Valdosta, GA Summer Camps

About Valdosta, GA

Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 Census, Valdosta has a total population of 54,518 , and is the 14th largest city in Georgia. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2010, had a population of 139,588. Valdosta is the home of Valdosta State University, a regional university in the University System of Georgia with over 12,000 students, and Valdosta High School, home to the winningest football program in the United States.

History of Valdosta, GA

Valdosta was incorporated on December 7, 1860, at which time the county government was moved from nearby Troupville. Citizens of Troupville relocated when the Gulf and Atlantic Railroad was built four miles away. In 1860, the engine known as Satilla Number Three pulled the first train into Valdosta on the Gulf and Atlantic Railway. Troupville, now virtually abandoned, had been named after Governor George Troup, for whom Troup County, Georgia, was also named. Valdosta was named after Troup's estate, Val d'Osta, which itself was named after the Valle d'Aosta in Italy. The name Aosta , refers to Emperor Augustus. Thus, Valdosta can be interpreted literally as meaning "Valley of Augustus' City". Originally, a long-standing rumor held that the city's name meant "vale of beauty." After the American Civil War, over one hundred African Americans, families of farmers, craftsmen, and laborers, emigrated from Lowndes County to Arithington, Liberia, Africa, in 1871 and 1872, looking for a better life. This was made possible with the support of the American Colonization Society.

Valdosta, GA City Statistics:

Population: 43724
Elevation: 229 feet. Longitude: -83.2784 Latitude: 30.8494