Lanier County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lanier County
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Lanier County Courthouse in Lakeland
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Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
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 Georgia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Founded | August 7, 1920 |
| Named for | Sidney Lanier |
| Seat | Lakeland |
| Largest city | Lakeland |
| Area | |
| • Total | 200 sq mi (500 km2) |
| • Land | 185 sq mi (480 km2) |
| • Water | 15 sq mi (40 km2) 7.3%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 9,877 |
| • Density | 53/sq mi (20/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
Lanier County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. At the 2020 census, the population was 9,877. The county seat is Lakeland. It is named after Georgia poet Sidney Lanier.
Lanier County is part of the Valdosta, Georgia metropolitan statistical area and shares Moody Air Force Base with Lowndes County on its western boundary.
Contents
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 200 square miles (520 km2), of which 185 square miles (480 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (7.3%) is water.
The vast majority of Lanier County is in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. Just a narrow section of the western border of the county, northeast and southeast of Ray City, is in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin, and a very narrow section of the eastern border of Lanier County is in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.
Major highways
U.S. Route 84
U.S. Route 129
U.S. Route 221
State Route 11
State Route 11 Bypass
State Route 31
State Route 31 Connector
State Route 37
State Route 38
State Route 64
State Route 122
State Route 122 Connector
State Route 125
State Route 135
State Route 135 Bypass
State Route 168
Major waterways
Railways
Previous
Defunct
- Atlantic and Gulf Railroad
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
- Lakeland Railroad (Defunct, it was used from 1929 to 1957. It ran along the same path as the Milltown Air Line Railroad)
- Milltown Air Line Railroad (Defunct, it was used from 1904 to 1928. It ran from Lakeland to Naylor, Georgia)
- Plant System
- Waycross and Western Railroad (Defunct, it was used from 1912 to 1925 from Waycross, Georgia to Lakeland, Georgia. It roughly followed current Georgia State Route 122)
Adjacent counties
- Berrien County - northwest
- Atkinson County - north
- Clinch County - east
- Echols County - south
- Lowndes County - southwest
National protected area
The Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1985, hosts approximately 20,000 visitors annually. It provides hiking, fishing, and boating opportunities on more than 4,000 acres (16 km2) of water, Banks Lake marsh, and swamp. The Robert Simpson III Nature Trail, dedicated in August 2001, is in the Lakeland, Georgia city limits on 75 acres (300,000 m2) of pine and hardwood forests. The county is known for its excellent fishing in the Alapaha River, Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge as well as in its many small lakes.
Communities
Cities
- Lakeland
- Ray City
Census-designated place
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 5,190 | — | |
| 1940 | 5,632 | 8.5% | |
| 1950 | 5,151 | −8.5% | |
| 1960 | 5,097 | −1.0% | |
| 1970 | 5,031 | −1.3% | |
| 1980 | 5,654 | 12.4% | |
| 1990 | 5,531 | −2.2% | |
| 2000 | 7,847 | 41.9% | |
| 2010 | 10,078 | 28.4% | |
| 2020 | 9,877 | −2.0% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 10,452 | 3.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 |
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| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 6,595 | 66.77% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,138 | 21.65% |
| Native American | 31 | 0.31% |
| Asian | 81 | 0.82% |
| Pacific Islander | 14 | 0.14% |
| Other/Mixed | 446 | 4.52% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 572 | 5.79% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,877 people, 3,714 households, and 2,536 families residing in the county.
Economy
The county's economy has remained rural in nature, but the educational, health and social service sector was the largest employment category in 2006. Factors contributing to this economy include the presence of Moody Air Force Base (shared by adjoining Lowndes County), the several lakes and nature reserve, the hospital, and a large state correctional facility.
The top ten employers in Lanier County are:
- Moody Air Force Base
- Farmers & Merchants Bank
- Louis Smith Hospital
- Patten Probation Detention Center
- Georgia Department of Corrections
- Patten Seed Company
- City of Lakeland, Georgia
- Wausau Homes, Inc
- J.H. Harvey Co, LLC (parent company of Harveys Supermarkets)
Media
- Lanier County News - Legal organ and hometown newspaper since 1913. The paper was originally named The Milltown Advocate, but changed its name after Lanier County was formed in 1920.
- Lanier County Advocate (newspaper) - Legal organ newspaper as of January 1, 2015.
Historic sites
Historic sites include Governor Eurith D. Rivers' home, which was moved from its original spot on Banks Lake to West Main Street in Lakeland in the early 1980s; Union Baptist Church, located near Georgia Highway 135; and Fender Cemetery, located east of Lakeland at the junction of U.S. 221 and Georgia Highway 37 on land that once belonged to David Fender. The site of the cemetery, in which many of the area's first settlers are buried, was chosen so that mourners would not have to ferry their dead across the river for burial. Also, the "Murals of Milltown," which depict community life in the 1920s, grace the exteriors of buildings in downtown Lakeland.
Education
The Lanier County School District, the only school district in the county, operates four schools: Lanier County Primary School, Lanier County Elementary School, Lanier County Middle School, and Lanier County High School.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Lanier para niños
