Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of

Colquitt County Colquitt County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,898. The county seat is Moultrie. The county was created on February 25, 1856, and is named for Walter Terry Colquitt, a U.S. senator. ...

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. It is the third largest city in

Southwest Georgia Southwest Georgia is a fourteen-county region in the U.S. state of Georgia. It has a 2010 census population of 496,433, and is the least populated region in Georgia, just slightly behind Southeast Georgia. Additionally, the area has historical ...

, behind Thomasville and Albany. As of the 2010 census, Moultrie's population was 14,268. It was originally known as Ochlockoney until it was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly in 1859. Moultrie is an agricultural community set in the Southern Rivers part of Georgia. Downtown Moultrie contains the Moultrie Commercial Historic District, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The district includes the Colquitt Theatre. It is well known for its antique shops and has been styled "The Antique Capital of South Georgia". Moultrie is the home of former US Senator Saxby Chambliss.

Geography

Located in southwest Georgia, Moultrie is in the center of Colquitt County, west of Interstate 75, and about south of

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 498,7 ...

and northeast of

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

. The city is located between Albany to the northwest, Tifton to the northeast, Thomasville to the southwest, and Valdosta to the southeast. 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.15%, is water. Moultrie is located at (31.170188, -83.783601).

History

The city was named after Gen. William Moultrie, the Revolutionary War hero after whom Fort Moultrie was named following the successful defense of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, against the British under Peter Parker, an anniversary subsequently celebrated as

Carolina Day The following are minor or locally celebrated holidays related to the American Revolution. A Great Jubilee Day A Great Jubilee Day, first organized May 26, 1783 in North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, celebrated end of major fighting in t ...

. Colquitt County became the 115th county in Georgia by an act of the Legislature on February 25, 1856. It was named after

Walter Terry Colquitt Walter Terry Colquitt (December 27, 1799May 7, 1855) was a lawyer, Circuit rider (religious), circuit-riding Methodist preacher, and politician. Born in Virginia, he later moved with his family to Georgia, where he grew up. He graduated from Prin ...

, a minister, statesman and lawyer who was a military leader in the mid-1860s. In 1879, a charter was adopted and 50 acres (0.03 km²) in the center of the county was declared the county seat. Founders of naval stores started harvesting timber in the late 1890s. They set up

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a special ...

stills and built tram roads, allowing for the railroad to come into the territory. The Boston & Albany line, which later became the

Georgia Northern Railway The Boston and Albany Railroad was chartered in 1891 to build a rail line from Boston to Albany, Georgia, United States. After two years, very little progress had been made and the railroad was purchased by the Pidcock Family who had founded a pr ...

, was the first through town, bringing with it growth and prosperity for the county. Practically every train brought new residents interested in supplying naval stores or working in the sawmills. By 1900, through the work of businessmen, bankers and speculators, the county was becoming a farmer's paradise. Land was cleared and development companies began dividing the forested area into farm tracts. Experienced farmers from north Georgia and the Carolinas were invited to come and develop the land. The county's agriculture industry thrives today.

Moultrie Commercial Historic District

Moultrie Commercial Historic District is a historic area of Moultrie with several buildings of historical significance including the Moultrie Colquitt Towers, formerly a hotel called Hotel Colquitt. The district was listed on the

on June 3, 1994. The area is generally bounded by northeast First Avenue, southeast Second Avenue, West First Street and East Fourth Street. The district's coordinates are 31°10′48″N 83°47′14″W / 31.18°N 83.787222°W / 31.18; -83.787222.

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 off ...

, there were 14,638 people, 4,945 households, and 2,988 families residing in the city.

2012

As of the census of 2012, there were 14,506 people, 5,663 households, and 3,505 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,525 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 38.05%

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 ...

, 50.2%

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 ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.37% 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 ...

, 2.99% from other races, and 0.98% 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 for ...

or Latino people of any race were 10.02% of the population. Colquitt Theatre

There were 5,663 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% 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 ...

living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,193, and the median income for a family was $43,406. Males had a median income of $27,856 versus $26,417 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 $40,657. About 16.0% of families and 19.6% 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 ...

, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colquitt County School District

Moultrie public schools are controlled by the Colquitt County Board of Education. The

Colquitt County School District The Colquitt County School District is a public school district in Colquitt County, Georgia and based in Moultrie. It serves the communities of Berlin, Doerun, Ellenton, Funston, Moultrie, Norman Park, Omega, and Riverside. Schools The ...

holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, consisting of ten elementary schools, a middle school, a junior high school, and one high school. As of November 27, 2020, the district had more than 9,100 students and 1,351 staff, which includes both certified and classified staff. Elementary schools *Cox Elementary School *Doerun Elementary School *Funston Elementary School *G.E.A.R. Gifted Center *Hamilton Elementary School *Norman Park Elementary School *Odom Elementary School *Okapilco Elementary School *Stringfellow Elementary School *Sunset Elementary School *Wright Elementary School *Pre-K Program Middle schools * Williams Middle School Junior high school * C. A. Gray Junior High School High school *

Colquitt County High School Colquitt County High School (CCHS) is a public high school located in unincorporated Colquitt County, Georgia, United States, near Moultrie and with a Norman Park postal address; it has a student body averaging 1,700. The school is part of the ...

Private schools

Colquitt County also has a small, private Christian School, Colquitt Christian Academy, which is located at Calvary Baptist Church.

Higher education

* Southern Regional Technical College – Main Campus * Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College – Moultrie Campus * Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine – South Georgia Campus. PCOM South Georgia opened in August 2019, offering a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree, and added a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences in the fall of 2020.

Industry

Industry in the Moultrie area grew considerably when

Sanderson Farms Sanderson Farms is an American poultry producer which is based in Laurel, Mississippi. It is the third largest poultry producer in the United States and produces 13.65 million chickens per week. On July 22, 2022, it merged with Wayne Farms to fo ...

opened a processing plant in 2006 that now employs over 1,000 workers, over 10 percent of the local workforce. The manufacturer of light, single-engined

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh condi ...

aircraft, the Maule Air, is also located in Moultrie.

Telecommunications

There are three radio channels and three television stations located in Moultrie. *Radio ** WMTM-1300 AM News/Talk ** WMTM-93.9 FM Oldies Cruisin' 94 ** WWGW-LP 102.5 FM *Television ** WSWG CBS TV' ** CW44 CW TV ** WSWG2 My Network TV

Transportation

Moultrie is served by

US 319 U.S. Route 319 (US 319) is a spur of US 19. It runs for from the foot of the John Gorrie Memorial Bridge across from downtown Apalachicola, Florida to US 1/ SR 4 in Wadley, Georgia, through the Panhandle of Florida and the southern portion of G ...

, which connects to Interstate 75 and

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

. State Road 37 and State Road 111 also run through Moultrie. Moultrie has two public airports used primarily for general aviation, Moultrie Municipal Airport and Spence Airport.

Historic sites

Moultrie is home to several sites on the

National Register of Historic Places listings in Colquitt County, Georgia This is a list of properties and districts in Colquitt County, Georgia Colquitt County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,898. The county seat is Moultrie. The county was created on Febru ...

of the

Points of interest

* Museum of Colquitt County History * Reed Bingham State Park – offers camping, hiking, fishing, birding, and boating on a 375 acre lake. Wildlife includes bald eagles, alligators, and gopher tortoises. * Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library * Spence Field * Colquitt County Arts Center – home to permanent collections, theatre groups, concerts, art education, and the Fall Quilt Exhibition * Tom White Linear Park – a 7.5 mile "Rails to Trails" project, for walkers and cycle enthusiasts

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Moultrie has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Moultrie, Georgia
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Notable people

References

External links

*
Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of CommerceOlde Greenfield Church and Historic Cemetery
historical marker {{Authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Colquitt County, Georgia Micropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state) County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) 1879 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1879