Rochelle is a city in Wilcox County, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1887 following the construction of the Americus, Preston, and Lumpkin Railroad through Wilcox County, it was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly in 1888 and named after La Rochelle, a port city in France. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,167.
History
The area that would become Rochelle was settled in the early nineteenth century by migrants primarily of Scots-Irish descent moving southward from the Carolinas. The settlement appeared on early maps under the name "Vineyard" before later being referred to as "Center." Modern development began in 1887, when the Americus, Preston, and Lumpkin Railroad established an east-to-west line through Wilcox County, spurring the growth of a new town at the railroad crossing. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the community as Rochelle in 1888, naming it after La Rochelle, the port city in France. Laid out as a cross-rail community, a town plan centered on the intersection of roads and the railroad line Rochelle grew rapidly, reaching a population of 793 by 1900.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.