Custom Search

Fort Valley, Georgia, with a population of just over 8,000 residents, is located in central Georgia 90 miles south of Atlanta and 58 miles from the Alabama line. It is the government seat of Peach County, founded in 1925 from land carved out of two other counties. The town is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 341 and Georgia Highways 96 and 49, where two Native American trails once crossed.

Fort Valley, officially chartered in 1856, was born in the 1820s as a Native American trading post set up by James Abbington Everett of North Carolina, who, along with three other men, established the community. Though the town’s name lends to the assumption that it has a military base or fort, in fact, there has never been a fort in that location. No one is certain how the town got its name. One story says that it was named Fox Valley by Everett, but the name was misunderstood as Fort Valley by the postal service in Washington, D.C. Another story also credits Everett with the naming the town, but after his friend Arthur Fort, a Revolutionary War soldier.

The town is home to Fort Valley State University, a historically Black college of about 2,500 students, and Massee Lane Gardens, where the American Camellia Society is based. Fort Valley is known as the Peach Capital of the world, and its Lane Packing Company has become a tourist attraction, as tours of the plant, peach orchards, and strawberry fields are available. The town’s Peach Festival is held annually in June. Fort Valley is also the birthplace of the Blue Bird Company, which is known worldwide as a manufacturer of buses and serves as the primary employer of Fort Valley residents.

In recent years, Fort Valley’s downtown district has been revitalized. Three of the town’s historic railroad buildings were renovated, and its old theater, once abandoned, is still currently being restored. In 2003, Fort Valley was recognized as one of the Georgia Municipal Association’s Cities of Excellence.

Contact: 318.272.0951 |