Vidalia, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vidalia, Georgia
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| City of Vidalia | |
Vidalia's city hall, the Vidalia Municipal Building, in 2015.
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| Motto(s):
"The Sweet Onion City"
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Location in Toombs County and the U.S. state of Georgia
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| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| Counties | Toombs, Montgomery |
| Area | |
| • City | 18.26 sq mi (47.29 km2) |
| • Land | 17.89 sq mi (46.33 km2) |
| • Water | 0.37 sq mi (0.96 km2) |
| Elevation | 299 ft (91 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 10,785 |
| • Density | 602.88/sq mi (232.77/km2) |
| • Urban | 26,067 |
| • Metro | 36,346 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes |
30474-30475
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| Area code(s) | 912 |
| FIPS code | 13-79388 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0324704 |
| Website | The City of Vidalia, Georgia |
Vidalia ( vye-DAYL-yə --DAY-yə) is a city located primarily in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The city also extends very slightly into Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,473.
Vidalia is the principal city of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Montgomery and Toombs Counties, and had a combined population of 36,346 at the 2010 census.
Contents
Description and history
The town was incorporated on January 1, 1890. It is the largest city in Toombs County, but it is not the county seat. Although a Georgia website suggests the town may have been named "via dalia" ("road of dahlias"), it may have been named — like Vidalia, Louisiana — in honor of Don José Vidal, a Spanish aristocrat.
Like many towns in the region, Vidalia grew up around a rail yard that served farmers in the area who grew such crops as pecans and tobacco. The area's famous onions were not an important crop until much later.
In the 1950s, Piggly Wiggly grocery stores opened a distribution center in Vidalia, bringing with it a large influx of jobs as well as railroad business. At that time, Vidalia served as an interchange junction between the Central of Georgia and the Georgia and Florida (later both Southern railroads). For this, a large seven track yard was constructed, as well as a sizable engine servicing facility and interchange yard. The latter, smaller interchange yard is still in use to some degree by the Georgia Central railroad, while the larger yard was removed sometime in the 1970s. Dot Foods currently occupies most of the old Piggly Wiggly distribution center, with smaller companies leasing space.
Currently, the largest employers in Vidalia are Trane who has a large assembly plant and Wal-Mart which is rumored to be located on the former farm where the Vidalia sweet onions were first grown.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45 km2), of which 17.3 square miles (45 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.63%) is water. Vidalia is located at 32°12′55″N 82°24′36″W / 32.21528°N 82.41000°W (32.215305, -82.410086).
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 503 | — | |
| 1910 | 1,776 | 253.1% | |
| 1920 | 2,860 | 61.0% | |
| 1930 | 3,585 | 25.3% | |
| 1940 | 4,109 | 14.6% | |
| 1950 | 5,819 | 41.6% | |
| 1960 | 7,569 | 30.1% | |
| 1970 | 9,507 | 25.6% | |
| 1980 | 10,393 | 9.3% | |
| 1990 | 11,078 | 6.6% | |
| 2000 | 10,491 | −5.3% | |
| 2010 | 10,473 | −0.2% | |
| 2020 | 10,785 | 3.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 5,168 | 47.92% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 4,556 | 42.24% |
| Native American | 16 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 152 | 1.41% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 296 | 2.74% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 595 | 5.52% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,785 people, 4,042 households, and 2,499 families residing in the city.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
Each spring Vidalia holds a world-famous Onion Festival. The event lasts for five days and draws in many tourists with its wide variety of activities.
Museums and other points of interest
The Altama Gallery is a museum of history and art located inside the restored Brazell House.
Vidalia in music
Although it has never been officially confirmed, it is believed by locals that the 1996 song Vidalia sung by Sammy Kershaw alludes to the Vidalia Sweet Onion crop with its lyrics "...sweet Vidalia, You always gotta make me cry!" While uncertainty remains about the song, Vidalia sweet onions have recently made a name for the town through national media and the Onions and Ogres advertisement campaign which features the cartoon ogre Shrek.
Economy
Vidalia has a mixed economy, but its largest industry is agriculture. Since 1931, Granex onions grown in and near Vidalia have been licensed and sold internationally as Vidalia onions. In 1986, the Vidalia Onion Trademark Act granted a state trademark and protection on the onions of the Vidalia and Toombs County area. The 1989 Federal Marketing Order #955 of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service gave the growers and handlers the legal rights to establish the Vidalia Onion Committee, and it granted U.S. federal protection of the onion's name and production.
Onions
Vidalia is best known for its "sweet" onions. The Vidalia onion was first produced about 1931 when a farmer named Mose Coleman discovered that the onions he produced were sweeter than other onions. Other farmers started growing the same crop, and in the 1940s the Vidalia onion became an item sold to tourists.
Vidalia onion growers have protected their brand, and today all onions labelled Vidalia must be grown in one of thirteen different counties in Georgia or in specific portions of seven other counties. Because of their taste and reputation, they are able to command an increased price in the marketplace.
In 1990, the Vidalia onion was named as the official vegetable of the state of Georgia.
Education
Public schools
Vidalia Public Schools are part of the Vidalia City School District. The school district holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 144 full-time teachers and over 2,408 students.
- Edward D Phillips Special Education Center.
Private
The Paul Anderson Youth Home offers faith-based accredited preparatory education and treatment to at-risk youth.
Notable people
- Paul Anderson, Olympic weightlifter and strongman. Founder of Paul Anderson Youth Home in Vidalia.
- Mel Blount, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back, five-time Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; born in Vidalia.
- Paul Claxton, professional golfer; born in Vidalia.
- Carl Simpson, football player; born in Vidalia.
- Fred Stokes, defensive end who played ten seasons in National Football League; born in Vidalia.
See also
In Spanish: Vidalia (Georgia) para niños
