Tifton is a city in and the county seat of Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 17,045 at the 2020 census.
The area's public schools are administered by the Tift County School District. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has its main campus in Tifton. Southern Regional Technical College and the University of Georgia also have Tifton campuses.
Sites in the area include the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, and the Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village. The Tifton Commercial Historic District and the Tifton Residential Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History
Tifton was founded in 1872 in Berrien County at the junction of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad and the Brunswick and Western Railroad by sawmill owner Henry H. Tift. Tifton was incorporated as a city in 1890. In 1905, it was designated the county seat of the newly formed Tift County.
Several Chicago-Florida and Cincinnati-Florida passenger trains made stops in Tifton: the Atlantic Coast Line's Seminole, Flamingo and City of Miami and the Southern Railway's Ponce de Leon and Royal Palm. With the discontinuance of the City of Miami in 1971, Tifton was left without passenger service.
Geography
Tifton is located in south central Georgia along Interstate 75, which runs north to south through the city, leading north 167 mi (269 km) to Atlanta and south 45 mi (72 km) to Valdosta. Other highways that pass through the city include U.S. Route 41, U.S. Route 82, U.S. Route 319, and Georgia State Route 125.
Climate
Tifton has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Tifton had a population of 17,045. The median age was 33.4 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 81.7 males age 18 and over.
98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,778 households in Tifton, including 3,779 families residing in the city. Of all households, 32.6% were married-couple households, 20.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 7,395 housing units, of which 8.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.
Arts and culture
Libraries
Tifton has a public library, in addition to an extensive college library located at nearby Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Points of interest
Coastal Plain Research Arboretum
Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village
Until recently, Tifton was the home of the world's second-largest magnolia tree, which was located in Magnolia Tree Park. In 2004, the tree was burned in a fire. The cause of the fire has never been given by local authorities. Currently, the tree and observation area are blocked from visitors by a gate. Although it no longer grows, the tree still stands. It is not known where the new second-largest magnolia tree resides.
Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village
The Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village, formerly known as Agrirama, is located in Tifton, Georgia. It opened on July 4, 1976. The grounds consist of five areas: a traditional farm community of the 1870s, an 1890s progressive farmstead, an industrial site complex, a rural town, a national peanut complex, and the Museum of Agriculture Center. Over 35 structures have been relocated to the 95-acre (380,000 m2) site and faithfully restored or preserved. Costumed interpreters explain and demonstrate the lifestyle and activities of this time in Georgia's history.
Historic districts
The Tifton Residential Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 2008. It is bounded generally by 14th Street, Goff Street, 2nd Street and Forrest Avenue at coordinates 31°27′35″N 83°30′25″W. The Tifton Commercial Historic District and the Tift County Courthouse are also on the National Register.
Sports
In 2000, the boys 10u baseball team won the state championship with an undefeated season (24–0).
In 2010, the indoor football team Georgia Firebirds relocated from Waycross, Georgia, to Tifton.
Education
Tift County School District
The Tift County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of eight elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, and an alternative school. The district has 467 full-time teachers and over 7,641 students.
Private schools
Tiftarea Academy, located in Chula, Georgia (PK–12)
Grace Baptist Christian School, Tifton
Higher education
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College - Main Campus
Southern Regional Technical College - Tifton Campus
University of Georgia - Tifton Agricultural Campus
Media
The Tifton Gazette is a weekly newspaper published on Thursdays in Tifton, Georgia. It is operated by South Georgia Media Group, a division of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. The Tifton Grapevine is a twice-weekly online newspaper with an email circulation of 8,600. It is operated by Sayles Unlimited Marketing.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Interstate 75
U.S. Highway 41
U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 319
State Route 125
Henry Tift Myers Airport is a public airport located two miles (3.2 km) southeast of Tifton, serving the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.
Sister city
Linyi, China (2010)