Formed January 1, 1906 (144th county)
Ben Hill County (17,195), Fitzgerald (9,019)
The Neo-Classical Revival courthouse was built in 1906 in a traditional courthouse appearance. The building is on Central Avenue at Sheridan Street. United States Highway 319 is Central Avenue. H. H. Huggins is the tan brick and concrete building architect. The facility’s original tower was removed in 1950. It now features columns and veteran memorials on the grounds. The county was created on January 1, 1906 from Irwin and Wilcox counties as the 144th county. Fitzgerald has always been the county seat. The county’s namesake is Senator Benjamin Harvey Hill. The county seat is named for Attorney P. H. Fitzgerald. The county center is 7.9 miles Northeast of Fitzgerald nearer Queensland.
Ben Hill County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive). It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.) Fifteen Superior Court Judges serve Ben Hill, Baldwin, Bleckley, Candler, Crisp, Dodge, Dooly, Emanuel, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, Montgomery, Morgan, Pulaski, Putnam, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Washington, Wheeler, Wilcox, and Wilkinson counties and four County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Appling County (judicial.) The county is located at the south-central Georgia southeast of Macon, Georgia and northeast of Albany, Georgia. The county is surrounded clockwise by Wilcox, Telfair, Coffee, Irwin, and Turner counties.
The area of the county is 252 square miles. The county is 118 of 159 in the state. It ranks 101 out of 159 in population in the state. It has a density of 68.2 persons per square mile making it 80 out of 159 in the state. Ben Hill County has 52.5% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 129 crosses north to south from Wilcox County to Irwin County. United States Highway 319 comes in from the east, Telfair County, and exits south into Irwin County. The county looks like a fat pistol. The Ocmulgee River forms its northeast border. Fitzgerald is located in the southwest part of the county and extends into Irwin County. Fitzgerald is the county seat and the largest city and only incorporated city. It is 52.5% of the county population. This county is in the Fitzgerald Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Fitzgerald
