Valdosta, Georgia is located midway between Atlanta, Georgia and Orlando, FL. Just minutes from the Georgia/Florida border, Valdosta is a regional business hub for South Georgia and North Florida. Valdosta is a Main Street City, and is proud to boast a progressive metropolitan city with small town southern charm.

Lowndes County contains two hospitals which offer a total of 380 beds. There is 1 psychiatric hospital with 48 beds, and 6 nursing homes in the area. The City of Valdosta and Lowndes County also boast 100 medical practices and 45 dental practices.

South Georgia Medical Center (SGMC) is a 335-bed, not for profit, authority governed, regional referral hospital serving a multi-county area in South Georgia and North Florida. A full-service, acute care hospital, SGMC provides a wide range of healthcare services. SGMC is the largest non-governmental employer in Lowndes County, employing over 2300 people. A self-supporting hospital, SGMC proudly provides care for the sick and injured with no local tax support.

Smith Northview Hospital is a 45-bed facility. Smith Northview has six operating rooms. As of June 2008, SMITH Northview Hospital currently employs 396 people with 107 physicians having privileges.

Valdosta possesses outstanding city and county school systems focused on providing a strong academic base and an intimate understanding of the benefits of physical education and competitive sports. The area’s 21 public schools and 7 private schools provide parents and students with choices when it comes to where and how they want to receive their education. The city and county schools combined employ 1560 certified personnel and had a total of 17,634 students enrolled in 2009. In addition, Valdosta State University, the center of higher education in South Georgia, boasts an enrollment of over 10,000 students. Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has an enrollment of over 2,500 students.

Valdosta High School Facts and Figures
Lowndes High School Facts and Figures

Lowndes County is home to The Valdosta Daily Times. Other local publications include the, Valdosta Magazine, Valdosta Scene Magazine and American Classifieds. Television media include WALB10/NBC, UPN57/FOX49 and WCTV6/CBS. Lowndes County is also home to eleven local radio stations.

There are 42 local banks, 3 branch banks, 4 regional banks, 1 S&L, and 9 credit unions. Most financial institutions offer a variety of financial options.

Valdosta has a unique and powerful position as the impact city of South Georgia. Not only is Valdosta’s location central and prime, but its consumer and employee base reaches over more than 17 counties throughout South Georgia and North Florida. The eleventh largest city in Georgia, Valdosta is a regional business hub for South Georgia and Northern Florida, offering retailers the HIGHEST overall retail pull factor in the entire State of Georgia at 2.02 and a flourishing retail sales base.

The major agricultural crops are bright leaf tobacco, truck crops, corn, hay, soy beans, peaches, and pecans. Timber and pulpwood are plentiful. Beef cattle production is also predominant.

Due to its convenient location and beautiful year-round climate, Lowndes County is filled with tourism opportunities. Visitors come to see historic places like Downtown Valdosta and the Fairview Historic District. Lake Park Mill Store Outlet Plaza in Lake Park, GA offers discount retail shopping opportunities in Lowndes County. Valdosta’s most popular attraction is Wild Adventures Theme Park. The attraction is not only an amusement park, but also a wildlife preserve and concert venue. It is the nation’s largest privately owned Amusement Theme Park. Wild Adventures has an economic impact of over of more than $3 million annually.

• Facilities: 28 tennis courts, 28 parks, 4 golf courses, 5 swimming pools, 9 recreational parks, 18 "mini" parks, and 30 public athletic facilities.
• Public Lake/River: the Alapaha River has fishing and canoeing; the Little River has swimming, fishing, camping, water skiing and motor boating; the Withlacoochee River has fishing and canoeing.
• Grand Bay Wild Life Management: The 1,350-acre Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area is part of an 18,000-acre wetlands complex second in size only to the Okenfenokee Swamp. For hikers, boaters and campers, Grand Bay offers an unusual and intriguing contact with nature.

Valdosta’s enriching arts community hosts talented individuals from within the community to world renowned artists. The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts is home to the Lowndes-Valdosta Arts Commission, which hosts visual artists as well as musicians and dance companies. The Valdosta Theatre Guild at the ‘Dosta Playhouse performs numerous plays and musicals per year featuring local talent. Over 200 music performances are offered annually by the Music Department at Valdosta State University and the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra. The university’s theatre department shows numerous productions each year and sponsors the Peach State Summer Theatre each summer.

Valdosta has two movie theatres, a 16 screen, stadium seating theatre, and a discount theater. There are also several evening entertainment establishments in the area. Wild Adventures is home to the area concert venue. There are several opportunities for sporting events in Valdosta. The VSU Blazers, Lowndes High School Vikings, Valdosta High School Wildcats, and the Valwood Valiants are all championship football teams, and offer other sporting events year round.

Average Travel Time to Work:
• Lowndes County: 18.7 minutes
• Valdosta Metro Area: 23.85 minutes
• Georgia: 26.7 minutes
• United States: 25.5 minutes

Based on U.S. Census reports

Valdosta enjoys beautiful weather year round. Just check out our average temperatures.

Month Average High Average Low Average Precipitation
January 62°F 38°F 5.79 in.
February 66°F 41°F 4.74 in.
March 73°F 47°F 5.30 in.
April 79°F 52°F 3.61 in.
May 86°F 60°F 3.15 in.
June 91°F 67°F 4.91 in.
July 92°F 70°F 6.30 in.
August 91°F 69°F 5.24 in.
September 88°F 65°F 4.11 in.
October 80°F 54°F 3.11 in.
November 72°F 46°F 3.24 in.
December 64°F 40°F 3.83 in.

Azalea Festival, Chamber’s Annual Meeting, Valdosta Garden Club's Antique Show, Winnersville Classic, Crescent Center Garden Club Camellia Show, Downtown Jingle Bell Festival, Junior Service League's Merry Marketplace, Jack Oliver Open Golf Tournament, Triple Crown Softball Classic, South Georgia Classic Professional PGA Tournament at Kinderlou Forrest Golf Course and the Arts Festival are just a few of Lowndes County's exciting events.