sumter County is a county located in the west- central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, its population was 32,819. The county seat is Americus. The county was created on December 26, 1831. Sumter County is part of ...

just southwest of

interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

. The small town is a part of Sumter County Historic District, because of its history in railroad and technological advances during the mid-1800s. Thanks to local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins Americus was known as the Metropolis of Southwest Georgia because of its major cotton distribution. The college is 32 miles from the larger city of

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the seat of Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia ...

and approximately 2.5 hours away from the state's capital

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1948 Technical College System of Georgia Education in Sumter County, Georgia Education in Crisp County, Georgia 1948 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Universities and colleges accredited by the Council on Occupational Education NJCAA athletics