Vidalia, Georgia
Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Vidalia (Template:IPAc-en vye-DAYL-yə, Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a city located primarily in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The city also extends very slightly into Montgomery County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,785.<ref name="Census 2020"/>
Vidalia is the principal city of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Montgomery and Toombs counties,<ref>Template:Usurped, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-07-27.</ref> and had a combined population of 35,640 at the 2020 census.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Description and history
The town was incorporated on January 1, 1890.<ref name=gov>Template:Cite web</ref> It is the largest city in Toombs County, but it is not the county seat.<ref name="Vidalia">Template:Cite web</ref> The original name for the town was "Jenkins Station", after a local landowner, Warren T. Jenkins.<ref name="name_history">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Although several origins for the town's modern name have been suggested, it was most likely given by a daughter of Samuel Hawkins, the president of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railroad (later the S.A.M shortline),<ref name="name_history"/> though which of his four daughters suggested the name, or how she came to it, is not known.
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<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> were not an important crop until much later.
From 1952 to 1956, Vidalia was home to the Vidalia Indians, a Class D minor league baseball affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Vidalia played in the Georgia State League and won the 1953 League Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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 Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Georgia and Florida. 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 Railway, 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.
Geography
Vidalia is located in northwestern Toombs County at Template:Coord (32.215305, -82.410086).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The westernmost part of the city is in northeastern Montgomery County.
The city is located along U.S. Route 280, which runs east–west through the center of town. U.S. 280 leads east Template:Convert to Lyons, the Toombs county seat, and southwest Template:Convert to Mount Vernon, the Montgomery county seat. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes 15, 130, 292, and 297.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Vidalia has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 2.03%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022"/> The city is drained to the south by Rocky Creek and to the north by Swift Creek; both are part of the Ohoopee River watershed.
Demographics
| Race | Template:Abbr | Template:Abbr |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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 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.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
Each spring Vidalia holds a world-famous Vidalia Onion Festival. The event lasts for five days and draws in many tourists with its wide variety of activities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Museums and other points of interest
The Altama Gallery is a museum of history and art located inside the restored Brazell House.<ref name="Vidalia"/>
The Vidalia Onion Museum (located at 100 Vidalia Sweet Onion Drive) provides guests with an interactive, historical experience. The Template:Convert space is filled with an array of educational exhibits that highlight the sweet onion's economic, cultural, and culinary significance.<ref>Vidalia Onion Museum rack card, author, Vidalia Convention & Visitors Bureau</ref>
Education
Public schools
Vidalia Public Schools are part of the Vidalia City School District. The school district holds preschool to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.<ref>Georgia Board of EducationTemplate:Dead link, Retrieved June 28, 2010.</ref> The district has 144 full-time teachers and over 2,408 students.<ref>School Stats, Retrieved June 28, 2010.</ref>
- J.D. Dickerson Primary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Sally Dailey Meadows Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- J.R. Trippe Middle School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Vidalia Comprehensive High School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Edward D Phillips Special Education Center.
Private
- The Paul Anderson Youth Home offers faith-based accredited preparatory education and substance abuse treatment to at-risk youth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Vidalia Heritage Academy provides development of character and academic excellence from a Christian perspective in a Christian environment for Preschool, Elementary School, and Middle/High School youth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Notable people
- Paul Anderson, Olympic weightlifter and strongman; founder of the Paul Anderson Youth Home in Vidalia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Mel Blount, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back, five-time Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; born in Vidalia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Paul Claxton, professional golfer; born in Vidalia<ref>Template:Cite web
</ref>
- Don Harris, NBC News correspondent killed during the Jonestown Massacre; born in Vidalia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Carl Simpson, football player; born in Vidalia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Fred Stokes, defensive end who played ten seasons in the National Football League; born in Vidalia<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
References
External links
- Template:Official website
- City of Vidalia entry from the State of Georgia government portal
- Vidalia Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Vidalia Onion official website
- The Wall Street Journal - "The Onion's Best Friend Is an Ogre"
Template:Montgomery County, Georgia Template:Toombs County, Georgia