Lowndes

Formed December 23, 1825 (62^nd county)

Lowndes County (118,249), Valdosta (55,387)

The Neo-Classical Revival tan brick courthouse for Lowndes County was built in 1905 on a square at Central, Patterson, Valley, and Ashley streets.  Patterson Street is United States Highway 221.  Frank Pierce Milburn is the building architect.  The courthouse was enlarged in 1962 and renovated in 1992.  A Justice Center was added in 2010.  The courthouse features columns on the front of the building and veteran memorials on the grounds.  The county was formed on December 23, 1825 as the 62^nd county as the Georgia counties started organizing westward.  Franklinville (1828), Lowndesville (1833), and Valdosta (1859) have all been the county seat.  The county was taken from Irwin County.  The county is named for William Jones Lowndes, son of Revolutionary War hero Rawlins Lowndes.  Valdosta was the name of Governor Troup’s country home.  The county center is in Valdosta 2.6 miles North-Northeast of the city center. 

Lowndes County government consists of a manager, a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 6 Commissioners (legislative.)  Sixteen Superior Court Judges serve Lowndes, Atkinson, Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Calhoun, Clay, Clinch, Colquitt, Cook, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Lanier, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties and Two State Judges and Five County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Lowndes County (judicial.) The county is in extreme southern Georgia on the border with Florida.  The Withlacoochee River forms its western border.  Jacksonville, Florida is southeast and Tallahassee, Florida is southwest of the county.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Berrien, Lanier, and Echols counties and Florida and Brooks and Cook counties. 

The area of the county is 504 square miles.  It is 24 out of 159 counties in the state.  It ranks 22 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 234.6 persons per square mile making it 31 out of 159 in the state.  Lowndes County has 52.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 75 goes north to south in the county from Cook County to Florida.  United States Highway 41 parallels Interstate Highway 75 from Cook County to Florida.  United States Highway 84 crosses east to west from Lanier County to Brooks County.  United States Highway 221 enters from the northeast, Lanier County and joins United States Highway 84 into Brooks County.  The county’s shape could be described as an eagle’s head.  Valdosta is located in the western half of the county stretching toward the center.  Valdosta is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 46.8% of the county population.  This county is in the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area.