Central Georgia

Some of the most prominent cities in middle Georgia, each with their own unique history and character, include:

Twiggs County contains the actual geographic center of the state.

• Middle Georgia State University
• Mercer University
• Central Georgia Technical College
• Wesleyan College
• Georgia Military College
• Georgia College
• Fort Valley State University

The economy in Central Georgia tends to cluster around five areas: aerospace, healthcare and hospitals, kaolin, warehousing and distribution, and heritage and ecotourism.[6] Macon is the region's retail and trade center and the Macon-Bibb county serves as the region's center of employment.[7] The Central Georgia region has been competitive in the United States in terms of economic growth and stability, but within the state of Georgia, the region has not experienced much growth.[6] The region lags behind most other regions in the state in terms of well-being of its residents and overall economic growth.[6] As of 2017, over 46,000 workers from nearby counties commute to the Macon-Bibb county for work.[8] To assist in business growth and development, the Macon Economic Development Commission recruits new businesses and industries to the region.[9] In August 2017 the Canadian based Irving Consumer Products announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in Macon that would create additional jobs.[10]

The Central Georgia Business and Technology Park in Thomaston is a 240-acre facility that houses tenants such as Southern Company, Solutions Pest & Lawn, Criterion Technologies, and Chief Manufacturing.[11]

Houston County is located 75 miles south of the Atlanta International Airport, and home to Georgia's largest industrial complex at the Warner Robins Air Force Base. Houston county has more than 3,000 acres of land for industrial development and one of the lowest property tax rates in middle Georgia.[12] The county is designated one of Georgia’s Entrepreneur Friendly Communities.[12] Houston County has experienced a population growth, from 89,208 in 1990 to a population of 160,000 in 2015.[12]

• Clarence Reid, a.k.a. Blowfly - musician and songwriter
• Ed Roberts - Physician and founder of MITS where he created the Altair 8800 microcomputer, starting the microcomputer revolution. It featured Microsoft's first software, the Altair BASIC and employed Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Monte Davidoff.
• Obie Walker - claimant of the World Colored Heavyweight Championship boxing title in the 1930s
• Fish Scales — Alternative Southern Rap Artist[14]
• Betty Cantrell — Miss America 2016
• Robert Waymouth — Chemistry professor at Stanford University
• Melvyn Douglas — Actor
• Carrie Preston — Actress[15]
• Jack McBrayer — Actor
• Jason Aldean — Country Singer
• Sonny Perdue — Former Governor of Georgia
• Deborah Roberts — ABC News Correspondent
• Joel Godard — Late night show tv announcer[14]
• Richard "Little Richard" Penniman - Singer
• Casey Hayward — NFL football player

As of 2010, the estimated total population of central Georgia, including the counties of Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, and Twiggs counties, was 445,608 people.[16] The population has grown by 11% over the last 10 years. The fastest growth was reported in Houston County, which saw a population growth of 26.3% followed by Monroe (21.5%) and Jones (21.3%) Counties. The racial make-up of the region is 55.9% white, 38.7% Black and 1.6% asian, with about 1.8% identified as mixed or two more races.[16] Houston county has the highest educational attainment for Bachelor's Degrees (14.5%) and Graduate or Professional Degrees (11.2%) for the population over 25 years old in the Central Georgia region in 2011.

Central Georgia has several cultural attractions that include the Ocmulgee National Monument, Georgia National Fairground, and the Museum of Aviation at the Robins Air Force Base.[17] Macon is home to over 10 museums, 5 tours and 7 annual festivals. Some of the museums include the Tubman African American Museum, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, and the Museum of Arts & Sciences.[18]

The region has an abundance of nature and wildlife; the High Falls state park is located just north west of Macon. High Falls was a prosperous Industrial town with several stores, including a mill, a cotton gin and a shoe factory until it fell from prosperity.[19]

Central Georgia is also home to one of the South's most popular dirt tracks in Cochran Motor Speedway.

Popular Events

The region hosts several events each year, with Macon, the population center hosting over 20 annual events and has been nicknamed the festival capital of Georgia. Macon's popular events include the International Cherry Blossom Festival, the Bragg Jam, the Ocmulgee Indian Celebration.[20] Other popular events include the Georgia Peach Festival[21] which is hosted in Byron and Fort Valley, and the annual miss Georgia Peach pageant hosted in Fort Valley.[22]

Harmonic Hall, circa 1876 - DPLA

The region features a regional airport, the Middle Georgia Regional Airport.[23] The region is only hours away from the port of Savannah, a major U.S. seaport.[24] Major freeways and highways in the region include, Interstate-75, Interstate-475, Interstate-16, Georgia State Route-80, Georgia State route-23, and Georgia State route-19.[25]

"History, Mission, Vision, and Philosophy | Central Georgia Technical College". Central Georgia Technical College. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
"Middle Georgia State University - History of Macon State College". mga.smartcatalogiq.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
Peach Shops at Byron
Big Peach Antiques Mall (Roadside America)
"Georgia Cities by Population". www.georgia-demographics.com. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685
"Economy: The Middle Georgia Report". Georgia Trend. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy" (PDF). Peach County Development. 2018.
"Home - Macon Economic Development Commission". Macon Economic Development Commission. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Irving Consumer Products announced plans to locate a $400 million manufacturing plant in Macon-Bibb County, creating 200 jobs". Macon Economic Development Commission. Archived from the original on 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Thomaston Industrial Park". Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
"Economic Development - Houston County". Houston County Georgia. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
"Middle Georgia's largest employers". macon. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Top 5 Famous People From Milledgeville". www.gatewaymacon.org. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Top 5 Famous Macon Actors - Top 5's Everything Else - Gateway Macon". www.gatewaymacon.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
Piazza, Merissa; Andre, Joe; Tsegah, Elorm M.; Lee, Eunkyu; and Austrian, Ziona, "Central Georgia Regional Analysis: Demographics, Economy, Entrepreneurship and Innovation" (2013). Urban Publications. 0 1 2 3 685. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/685
"Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy" (PDF). Peach County Development. 2018.
"Living in Macon - Why Macon Works - Macon Economic Development Commission". www.maconworks.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Ga state park".
"Macon GA Events | Festivals, Concerts & Farmers Markets". www.maconga.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Home - Georgia Peach Festival". www.gapeachfestival.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Things to do in Middle Georgia: The Georgia Peach Festival". Warner Robins Real Estate - Warner Robins GA 31088. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
www.thirdwavedigital.com, Third Wave Digital -. "Home - Middle Georgia Regional Airport". iflymacon.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Sea Ports - Georgia Department of Economic Development". Georgia Department of Economic Development. Archived from the original on 2018-07-23. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Map of Georgia Cities - Georgia Road Map". geology.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
"Living in Central Georgia". www.thethg.com