Tifton, Georgia

Tifton is a city in and the county seat of Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 17,045 at the 2020 census.

The area's public schools are administered by the Tift County School District. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has its main campus in Tifton. Southern Regional Technical College and the University of Georgia also have Tifton campuses.

Sites in the area include the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and the Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village. The Tifton Commercial Historic District and the Tifton Residential Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

thumb|right|Child workers at Tifton Cotton Mills, 1909. Photographed by [[Lewis Hine.]]

Tifton was founded in 1872 in Berrien County at the junction of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad and the Brunswick and Western Railroad by sawmill owner Henry H. Tift. Tifton was incorporated as a city in 1890. In 1905, it was designated the county seat of the newly formed Tift County.

Several Chicago-Florida and Cincinnati-Florida passenger trains made stops in Tifton: the Atlantic Coast Line's Seminole, Flamingo and City of Miami and the Southern Railway's Ponce de Leon and Royal Palm. With the discontinuance of the City of Miami in 1971, Tifton was left without passenger service.

Geography

Tifton is located in south central Georgia along Interstate 75, which runs north to south through the city, leading north to Atlanta and south to Valdosta. Other highways that pass through the city include U.S. Route 41, U.S. Route 82, U.S. Route 319, and Georgia State Route 125.

Climate

Tifton has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Tifton had a population of 17,045. The median age was 33.4 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.7 males age 18 and over.

98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 6,778 households in Tifton, including 3,779 families residing in the city. Of all households, 32.6% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. in addition to an extensive college library located at nearby Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Points of interest

Coastal Plain Research Arboretum
Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village

Until recently, Tifton was the home of the world's second-largest magnolia tree, which was located in Magnolia Tree Park. In 2004, the tree was burned in a fire. The cause of the fire has never been given by local authorities. Currently, the tree and observation area are blocked from visitors by a gate. Although it no longer grows, the tree still stands. It is not known where the new second-largest magnolia tree resides.

Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village

The Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, formerly known as Agrirama, is located in Tifton, Georgia. It opened on July 4, 1976. The grounds consist of five areas: a traditional farm community of the 1870s, an 1890s progressive farmstead, an industrial site complex, a rural town, a national peanut complex, and the Museum of Agriculture Center. Over 35 structures have been relocated to the site and faithfully restored or preserved. Costumed interpreters explain and demonstrate the lifestyle and activities of this time in Georgia's history.

Historic districts

The Tifton Residential Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 2008. It is bounded generally by 14th Street, Goff Street, 2nd Street and Forrest Avenue at coordinates . The Tifton Commercial Historic District and the Tift County Courthouse are also on the National Register.

Sports

In 2000, the boys 10u baseball team won the state championship with an undefeated season (24–0).

In 2010, the indoor football team Georgia Firebirds relocated from Waycross, Georgia, to Tifton.

Education

thumb|[[Tift County School District headquarters]]

Tift County School District

The Tift County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of eight elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, and an alternative school. The district has 467 full-time teachers and over 7,641 students.

Private schools

Tiftarea Academy, located in Chula, Georgia (PK–12)
Grace Baptist Christian School, Tifton

Higher education

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College - Main Campus
Southern Regional Technical College - Tifton Campus
University of Georgia - Tifton Agricultural Campus

Media

The Tifton Gazette is a weekly newspaper published on Thursdays in Tifton, Georgia. It is operated by South Georgia Media Group, a division of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. The Tifton Grapevine is a twice-weekly online newspaper with an email circulation of 8,600. It is operated by Sayles Unlimited Marketing.

Infrastructure

thumb|Tifton water tower seen from I-75

Transportation

Major highways

20px Interstate 75
20px U.S. Highway 41
20px U.S. Route 82
20px U.S. Route 319
25px State Route 125

Airports

Henry Tift Myers Airport is a public airport located southeast of Tifton, serving the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.

==Notable people==

Nanci Bowen - LPGA golfer
Justin Brownlee - professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the PBA
Caitlin Carmichael - child actress
Harold Cohen - US Army colonel during World War II and recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal
Larry Dean - football linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League
Dennis Dove - former MLB pitcher
Harold Bascom Durham Jr., US Army 2d Lieutenant awarded the Medal of Honor
Todd Fordham - former NFL offensive lineman
Bob Hoffman - sports promoter
Kip Moore, country music singer
Matt Moore - former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party
Wyc Orr - politician and lawyer
Ralph Puckett - US Army Colonel, Distinguished Graduate of the United States Military Academy, awarded Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross (with oak leaf cluster), Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster), Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters), etc.
Austin Scott - U. S. Congressman representing Georgia's 8th congressional district
Members of alternative rock band September Hase
Clay Shiver -former NFL offensive lineman
James "Chick" Stripling - Fiddler, comedian, and buck dancer
Tyson Summers - American college football coach
Cyndi Thomson - country music singer
Dina Titus - U.S. Congresswoman representing Nevada's 1st congressional district
Neil Norman - Associate Professor, College of William & Mary
Rashod Bateman - football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League