Albany is located in the southwestern part of Georgia on the banks of the Flint River.Those moving to Albany will discover a beautiful city that maintains its small town atmosphere with southern charm and hospitality. If you are thinking of moving to Albany, Georgia you will find a city proud of its heritage and looking towards the future.
Economy:
The median household income for Albany is considerably lower than for the rest of the state. The cost of living in Albany is also considerably lower than the national average. Unemployment is currently at 12.3 percent. Health care provides the majority of jobs there. The top private employers include Proctor and Gamble, the Miller Brewing Company, Coats and Clark Inc, and Georgia Pacific. Albany was hit hard by the closing of the Cooper Tire and Rubber Co plant and Bob's Candies.
History:
Originally inhabited by the Creek Indians, the area was founded by Nelson Tift as a market for area cotton farms to get the crop to markets. Cotton was being transported by steamboats up the Flint River and in 1857 Tift had a bridge built over the river. Also in that year the railroad arrived in Albany. The area grew slowly, and was relatively untouched by the Civil War. However, the number of freed slaves after the war made problems in the area because there was so little work for them. The area became a haven for sharecropping for many years. The city has many turbulent years during the civil rights era. After World War II, the city experienced a boom with many manufacturing plants opening there, but things took a bad turn after many of the businesses closed in the 1970s.
Tourism:
The Flint Riverquarium is a unique aquarium built around a mysterious spring in the Flint River. The Chehaw is an 800 acre recreational park featuring a wild animal park. The Albany Museum of Art features the southeast's largest collection of sub-Saharan African art. Ray Charles Plaza is a downtown part dedicated to the Albany native. It features a statue of him and plays his music continuously. One of Georgia's seven natural wonders, Radium Springs is the largest natural spring in the state. The Albany Civil Rights Institute takes you through the civil rights movement in the area. Albany has a symphony Orchestra and a ballet company. The Theater Albany has many yearly productions housed in the John A. Davis home, an antebellum home built in 1853.