| Official Name: | Tifton, Georgia |
| Nickname: | Friendly City |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Leader Name: | Julie Smith |
| Leader Name1: | Emily Beeman |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 33.76 |
| Area Land Km2: | 33.26 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.50 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 13.04 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 12.84 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.19 |
| Population Total: | 17045 |
| Population Density Km2: | 512.43 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1327.18 |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 31.4633°N -83.51°W |
| Elevation M: | 108 |
| Elevation Ft: | 354 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 31793-31794 |
| Area Code: | 229 |
| Blank Info: | 13-76476[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0324159[3] |
Tifton is a city in and the county seat of Tift County, Georgia, United States. The population was 17,045 at the 2020 census.[4]
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.
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.[5] In 1905, it was designated 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.
Tifton is located in south central Georgia along Interstate 75, which runs north to south through the city, leading north 167miles to Atlanta and south 45miles 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.
| White (non-Hispanic) | 7,367 | 43.22% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,349 | 37.25% | |
| Native American | 29 | 0.17% | |
| Asian | 434 | 2.55% | |
| Other/Mixed | 575 | 3.37% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,291 | 13.44% |
Tifton has a public library,[7] in addition to an extensive college library located at nearby Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
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.[8] Although it no longer grows, the tree still stands. It is not known where the new second largest magnolia tree resides.
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 sites complex, rural town, and national peanut complex; and the Museum of Agriculture Center. Over 35 structures have been relocated to the 95acres site and faithfully restored or preserved. Costumed interpreters explain and demonstrate the lifestyle and activities of this time in Georgia's history.
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 31.4597°N -83.5069°W. The Tifton Commercial Historic District and the Tift County Courthouse are also on the National Register.
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.
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.[9] The district has 467 full-time teachers and over 7,641 students.[10]
The Tifton Gazette is a weekly newspaper published Thursdays in Tifton, Georgia. It is operated by South Georgia Media Group, a division of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. The Tifton Grapevine [14] is a twice-weekly online newspaper with an email circulation of 5,800. It is operated by Sayles Unlimited Marketing.
Linyi, China (2010)[16]