What are the top 5 most depressed small towns (less than 30,000) in South Georgia? (Albany: schools, tornado)

[Southern Soul Bro]

What are the top 5 most depressed (crime, poverty, population decline, schools, housing stock, etc.) small towns (less than 30,000) in South Georgia to you?

[Fountain-of-youth]

Americus

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Fountain-of-youth

Americus

That's sad to hear, I've always had positive opinions about Americus. I haven't been in a long time though.

[GRS86]

I hate to say that you have to add Fitzgerald to the list. Since the Great Recession, they have lost their two largest employers in Delphi and Shaw Floor coverings. Coachman closed a RV manufacturing plant. CSX Railroad has automated many of their operations, so they don’t have the need for as many employees as they once had.

Cordele is another good candidate. Waycross has also been relatively stagnant.

Tifton, Moultrie, and Thomasville seem to be doing fairly well, at least by South Georgia standards.

Douglas isn’t growing at the rate that it did in the late 90’s, early 2000’s.

Don’t know enough about Bainbridge to honestly rank them positively or negatively.

The South GA pecking order is basically as follows:

Tier 1, Albany- The largest city by population in South GA. I know it doesn’t fit the OP’s criteria in that it’s around 75K, but it may be arguably the most depressed large city in South GA.

Tier 2, Valdosta - The most populous metro in South GA. Valdosta has probably had the most overall growth of all South GA cities over the last 20 years. Again, at over 50K city population, it also doesn’t fit the OP’s criteria.

Tier 3, Thomasville, Moultrie, Americus, Tifton, Waycross, Douglas, Bainbridge, Fitzgerald, and Cordele.

[Fountain-of-youth]

Originally Posted by JMatl

That's sad to hear, I've always had positive opinions about Americus. I haven't been in a long time though.

Been losing population since 2000. Blame Lee county.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by Fountain-of-youth

Been losing population since 2000. Blame Lee county.

Thanks, I didn't know.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Fountain-of-youth

Americus

Nah. Americus may not be a haven for the rich and famous, but it is a nice smaller south Georgia city. I grew up near there (Leslie) back eons ago and have family that lives there to this day.

[OneDawg]

Originally Posted by Fountain-of-youth

Americus

NOPE not there.

Nashville, Fitzgerald, Montezuma, Sylvester, Willacoochee

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Nah. Americus may not be a haven for the rich and famous, but it is a nice smaller south Georgia city. I grew up near there (Leslie) back eons ago and have family that lives there to this day.

Thanks, Ansley! That sounds like the place that I know.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by JMatl

Thanks, Ansley! That sounds like the place that I know.

Yeah, Americus went through a rough patch back in the 80s and early 90s (gosh, what town doesn't go through a rough patch?). But recently, it has attracted new businesses and residents. There are many more restaurants and mom and pops than there were 20 years ago. There is a new hospital (thanks to a tornado 10 years or so ago) and the downtown area is spruced up. Personally, I like it!