Local History
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia and the seat of Dougherty County.
Located in southwest Georgia, it is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area.
Population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eighth-largest city in the state.
The Flint River rises in west central Georgia in the city of East Point in southern Fulton County on the southern outskirts of the Atlanta metropolitan area as ground seepage.
The exact start can be traced to the field located between Plant Street, Willingham Drive, Elm Street, and Vesta Avenue. It travels under the runways of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.[2]
Flowing generally south through rural western Georgia, the river passes through Sprewell Bluff State Park, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of Thomaston.
Farther south, it comes within 5 miles (8 km) of Andersonville, the site of the Andersonville prison during the Civil War.
In southwestern Georgia, the river flows through downtown Albany, the largest city on the river. At Bainbridge, it joins Lake Seminole, formed at its confluence with the Chattahoochee River upstream from the Jim Woodruff Dam, very near the Florida state line. From this confluence, the Apalachicola River flows south from the reservoir through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico.
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Above photo: Albany & Northern locomotive at Albany, Ga., 1962
The 35-mile line from Cordele to Albany was built between 1889 and 1891. Already important as a shipping port, Albany later became an important railroad hub in southwestern Georgia. Seven lines were constructed to the town. An exhibit on trains is located at the Thronateeska Heritage Center in the former railroad station.
On April 11, 1906, the Carnegie Library, created by matching funds from the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, was opened downtown.
Originally a segregated facility under Jim Crow laws, it was not open to African Americans until after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
It functioned as a library through 1985. In 1992, after renovation, the building was reopened as the headquarters of the Albany Area Arts Council.
The Ray Charles Memorial, honors the Albany born musician and singer, and attracts music lovers of all ages. The city has turned its riverfront into a beautiful destination area with playgrounds, historic sites, museums and more.
Flint River
Tree-Lined Driveway
