Fort Valley is a city in and 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 Peach County,

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. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,780. The city is in the Warner Robins metropolitan area and the Macon–Warner Robins

combined statistical area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

History

The town's name is a mystery, as it has never had a fort. Historians believe that the name was mistakenly changed in a transcription error when the post office was named; the area was originally thought to have been called Fox Valley. Founded in 1836, Fort Valley was incorporated as a town in 1854 and as a city in 1907. In 1924 it was the designated seat of the newly formed Peach County. Fort Valley was the backdrop for a ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' feature story in the March 22, 1943 edition. The

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 opposing ...

-era story focused on the town's sponsoring of the "Ham and Egg Show," a contest held by African-American farmers to highlight ham and poultry production in

Peach County, Georgia Peach County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,695. Its county seat is Fort Valley. Founded in 1924, it is the state's newest county, taken from Houston and ...

Geography

Fort Valley is located at (32.55, -83.89). The city is located in the central part of the state along

U.S. Route 341 U.S. Route 341 (US 341) is a U.S. highway entirely in the U.S. state of Georgia. It travels diagonally across southern Georgia (but is signed as north–south) from Brunswick at US 17/ SR 25 to Barnesville at US 41 ...

, which is the main route through the city. Via U.S. 341,

Roberta ''Roberta'' is a musical from 1933 with music by Jerome Kern, and lyrics and book by Otto Harbach. The musical is based on the novel ''Gowns by Roberta'' by Alice Duer Miller. It features the songs " Yesterdays", "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "Let ...

is 15 mi (24 km) northwest, and

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also mad ...

is 12 mi (19 km) southeast. Georgia State Routes 49, 96, and 540 (Fall Line Freeway) also run through the city. GA-49 leads northeast 11 mi (18 km) to

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

and southwest 8 mi (13 km) to Marshallville. GA-96 leads east 16 mi (26 km) to Warner Robins and west 13 mi (21 km) to Reynolds. The Fall Line Freeway runs north of the city as a four-lane divided highway, leading northeast to Byron with GA-49 and west to Reynolds with GA-96. 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 t ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

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 8,780 people, 3,040 households, and 1,685 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 in ...

of 2000, there were 8,005 people, 3,050 households, and 1,878 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,303 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 22.10%

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 o ...

, 74.65%

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 ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.85% 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 0.72% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 ...

people of any race were 4.37% of the population. There were 3,050 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.9% were married couples living together, 30.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,646, and the median income for a family was $24,206. Males had a median income of $27,016 versus $20,110 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 $10,815. About 31.8% of families and 37.7% 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 44.3% of those under the age of 18 and 17.3% of those 65 and older.

Economy

Fort Valley is the corporate headquarters of the Blue Bird Corporation, a large manufacturer of activity

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es and school buses, which opened its first Fort Valley facility in 1935.

Athletics

Football

Despite being a city of less than 10,000 people, Fort Valley boasts one of the best football teams in the state. The Peach County High Trojans have played in eight state title games since 1990, and have made the playoffs every year since. * 1992 AAA State Runners-Up * 1998 AAA State Runners-Up * 2003 AAA State Runners-Up * 2005 AAA State Champions * 2006 AAA State Champions * 2009 AAA State Champions * 2011 AAA State Runners-Up * 2017 AAA State Runners-Up

Track and field

* 1993 AAA 4x100 Relay State Champions (Greg Streeter, Jacquez Green, Marcus Robinson, Melvin Oats)

Arts and culture

Points of interest

* Massee Lane Gardens * Blue Bird Corporation's headquarters, currently their only Georgia plant

Education

Public schools

The Peach County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school. The district has 270 full-time teachers and over 3,927 students. *Byron Elementary School *Hunt Elementary School *Kay Road Elementary School *Byron Middle School *Fort Valley Middle School *

Peach County High School Peach County High School is a Public high school, public high school located in Fort Valley, Georgia, Fort Valley, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The school is part of the Peach County School District, which serves Peach County, Ge ...

Colleges and universities

The city is home to

Fort Valley State University } Fort Valley State University (FVSU, formerly Fort Valley State College and Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School) is a public land-grant historically black university in Fort Valley, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and ...

, a historically-black college.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

U.S. Route: *

State Routes: * State Route 7 * State Route 42 * State Route 49 * State Route 96

Health care

* The Medical Center of Peach County

Notable people

* Louie Crew, emeritus professor at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

, poet and activist, taught at Fort Valley State from 1973–1979 * Antone Davis, former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

offensive lineman, born in Fort Valley *

Jacquez Green D'Tanyian Jacquez "Quezi" Green (born January 15, 1976) is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver and punt returner in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1990s and early 2 ...

, former

wide receiver and punt returner, born in Fort Valley * Harold Houser,

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Rear admiral, and the 35th Governor of American Samoa, born in Fort Valley * Edward H. Hurst, Brigadier general in the Marine Corps and recipient of

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

, born in Fort Valley *

Louis Ivory Louis Ivory (born February 6, 1980) is a former American college football running back. He played for Furman. Early life Ivory was born in Fort Valley, Georgia, where he attended Peach County High School. College career Ivory grew up 140 miles ...

, former college football

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

, 2000 Walter Payton Award winner, born in Fort Valley * Kearis Jackson, wide receiver for the Georgia Bulldogs * Benny Johnson, NFL player * Pete Johnson, former NFL player *

Greg Lloyd, Sr. Gregory Lenard Lloyd Sr. (born May 26, 1965) is a former American football outside linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was named to five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. College career ...

, former NFL player, attended Fort Valley State 1983-86 *

Dannie Lockett Dannie Key "Danny" Lockett (born July 11, 1964) is a former American football linebacker who played two seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1987 NFL D ...

, former NFL player *

Randy McMichael Randy Montez McMichael (born June 28, 1979) is a former American football tight end in the National Football He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. Early years Mc ...

, former NFL player for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and the St.Louis Rams * Marcus Robinson, former

wide receiver, born in Fort Valley *

Tim Watson Timothy Michael Watson (born 13 July 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). After retiring from the game, he has continued working in the Australian footb ...

, former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

in the

, born in Fort Valley

References

External links

Fort Valley Georgia
portal style website, government, business, library, recreation and more

- comprehensive statistical data and more about Fort Valley
Info

{{authority control 1836 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Micropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Peach County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)