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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,881 in 2020.

The city deems itself the "City of Roses" and holds an annual Rose Festival. The city features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large farmer's market, and an oak tree from about 1680 at the corner of Monroe and Crawford streets.

History

Thomasville was founded in 1825 as seat of the newly formed Thomas County. It was incorporated as a town in 1831 and as a city in 1889. The community was named for Jett Thomas, a general in the War of 1812.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.9 square miles (39 km), of which 14.9 square miles (39 km) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km) (0.40%) is water. It is the second largest city in Southwest Georgia after Albany. The city has three U.S. Routes: 19, 84 and 319. It is located 34 miles northeast of Tallahassee, Florida, 28 miles southwest of Moultrie, 43 miles west of Valdosta, 95 miles east of Dothan, Alabama, 59 miles south of Albany and 22 miles north of Monticello, Florida.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Thomasville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Climate data for Thomasville, Georgia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 86
(30) 		86
(30) 		96
(36) 		96
(36) 		102
(39) 		104
(40) 		106
(41) 		104
(40) 		106
(41) 		97
(36) 		89
(32) 		85
(29) 		106
(41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 63
(17) 		68
(20) 		73
(23) 		79
(26) 		86
(30) 		90
(32) 		92
(33) 		91
(33) 		87
(31) 		81
(27) 		73
(23) 		65
(18) 		79
(26)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 39
(4) 		42
(6) 		47
(8) 		53
(12) 		61
(16) 		69
(21) 		71
(22) 		71
(22) 		67
(19) 		57
(14) 		49
(9) 		41
(5) 		56
(13)
Record low °F (°C) 5
(−15) 		11
(−12) 		19
(−7) 		30
(−1) 		41
(5) 		48
(9) 		56
(13) 		53
(12) 		37
(3) 		26
(−3) 		11
(−12) 		8
(−13) 		5
(−15)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.80
(122) 		4.88
(124) 		5.67
(144) 		3.08
(78) 		3.00
(76) 		5.84
(148) 		5.68
(144) 		5.72
(145) 		4.52
(115) 		3.02
(77) 		3.44
(87) 		3.65
(93) 		53.3
(1,353)
Source: The Weather Channel

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18701,651—
18802,55554.8%
18905,514115.8%
19005,322−3.5%
19106,72726.4%
19208,19621.8%
193011,73343.2%
194012,6838.1%
195014,42413.7%
196018,24626.5%
197018,155−0.5%
198018,4631.7%
199017,457−5.4%
200018,1624.0%
201018,4131.4%
202018,8812.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
Thomasville by race as of 2020
Race Num. Perc.
White 7,666 40.6%
Black or African American 9,874 52.3%
Native American 40 0.21%
Asian 212 1.12%
Pacific Islander 6 0.03%
Other/Mixed 571 3.02%
Hispanic or Latino 512 2.71%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 18,881 people, 7,529 households, and 4,983 families residing in the city.

Economy

The bakery company Flowers Foods is based in Thomasville. Senior Life Insurance Company and Archbold Medical Center are also based in Thomasville.

Arts and culture

Thomasville plants and maintains more than 1,000 roses located throughout the city, as do a number of residents who have their own rose gardens. During the last week of April, rose growers from all over the world display their prize roses for a panel of judges. The Thomasville Rose Garden at Cherokee Lake Park is the largest of 85 rose beds maintained by the city, and is host to the annual rose festival.

Thomasville is home to several historic and cultural organizations, including the Thomas County Historical Society and Museum of History, Thomasville Landmarks, Inc. the Thomasville Center for the Arts, the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, and Pebble Hill Plantation. Daily tours and research hours are available at each institution.

An Annual MLK (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Walk and Festival is held there in January of each year since 2009.

Education

Thomasville City School District

The Thomasville City School District serves pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school, Thomasville High School. The district has 204 full-time teachers and over 3,107 students.

Thomas County School District

The Thomas County School District serves pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school, and two high schools, Thomas County Central High School and Bishop Hall Charter School. The district has 329 full-time teachers and over 5,466 students.

Private schools

  • Thomasville Christian School (Pre-K - 9)
  • Brookwood School (Pre-K-12) Independent college preparatory school.

Higher education

Media

Newspaper

  • The Thomasville Times-Enterprise is a daily newspaper owned by Community Newspaper Holdings, CNHI. The newspaper publishes the glossy magazine Thomasville Scene.

Radio

Infrastructure

The city has installed a fiber optic network, known as CNS, which provides affordable, high speed Internet access. The city's network has been in place since 1999. The city transfers excess revenues from CNS services and from its other utilities to the city's general fund to pay for police and fire protection, street maintenance, and other essential services. In 2012, because of these revenues, the city was able to eliminate property fire tax for its residents and businesses.

Notable people