Albany, Georgia

Albany is located in a region which was long inhabited by the Creek Indians, who called it Thronateeska after their word for "flint", the valuable mineral found in beds near the Flint River. They used it for making arrowheads and other tools.{{cite web|url=http://www.heritagecenter.org/about.html|title=Thronateeska Heritage Center|website=Heritagecenter.org|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916002339/http://www.heritagecenter.org/about.html|url-status=dead}} In 1830, U.S. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, and the United States made treaties to extinguish Creek and other Native American land claims in the Southeast. The U.S. Army forcibly removed most of the native peoples to Indian Territory, lands west of the Mississippi River.

File:"View of the City of Albany, GA. 'The Artesian City'" - County Seat of Dougherty County (1885).jpg

File:Nelson Tift.jpg

European-American settlement began with Nelson Tift of Groton, Connecticut, who took land along the Flint River in October 1836 after Indian removal. Tift and his colleagues named the new town Albany after the capital of New York; noting that New York's Albany was a commercial center located at the headwaters of the Hudson River, they hoped that their town near the headwaters of the Flint would prove to be just as successful. It proved to be nowhere near as prosperous. Alexander Shotwell laid out the town in 1836, and it was incorporated as a city by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia on December 27, 1838.[http://www.albany.ga.us/city_commission/cc_index.htm "City Commission"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310014656/http://www.albany.ga.us/city_commission/cc_index.htm|date=March 10, 2009}}.

Tift was the city's leading entrepreneur for decades. An ardent booster, he promoted education, business, and railroad construction. During the Civil War he provided naval supplies and helped build two ships. He opposed Radical Reconstruction inside the state and in Congress, and was scornful of the Yankee carpetbaggers who came in. Historian John Fair concludes that Tift became "more Southern than many natives." His pro-slavery attitudes before the war and his support for segregation afterward made him compatible with Georgia's white elite.Fair, John D. "Nelson Tift: A Connecticut Yankee in King Cotton's Court", Georgia Historical Quarterly (2004) 88#3 pp 338-374

This area was developed for cotton cultivation by planters, who used numerous enslaved African Americans to clear lands and process the cotton. As a result of the planters' acquisition of slave workers, by 1840 Dougherty County's majority population was black, composed overwhelmingly of slaves. The market center for cotton plantations, Albany was in a prime location for shipping cotton to other markets by steamboats. In 1858, Tift hired Horace King, a former slave and bridge builder, to construct a toll bridge over the river. King's bridge toll house still stands.

Already important as a shipping port, Albany later became an important railroad hub in southwestern Georgia. Seven lines were constructed to the town. An exhibit on trains is located at the Thronateeska Heritage Center in the former railroad station.

After the war, Carey Wentworth Styles moved to Albany and founded the newspaper Albany News. In the early years following the war, Styles, like Tift, took great exception to the Radical Reconstruction program then in force, and advocated for a more moderate response based on his interpretation of Georgia's rights under the Constitution.{{cite book|author=Jefferson Davis|title=The Papers of Jefferson Davis: 1871-1879|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AKq2AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA37|date=March 12, 2012|publisher=LSU Press|isbn=978-0-8071-3907-3|pages=37–38}} Styles backed "constitutional reconstruction" advanced by Benjamin H. Hill and sought support for the idea from the national Democratic party.{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=19556720&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM5NzkxNTk5MSwiaWF0IjoxNTU0NjA4NTYyLCJleHAiOjE1NTQ2OTQ5NjJ9.g8sYKoPF93l05M2pRKS_i3DlmYYd_T8ANWxQsr4movU|title=Constitution's Founder Fought for Georgia with Pen and Sword|publisher=The Atlanta Constitution|author=Raymond B. Nixon|date=June 17, 1945|access-date=April 7, 2019}} While on a trip to Atlanta in May 1868, to meet with Democratic party leaders, Styles took measure of the contemporary Atlanta newspapers, and found them lacking.{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/about/ajc-history/|title=AJC History: The Story of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution|publisher=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=2019|access-date=April 7, 2019|archive-date=April 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401125441/https://www.ajc.com/about/ajc-history/|url-status=dead}}

Styles believed them to be little more than organs for the Radical Republican reconstruction agenda.{{cite web |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85035943/ |title=About The Constitution. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1868–1869 |work=Chronicling America |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=January 18, 2011}}{{cite web |title=The Atlanta Constitution |url=https://blog.newspapers.com/the-atlanta-constitution/ |website=Fishwrap |access-date=June 16, 2018 |date=June 16, 2018}} He resolved to bring a paper aligned with the Democratic party viewpoint to the Atlanta market, one supporting his constitutional reconstruction ideals. Styles moved from Albany to Atlanta, and on May 9 he announced that he had obtained the necessary financial backing to purchase the Daily Opinion.{{cite web|url=https://oaklandcemetery.com/the-founders-of-the-atlanta-constitution-at-oakland-cemetery/|title=The Founders of the Atlanta Constitution at Oakland Cemetery|publisher=Historic Oakland Cemetery Foundation|date=June 18, 2018|access-date=April 8, 2019}}

On June 16, 1868, the new Democratic daily (as he described it) printed its first edition, under the name The Constitution. Styles' tenure at the Atlanta Constitution would be brief. Unable to pay for his portion of the purchase, when the sale of his Albany News fell through, Styles was forced to surrender his interest in the paper to his joint venture partners. Styles returned to Albany as editor of the News. In 1872, he was elected to the Georgia Senate, representing Augusta and surrounding communities, in an ironic turn of events, having killed a member of the Georgia House of Representatives in his earlier years.{{cite web|url=https://findingaids.library.emory.edu/documents/styles231/|title=Carey Wentworth Styles papers, 1860-1945|date=October 5, 2007|publisher=Emory University - Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library|access-date=April 8, 2019}} After his legislative service, Styles sold the Albany newspaper in 1876 and returned to Atlanta.

File:Washington Street Looking South at Night Albany, Georgia GA Postcard.jpg

While integral to the economic life of the town, the Flint River has flooded regularly. It caused extensive property damage in 1841 and 1925. The city has also been subject to tornadoes. On February 10, 1940, a severe tornado hit Albany, killing eighteen people and causing large-scale damage.

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On April 11, 1906, the Carnegie Library, created by matching funds from the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, was opened downtown.{{Cite web |title=Carnegie Library Historical Marker |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=186949 |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=www.hmdb.org |language=en}} Originally a segregated facility under Jim Crow laws, it was not open to African Americans until after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It functioned as a library through 1985. In 1992, after renovation, the building was reopened as the headquarters of the Albany Area Arts Council.

In 1912, the downtown U.S. Post Office and courthouse building opened. Other federal projects have been important to the city and region. In 1937, Chehaw Park was constructed as a part of a New Deal program under the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

Major changes came with the expansion of military facilities in the city, secured by the powerful Southern Block in Congress. A U.S. Army Air Corps training base was built near Albany on land owned by the city and leased to the Air Corps for $1 a year. Construction of the base and airfield by the Army Corps of Engineers began on March 25, 1941. After being used during World War II, the airfield was temporarily deactivated between August 15, 1946, and September 1, 1947.

After the beginning of the Cold War and the founding of the U.S. Air Force in late 1947, the airfield was reactivated and upgraded with runways for a U.S. Air Force base. It was named Turner Air Force Base. The Air Force used this base for heavy bomber jets, such as the B-52 Stratofortress. A number of other Air Force units were also housed at this base.{{cite web

| url=http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Turner_AFB.htm

| title=Turner AFB

| access-date=May 11, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060513110048/http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Turner_AFB.htm| archive-date= May 13, 2006 | url-status= live}} Among them were the 1370th Photomapping Group,{{cite web

|url = http://www.1370th.com/index.htm

|title = 1370th Photomapping and Charting Group

|access-date = May 11, 2006

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060517174305/http://www.1370th.com/index.htm

|archive-date = May 17, 2006

|url-status = dead

|df = mdy-all

}} and refueling and maintenance functions.

In 1951, the U.S. Marine Corps established a logistics base on the eastern outskirts of Albany. During the 1950s and 1960s, so many white servicemen and associated workers arrived that the city briefly became majority white for the first time since 1870.

In 1960, the population of Albany reached 50,000 people. During 1961–1962, African Americans in Albany played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement (see the Albany Movement). They led protests and non-violent demonstrations to end segregation of public facilities, gain the right to vote, and advance social justice. Assisted by activists from SCLC, CORE, SNCC, and the NAACP, African Americans and supporters took a stand to fight segregation through nonviolence. The city repealed its Jim Crow laws in 1963,{{cite news|url=https://casetext.com/case/anderson-v-city-of-albany|title=Anderson v. City of Albany|author=United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit|publisher=Casetext|date=September 12, 1963|accessdate=May 24, 2021}} but African Americans did not recover the ability to exercise their voting rights until Congress passed enforcement authority with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In 1967, the Air Force closed all its operations at the base, which was transferred to the U.S. Navy and renamed Naval Air Station Albany. NAS Albany was used as the shore base of nearly all the Navy's RA-5C Vigilante twin-jet, carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft. In 1974, the base was closed and the property was returned to the city.

In 1979, the Miller Brewing Company purchased part of the old naval base's property to build a new brewery.{{cite web

| url=http://www.turnerfield-miller.com

| title=History of Turner Field Albany Georgia

| access-date=May 11, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060524015648/http://www.turnerfield-miller.com/| archive-date= May 24, 2006 | url-status= live}}

The decline in military bases and railroad restructuring nationwide both led to job losses in the Albany area. Much of the remaining white population moved to suburbs and newer housing out of the city, which became majority African American in the 1970s. Struggling with a poor economy, in 1988 Albany made national headlines as the "Murder Capital of America", with the highest murder rate per capita in the United States. Other cities have since taken that title.

Some late twentieth-century floods have been extreme. In 1994, a severe flood was caused by rainfall from Tropical Storm Alberto; it killed 14 people and displaced 22,000. The state supported a $150 million renovation of the Albany State University campus to repair storm damage and complete upgrades. New housing was built on the south side of town to replace what had been destroyed. In 1998, the Flint River crested at {{convert|35|ft|m}} above its bed and flooded parts of the city.

Because of such flooding, the city has decided against redeveloping areas along the riverfront floodplain for commercial or residential purposes. This area is being improved for other uses, with a riverfront walkway and a new aquarium built over a tributary creek.

On January 2 and 22, 2017, violent tornadoes passed through the area, claiming several lives and destroying mobile home parks in the process.{{cite web|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/170122_rpts.html|title=Storm Prediction Center Storm Reports Page|publisher=NOAA |website=Spc.noaa.gov}} On October 10, 2018 Hurricane Michael, the first major hurricane (Category 3+) to directly impact Georgia since the 1890s, plowed through South Georgia leaving widespread devastation in its path.{{cite web | url=https://www.weather.gov/ffc/2018_hurricane_michael | title=Hurricane Michael Hits Georgia | publisher=National Weather Service | date=October 10, 2018}}

File:Albany Arch.JPGAlbany is located at (31.582273, −84.165557), within Southwest Georgia.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}} It lies in a belt of historically rich farmland in the East Gulf coastal plain, on the banks of the Flint River. The city is {{convert|78|mi|km|abbr=on}} southeast of Columbus, {{convert|151|mi|km|abbr=on}} south of Atlanta, {{convert|45|mi|km|abbr=on}} south of Americus, {{convert|93|mi|km|abbr=on}} southwest of Macon, {{convert|39|mi|km|abbr=on}} west of Tifton, {{convert|73|mi|km|abbr=on}} northwest of Valdosta, {{convert|88|mi|km|abbr=on}} north of Tallahassee, Florida, {{convert|70|mi|km|abbr=on}} east of Eufaula, Alabama, and {{convert|84|mi|km|abbr=on}} east of Dothan, Alabama.

{{as of|2010}}, the city of Albany had been a member of the Arbor Day Foundation's Tree City USA Program for 23 years.{{cite web|url=http://www.arborday.org/programs/treeCityUSA/map.cfm|title=Tree City USA Directory - The Arbor Day Foundation|website=Arborday.org|access-date=August 27, 2017}} Tree-lined streets are common, with large, mature oaks and other native trees. The city has a tree ordinance,{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.ga.us/filestorage/1798/2879/2953/2010_Tree_Ordinance.pdf|title=Vegetation|website=Albany.ga.us|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222032038/http://www.albany.ga.us/filestorage/1798/2879/2953/2010_Tree_Ordinance.pdf|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=dead}} and a certified arborist on staff.{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2879/2967/18363/default.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105164428/http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2879/2967/18363/default.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 5, 2011|title=City of Albany-Dougherty County Official Website - Arborist|date=November 5, 2011}}

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Albany has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=61227&cityname=Albany,+Georgia,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Albany, Georgia Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase|access-date=August 27, 2017}} Albany receives well above the national average amount of precipitation. Much of this comes in the form of heavy showers and thunderstorms. According to "Cities Ranked and Rated" (Bert Sperling and Peter Sander), Albany reports thunder on 86 days per year. This is more than twice the national average.

{{Weather box

|location = Albany, Georgia (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1891–present)

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 86

|Feb record high F = 87

|Mar record high F = 93

|Apr record high F = 97

|May record high F = 102

|Jun record high F = 106

|Jul record high F = 107

|Aug record high F = 104

|Sep record high F = 106

|Oct record high F = 99

|Nov record high F = 90

|Dec record high F = 88

|year record high F = 107

|Jan avg record high F = 77.4

|Feb avg record high F = 80.3

|Mar avg record high F = 85.1

|Apr avg record high F = 89.2

|May avg record high F = 95.3

|Jun avg record high F = 97.9

|Jul avg record high F = 98.9

|Aug avg record high F = 98.2

|Sep avg record high F = 95.9

|Oct avg record high F = 90.3

|Nov avg record high F = 84.0

|Dec avg record high F = 78.8

|year avg record high F = 100.4

|Jan high F = 59.5

|Feb high F = 63.8

|Mar high F = 70.8

|Apr high F = 77.6

|May high F = 84.8

|Jun high F = 89.3

|Jul high F = 91.6

|Aug high F = 90.6

|Sep high F = 86.8

|Oct high F = 78.7

|Nov high F = 69.3

|Dec high F = 62.3

|year high F = 77.1

|Jan mean F = 48.4

|Feb mean F = 52.2

|Mar mean F = 58.5

|Apr mean F = 65.2

|May mean F = 73.1

|Jun mean F = 79.3

|Jul mean F = 81.9

|Aug mean F = 81.1

|Sep mean F = 76.9

|Oct mean F = 67.4

|Nov mean F = 57.1

|Dec mean F = 51.2

|year mean F = 66.0

|Jan low F = 37.3

|Feb low F = 40.5

|Mar low F = 46.2

|Apr low F = 52.8

|May low F = 61.5

|Jun low F = 69.3

|Jul low F = 72.2

|Aug low F = 71.7

|Sep low F = 67.0

|Oct low F = 56.1

|Nov low F = 44.9

|Dec low F = 40.1

|year low F = 55.0

|Jan avg record low F = 21.5

|Feb avg record low F = 25.2

|Mar avg record low F = 30.4

|Apr avg record low F = 38.3

|May avg record low F = 49.1

|Jun avg record low F = 62.0

|Jul avg record low F = 67.0

|Aug avg record low F = 65.4

|Sep avg record low F = 55.4

|Oct avg record low F = 40.0

|Nov avg record low F = 29.1

|Dec avg record low F = 24.9

|year avg record low F = 19.5

|Jan record low F = 1

|Feb record low F = 11

|Mar record low F = 10

|Apr record low F = 27

|May record low F = 39

|Jun record low F = 46

|Jul record low F = 57

|Aug record low F = 56

|Sep record low F = 37

|Oct record low F = 28

|Nov record low F = 14

|Dec record low F = 6

|year record low F = 1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 4.78

|Feb precipitation inch = 4.72

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.88

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.92

|May precipitation inch = 3.03

|Jun precipitation inch = 5.24

|Jul precipitation inch = 5.50

|Aug precipitation inch = 5.69

|Sep precipitation inch = 4.03

|Oct precipitation inch = 3.04

|Nov precipitation inch = 3.04

|Dec precipitation inch = 4.68

|year precipitation inch = 52.55

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 9.6

|Feb precipitation days = 9.0

|Mar precipitation days = 8.4

|Apr precipitation days = 7.0

|May precipitation days = 6.2

|Jun precipitation days = 11.7

|Jul precipitation days = 11.8

|Aug precipitation days = 12.2

|Sep precipitation days = 7.6

|Oct precipitation days = 6.1

|Nov precipitation days = 6.6

|Dec precipitation days = 9.1

|year precipitation days = 105.3

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=tae

| title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = May 24, 2021}}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00090140&format=pdf

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| title = Station: Albany 3 SE, GA

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020)

| access-date = May 24, 2021}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1860= 1618

|1870= 2101

|1880= 3216

|1890= 4008

|1900= 4606

|1910= 8190

|1920= 11555

|1930= 14507

|1940= 19055

|1950= 31155

|1960= 55890

|1970= 72623

|1980= 74425

|1990= 78122

|2000= 76939

|2010= 77434

|2020= 69647

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=}}
1850-1870{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1870|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}} 1870-1880{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-09.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}
1890-1910{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1910|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}} 1920-1930{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|pages=251–256}}
1940{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}} 1950{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1950|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}} 1960{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1960|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-12-c.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}
1970{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1970|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ga-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}} 1980{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}} 1990{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1990|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-5/cph-5-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}
2000{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}} 2010{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 2010|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}

}}

At the 1860 U.S. census, the city's population was 1,618. Its population has increased to a historic high of 78,122, before experiencing a decline to 69,647 at the 2020 United States census.

Racially and ethnically, Albany forms a part of the Black Belt. The racial and ethnic composition in 2020 was 74.59% Black or African American, 19.71% non-Hispanic white, 0.13% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.02% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 2.47% other or multiracial, and 2.36% Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to the American Community Survey of 2022, its racial and ethnic makeup was 75% African American, 19% White, 1% Asian, 2% multiracial, and 3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

At the 2022 American Community Survey, the city had a median age of 34.7. There was an average of 2.3 persons per household and 27,608 housing units. Approximately 33% were married couples, 19% non-family households, 40% female households, and 7% male households. An estimated 36% of the city population was married.

Among its relatively young population, the city had a median household income of $39,422 with a per capita income of $22,115. More than 60% of the population earned less than $50,000 annually, and 27% earned from $50,000 to $100,000 a year. Of the population, 33.8% lived at or below the poverty line, and 55% of children under age 18 are considered to be in poverty. Approximately 15% of adults 65 and older were considered in poverty.{{Cite web |title=Census profile: Albany, GA |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US1301052-albany-ga/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Census Reporter |language=en}}

File:Defense-12.jpg at the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany undergoes depot maintenance in 2005.]]

Today, although the city is surrounded by pecan groves, pine trees, farms and plantations, almost none of the population is employed in agriculture. It has become heavily industrialized, and most business is conducted on a multinational scale. The city developed on both sides of the Flint River.

Health care, education and the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany are the largest employers. Manufacturing, transportation, and retail trade are also important foundations of Albany's economy, and the city acts as a hub for commerce in southwest Georgia.

On December 17, 2008, Cooper Tire and Rubber, one of Albany's largest employers, announced plans to close the local manufacturing facility.{{Cite web |date=2008-12-17 |title=Cooper Tire Closing Albany Plant |url=https://www.walb.com/story/9536984/cooper-tire-closing-albany-plant |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=WALB |language=en}} Approximately 1,400 employees at the plant were projected to lose their jobs.

As a result of the Great Recession, unemployment remained higher in Albany than the country average. In 2012 Albany continued to add more new jobs while other portions of the state were trying to stem the tide of unemployment.{{cite news |first=J. D. |last=Sumner |url=http://www.albanyherald.com/news/2012/jan/21/expert-albany-faring-better-state-recovery/ |title=Expert: Albany faring better than state in recovery |newspaper=Albany Herald |date=January 21, 2012 |access-date=April 14, 2012}}

Albany has a skilled workforce, makes continual upgrades to its infrastructure, and has improvements in public safety, such as its ISO fire rating of 2.{{cite web |title=Cost of Doing Business |url=http://choosealbany.com/business-climate/cost-of-doing-business/ |website=choosealbany.com |access-date=June 27, 2019 |date=2015}} It has numerous economic development initiatives, such as an Opportunity Zone, which offers a $3,500 tax credit per job created.{{cite web |url=http://www.dca.state.ga.us/economic/DevelopmentTools/programs/opportunityzones.asp |title=accessed January 30, 2012 |publisher=Dca.state.ga.us |access-date=April 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422163153/http://www.dca.state.ga.us/economic/DevelopmentTools/programs/opportunityzones.asp |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

File:Albany Municipal Auditorium (Albany, Georgia).jpg

File:RayCharlesStatue.jpg

File:RayCharlesPlaza1.JPG

• Albany Area Arts Council{{cite web|url=http://www.albanyartscouncil.org/|title=Arts Council - Rental - Albany Area Arts Council / Carnegie Library|website=Arts Council - Rental - Albany Area Arts Council / Carnegie Library|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• The Albany Chorale{{cite web|url=http://albanychorale.org/|title=The Albany Chorale, Home of Albany Georgia's Community Chorus|website=albanychorale.org|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Albany Civic Center
• Albany Civil Rights Institute{{cite web|url=http://www.albanycivilrightsinstitute.org/|title=Welcome to the Albany Civil Rights Institute|publisher=Albany Civil Rights Institute|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-date=August 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810231424/http://www.albanycivilrightsinstitute.org/|url-status=dead}}
• The Albany Concert Association{{cite web|url=http://albanyconcert.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041210072139/http://albanyconcert.org/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 10, 2004|title=Albany Concert Association|date=December 10, 2004}}
• Albany Municipal Auditorium
• Albany Museum of Art{{cite web|url=http://www.albanymuseum.com/|title=Albany Museum of Art|website=Albany Museum of Art|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• The Albany Symphony Orchestra{{cite web|url=http://www.albanysymphony.org/|title=Albany Symphony Orchestra in Georgia|website=Albanysymphony.org|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Ballet Theatre South{{cite web|url=http://www.ballettheatresouth.org|title=Ballet Theatre South|website=Ballet Theatre South|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Flint RiverQuarium{{cite web|url=http://www.flintriverquarium.com/|title=Flint RiverQuarium - Home|website=Flintriverquarium.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• The Parks at Chehaw{{cite web|url=http://www.chehaw.org/|title=Chehaw in Albany GA|website=Chehaw.org|access-date=August 27, 2017}} has one of two accredited zoos in the state.
• RiverQuarium Imagination Theater{{cite web|url=http://www.flintriverquarium.com/ImaginationTheater.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706015200/http://www.flintriverquarium.com/ImaginationTheater.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 6, 2008|title=Flint RiverQuarium :: Albany, Georgia|date=July 6, 2008|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Theatre Albany{{cite web|url=http://www.theatrealbany.com/|title=Welcome To Theatre Albany|website=Theatrealbany.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Thronateeska Heritage Center{{cite web|url=http://www.heritagecenter.org/|title=Thronateeska Heritage Center|website=Heritagecenter.org|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Weatherbee Planetarium{{cite web |url=http://www.heritagecenter.org/planetarium.html |title=Thronateeska Heritage Center |publisher=Heritagecenter.org |access-date=April 14, 2012 |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908035654/http://www.heritagecenter.org/planetarium.html |url-status=dead }}

• Albany District Pecan Growers' Exchange
• Albany Housefurnishing Company
• Albany Municipal Auditorium{{cite web |url=http://www.albanysymphony.org/munic.html |title=Albany Symphony Orchestra: Albany Municipal Auditorium |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630161549/http://www.albanysymphony.org/munic.html |archive-date=June 30, 2007 }}
• Albany Railroad Depot Historic District
• Bridge House[http://www.downtownalbany.info/PHOTOS/BridgeHouse.jpg]{{dead link|date=October 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}
• Carnegie Library of Albany
• Davis-Exchange Bank Building
• John A. Davis House
• Mount Zion Baptist Church{{cite web|url=http://www1.surfsouth.com/~mtzion/ |title=Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum at Old Mt. Zion Church |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060706150544/http://www1.surfsouth.com/~mtzion/ |archive-date=July 6, 2006 }}
• New Albany Hotel{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc15585.php |title=Albany, GA : Albany Heights Building photo, picture, image (Georgia) at |publisher=City-data.com |date=May 29, 2006 |access-date=April 14, 2012}}
• Old St. Teresa's Catholic Church
• Rosenberg Brothers Department Store
• St. Nicholas Hotel
• Samuel Farkas House
• Tift Park
• U.S. Post Office and Courthouse{{cite web |url=http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/1fd3e688294c3a74852563d3004975f4/53ecda1746d76afc852565d900539edf?OpenDocument |title=Historic Buildings |publisher=W3.gsa.gov |date=June 22, 2010 |access-date=April 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041108022231/http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/1fd3e688294c3a74852563d3004975f4/53ecda1746d76afc852565d900539edf?OpenDocument |archive-date=November 8, 2004 }}
• Union Station Depot
• W. E. Smith House

• Albany was home to the Albany Polecats, who were a low-A class team that played in the South Atlantic League between 1992 and 1995. Albany was also home to the South Georgia Peanuts, who played in the South Coast League. They won the South Coast League championships in the league's inaugural season (2007) and were managed by former MLB shortstop Wally Backman. The league folded after that season.
• The Albany Panthers were an indoor football team based in Albany, Georgia. The team joined the Southern Indoor Football League (SIFL) during their inaugural season in 2010. When the SIFL folded, the team joined the Professional Indoor Football League in 2012. The Panthers' home games were played at the James H. Gray Civic Center until 2014.
• The Georgia Firebirds were an indoor football team that played in various semi-pro leagues as well as the professional American Indoor Football in 2016 and the National Arena League in 2017.
• Albany is home to Sowegans SC, an amateur soccer team founded in 2023 and competing in the Gulf Coast Premier League. The team hosts home matches at Westover Comprehensive High School.{{cite web | url=https://www.soweganssc.com/about | title=ABOUT }}

File:Astronauts Memorial (front), Hasan Temple, Albany.JPG

File:Ampitheater in Veterans Park, Albany.JPG

{{unreferenced section|date=August 2013}}

• Albany Civil Rights Memorial
• Albany Railroad Depot Historic District
• Astronauts Memorial
• Confederate Memorial Park
• The Flint Riverquarium
• Freedom Flame
• Freedom Walk
• The Guardian
• Radium Springs – one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia
• Ray Charles Plaza
• RiverFront Park
• Royal Air Force Memorial
• Veterans Park

City races include a {{convert|26.2|mi|adj=on}} full marathon or a {{convert|13.1|mi|adj=on}} half marathon. The full race is ranked as one of the top Boston Marathon qualifiers in the country, with almost 20% of all marathon finishers qualifying.{{cite web|url=http://albanymarathon.com/|title=SNICKERS® Marathon and Half Marathon in Georgia|website=albanymarathon.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}

The annual Mardi Gras Street Festival takes place in downtown Albany the first weekend of March. Starting at noon and running until midnight, the festival coincides with the marathon and half marathon.{{Citation needed|date=October 2014}}

{{see also|List of mayors of Albany, Georgia}}

Elected officials include a mayor and six city commissioners, each of whom serves a four-year term. The commissioners are elected from single-member districts. An appointed city manager acts as the chief administrative officer. The city has been governed by a city commission and city manager since January 14, 1924.{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2877/default.aspx|title=Board on City Commissioners|work=Official City of Albany and Dougherty County Website|publisher=City of Albany, GA|access-date=October 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008202910/http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2877/default.aspx|archive-date=October 8, 2011|url-status=dead}}

The city government places responsibility for specific features into several departments.{{cite web|url=https://www.albanyga.gov/about-us/departments-3 |title=City Departments |website=albanyga.gov |accessdate=2021-09-26}}

The Dougherty County School System operates a system of five learning centers, fourteen public elementary schools, four public middle schools, three public high schools, and one alternative school. All schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC). The system had an enrollment in 2009–2010 of 15,838 students being taught by 1,070 teachers and 198 support and administrative personnel.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dougherty.k12.ga.us/schools/schools.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323063310/http://www.dougherty.k12.ga.us/schools/schools.htm|url-status=dead|title=Dougherty County School System|archive-date=March 23, 2010}}

The following schools have distinctions:

• Alice Coachman Elementary School: 2009 National Blue Ribbon School, 2009 "No Excuses School" (Georgia Public Policy Foundation)
• Lincoln Elementary Magnet School: 2009–2010 Governor's Office of Students Achievement Bronze Award for Highest Percentage of Students Meeting & Exceeding Standards on the CRCT
• International Studies Elementary Charter School: Title 1 Distinguished School (10 consecutive years making AYP)
• Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet School: 2009–2010 Governor's Office of Students Achievement Gold Award for Highest Percentage of Students Meeting & Exceeding Standards on the CRCT

Several private schools provide primary and secondary education, including:

• Byne Memorial Baptist School (BMBS)
• Deerfield-Windsor School (DWS)
• God's Foundation Christian Academy (GFCA)
• St. Teresa's Catholic School (STS)
• Sherwood Christian Academy (SCA)
• Christian Covenant Academy (CCA)

The city is the location of Albany State University, founded as a pre-collegiate school in 1903. African Americans in the South had been intent since emancipation in gaining education and, by the turn of the 20th century, most were literate, as documented by W. E. B. Du Bois in his history, Black Reconstruction (1930). Albany State is notable as one of the few historically black colleges and universities to be part of the University System of Georgia.

Albany Technical College{{cite web|url=http://www.albanytech.edu|title=Welcome to Albany Technical College|publisher=Albany Technical College|access-date=August 27, 2017}} is part of the Technical College System of Georgia and teaches post-secondary vocational and occupational training subjects.

Georgia Military College (GMC) has a site at this campus and conducts some classes here.

Albany is a site location of Troy University, one of many satellites which Troy has established throughout the Southeastern United States. For more than 20 years, Troy University, a public non-profit institution of Alabama, has taught classes both in-class and online in Albany. Troy's Albany site has classes in criminal justice, psychology and various general studies, along with offering other undergraduate and master's degree programs online.{{cite web|url=http://troy.edu/globalcampus/albany.html|title=troy.edu - TROY Service Centers|website=troy.edu|access-date=August 27, 2017}}

File:Dougherty County Public Library, Albany.jpg Central Library]]

Dougherty County Public Library operates the public libraries serving Albany.

File:Headquarters of The Albany Herald, Albany, Georgia.jpg]]

• The Albany Herald, founded in 1891
• The Albany Journal,[http://www.thealbanyjournal.com thealbanyjournal.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326042833/http://www.thealbanyjournal.com/ |date=March 26, 2010 }} published since 1939; Tom Knighton is current editor and publisher
• The Albany Southwest Georgian, historically black newspaper founded by A. C. Searles, editor[https://books.google.com/books?id=WFSgLg1S7gIC&dq=A.C.+Searles&pg=PA100 Adam Fairclough, To Redeem the Soul of America: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King, Jr], University of Georgia Press, 2001, p. 100
• The Metro Gazette, offers positive news about the community; founded in 2010 by Judith Hampton-Thompson

{{div col}}

• Channel 10 WALB (NBC){{cite web|url=http://www.walb.com/|title=Home|website=Walb.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Channel 10.2 WALB-DT2 (ABC)
• Channel 14 WABW (PBS-GPB) (Pelham){{cite web|url=http://www.gpb.org/|title=Masterpiece: Endeavour - Season Four|website=Gpb.org|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Channel 25 WACS (PBS-GPB) (Dawson)
• Channel 31 WFXL (FOX){{cite web|url=http://www.wfxl.com/|title=Albany News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News - WFXL|publisher=Sinclair Broadcast Group|website=Wfxl.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Channel 44 WSWG (CBS){{cite web|url=http://www.wswg.tv/|title=WSWG|last=WCTV|website=Wswg.tv|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• Channel 44.2 WSWG-DT2 (MyNet-WSST)
• Channel 44.3 WSWG-DT3 (CW+)
• Channel 55 WSST (MyNet){{cite web|url=http://www.wsst51.com/|title=WSST-TV 51 DT - WSST- DT 51 Home|website=Wsst51.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}

{{div col end}}

{{div col}}

• 88.5 W203AT (religious; translator for KEAR)
• 89.3 WBJY (religious)
• 90.3 WAEF (religious)
• 90.7 WWQA (religious, bluegrass)
• 91.7 WUNV (NPR – news, classical){{cite web|url=http://www.ontheradio.net/radiostations/wunvfm.aspx|title=WUNV 91.7 FM|last=dvprez|website=Ontheradio.net|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 92.7 WASU (Albany State University – college, jazz, urban)
• 93.1 WSRD (religious, talk)
• 93.5 WMRG (hip-hop/R&B) {{cite web|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/143052/albany-ga-has-a-new-hip-hop-station-with-wmrg-stre|title=Albany, GA Has A New Hip-Hop Station With WMRG (Streetz 93.5)|website=Allaccess.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 93.9 WMTM (Classic hits)
• 94.7 WDEC (hot adult contemporary)
• 96.3 WJIZ (urban){{cite web|url=http://www.wjiz.com/|title=96.3 WJIZ - Albany's #1 for Hip Hop & R&B|website=96.3 WJIZ|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 97.3 WGEX "Power 97.3" (Top 40){{cite web|url=http://973hitmusicnow.com/main.html |title=WGEX-FM – 97.3 – Hit Music NOW |publisher=973hitmusicnow.com |access-date=April 14, 2012}}
• 98.1 WMRZ "Kiss" (adult urban){{cite web|url=http://www.kissalbany.com/|title=98.1 Kiss FM - Albany's Station for Today's R&B & Jammin' Old School|website=98.1 Kiss FM|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 100.3 WOBB "B-100"(country){{cite web|url=http://www.b100wobb.com/|title=B100 - Albany's #1 For New Country|website=B100|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 101.3 WTOA-LP Catholic radio
• 101.7 WQVE "V101.7"(R&B, classic soul){{cite web|url=http://www.wqvealbany.com|title=WQVE-FM|website=WQVE-FM|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 102.1 WJST "Retro FM 102.1" (classic hits)
• 102.5 W273AE (religious; translator for WYFK)
• 103.5 WJAD "Rock 103" (classic and mainstream rock) (Leesburg){{cite web|url=http://www.rock103albany.com/|title=WJAD-FM|website=WJAD-FM|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 104.5 WKAK "Nash FM" (country) (formerly K-Country 104.5 as of June 2013){{cite web|url=http://www.kcountry104.com|title=WKAK-FM|website=WKAK-FM|access-date=August 27, 2017}}
• 105.5 WZBN "Power 105... The King" (holy hip hop and contemporary gospel){{cite web|url=http://power105theking.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609022903/http://power105theking.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 9, 2011|date=June 9, 2011|title=Power105TheKing.com}}
• 106.1 WHKV (Christian contemporary)
• 106.5 WZIQ (Christian)
• 107.7 WNOU "107.7 Now-FM" (Hot adult contemporary)

{{div col end}}

• 960 WJYZ (gospel)
• 1250 WSRA (ESPN sports)
• 1590 WALG (news, talk)

Southwest Georgia Regional Airport (ABY) is a non-hub commercial service airport with service to Atlanta by Endeavor Air, a regional carrier for Delta. Both UPS and DHL use the airport as a sorting facility. In 2010, a master plan was completed. It recommended moving forward with the Replacement Terminal Project.{{cite web|url=http://www.flyaby.com/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222135615/http://www.flyaby.com/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 22, 2014|title=Southwest Georgia Regional Airport Master Plan Update|date=February 22, 2014}}

Freight rail service is provided by Georgia Southwestern Railroad, Georgia and Florida Railway/Omnitrax, and Norfolk Southern Railway. Georgia and Florida Railway has its headquarters in Albany.

Several passenger trains from St. Louis, Chicago and Cincinnati in the Midwest, heading to Florida, made stops in Albany Union Station. The last of these, the Illinois Central's City of Miami made its final stop there in 1971.

Albany Transit System (ATS) has been operated by the city since 1974 and provides fixed-route and para-transit services in Albany and Dougherty County, including service to the airport. All buses are wheelchair accessible and are equipped with bicycle racks. The main transfer station is in downtown Albany, at the corner of Oglethorpe and Jackson.{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2879/2941/default.aspx|title=City of Albany-Dougherty County Official Website - Albany Transit Service|website=Albany.ga.us|access-date=August 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427223743/http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2879/2941/default.aspx|archive-date=April 27, 2012|url-status=dead}}

In addition, a Greyhound bus station is located in downtown Albany, with connections to interstate service.

While Albany is one of the largest cities in Georgia to not be served by an interstate, U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 82 provide thoroughfares through the city. The two join north of the city for a short freeway known as the Liberty Expressway. Other major highways that run through the city include Georgia State Route 91, Georgia State Route 133, Georgia State Route 234, and Georgia State Route 520. Albany is located on Georgia State Route 300 (Georgia-Florida Parkway), which provides easy access to Cordele, and Interstate 75 to the northeast and south to Camilla, and Thomasville. The Liberty Expressway spans {{convert|10|mi}} serves as a bypass on Albany's north and east sides. Other highways that pass through Albany include US 19, US 82, and State Routes 3, 62, 91, 133, 234, and 520.{{cite web |url=http://www.dot.state.ga.us/maps/Documents/urbanized/Dougherty_FC_1010.pdf |title=Functional Classification Map, Dougherty County, Georgia |publisher=Department of Transportation, State of Georgia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221052540/http://www.dot.state.ga.us/maps/Documents/urbanized/Dougherty_FC_1010.pdf |archive-date=February 21, 2011 }}

File:Broad Avenue Memorial Bridge, South face b.JPG

Albany's Broad Avenue Memorial bridge, constructed in 1920 and comprising three open-spandrel concrete deck arch main spans and eight closed-spandrel deck arch spans,{{cite web|url=http://bridgehunter.com/ga/dougherty/9500510/ |title=Broad Avenue Bridge |website=Bridgehunter.com |access-date=April 14, 2012}} was closed in February 2009 after examination found it to be in unsafe condition.{{cite web |url=https://www.albanyga.gov/home/showdocument?id=668 |title=Broad Avenue Bridge |publisher=City of Albany |date=September 21, 2015 |access-date=June 10, 2020 }} Deconstruction began in 2015 and the replacement segmental concrete box girder bridge was dedicated to veterans and opened on November 11, 2015.{{cite news |url=https://www.walb.com/story/30494377/state-of-the-art-broad-avenue-bridge-is-dedicated/ |title=State of the art Broad Avenue Bridge is dedicated |publisher=WALB |date=November 11, 2015 |access-date=June 10, 2020 }}{{cite news |first=Terry |last=Lewis |url=https://www.albanyherald.com/local/albany-honors-veterans-by-opening-the-new-broad-avenue-bridge-photo-gallery-video/article_41fe3a7f-1348-5c80-9c06-0386ecc4a093.html |title=Albany honors veterans by opening the new Broad Avenue Bridge |newspaper=Albany Herald |date=November 11, 2015 |access-date=June 10, 2020 }}

In the early 1970s, construction of the Liberty-bypass bridges began. Construction of the bridges over the Flint River was completed much before the highway itself. They became known as the bridges to nowhere.

Portions of Albany are serviced by Georgia Power, which operates two electrical power plants within Dougherty County: coal-fired Plant Mitchell and the hydroelectric dam at Lake Worth,{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiapower.com/lakes/Worth.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612102435/http://www.georgiapower.com/lakes/Worth.asp |archive-date=June 12, 2009 |title=Lake Worth |publisher=Georgia Power}} also known as Lake Chehaw.

The Albany Water, Gas & Light Commission (WG&L) is a municipally-owned and operated utility system furnishing water, gas, and electricity to its broad–based customers. Albany WG&L, was founded in 1892 as the Albany Water Works, as the largest municipal user in Georgia.{{cite web|url=http://choosealbany.com/about-us/partners/|title=Partners - Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission|website=choosealbany.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}}

The public water supply source for Albany-Dougherty County is groundwater obtained from four aquifers:

• Upper Floridan (locally called the Ocala) Aquifer
• Claiborne (formerly Tallahatta) Aquifer
• Clayton Formation
• Providence Aquifer

The water quality is considered to be excellent, needing only chlorination and fluoridation treatment.{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2879/2963/3320/4091.aspx |title=Comprehensive Plan 2005 – 2025 |publisher=City of Albany |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109171644/http://www.albany.ga.us/content/1798/2879/2963/3320/4091.aspx |archive-date=November 9, 2012 }}

Both WG&L and AT&T offer communications infrastructure within the City of Albany.

Albany is served by the Dougherty County Landfill located at 900 Gaissert Road, approximately {{convert|7.5|mi}} southeast of the City of Albany.

Albany is the home of a not-for-profit regional health system with a 26-county cachement area with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital{{cite web|url=http://www.phoebeputney.com|title=Phoebe Putney|website=Phoebeputney.com|access-date=August 27, 2017}} at its hub.

Albany is serviced by the Albany Police Department (APD) which is divided into three districts, each having its own police center. The Dougherty County Police Department is responsible for the unincorporated area of Dougherty County. The Dougherty County Sheriff's Department is a law enforcement agency under the direction of the County Sheriff, an elected official.

The Albany Fire Department consists of more than 150 assigned personnel operating 11 fire stations in Dougherty County, seven of which are within the city limits.

Dougherty County EMS has over 60 employees and services the county through one headquarters and five satellite stations.

• Ray Charles: Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer
• Alice Coachman: first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal
• Mary Francis Hill Coley: midwife in Albany 1930–1966, inducted into Georgia Women of Achievement 2011{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiawomen.org/2011/04/coley-mary-francis-hill/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215004330/http://www.georgiawomen.org/2011/04/coley-mary-francis-hill/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 15, 2012|title=Coley, Mary Francis Hill - Georgia Women of Achievement|date=February 15, 2012}}
• Paula Deen: TV personality and cooking show host
• Field Mob: hip hop group
• Bart Oates: 5-time NFL pro-bowler and 3-time Super Bowl Champion
• McCree Harris: activist with the Albany Movement
• Reginald D. Hunter: stand-up comedian
• Harry James: Swing era trumpet player and bandleader
• Alex Kendrick, actor/director/producer/filmmaker, co-founder of Sherwood Pictures and Kendrick Brothers
• Stephen Kendrick, actor/director/producer/filmmaker, co-founder of Sherwood Pictures and Kendrick Brothers
• Ray Knight: former Major League Baseball infielder best remembered for his time with the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets
• Kylie Sonique Love: drag queen, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 6)
• Paul McKinney: Pennsylvania State Senator for the 8th district from 1975 to 1982{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania State Senate - Paul McKinney Biography |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=5192&body=S |website=Legis.state.pa.us |access-date=March 7, 2019}}
• Phillip Phillips: singer-songwriter and actor who won the eleventh season of American Idol
• Bobby Rush: pastor and U.S. Representative from Illinois
• Jo Marie Payton, actress
• Bernice Johnson Reagon: American song leader, professor of American history, composer, historian, musician, scholar, curator at the Smithsonian, and social activist.
• Daryl Smith: Former linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League
• Harry Spilman: former player for the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants
• Angelo Taylor: athlete, Olympic gold medalist
• Geraldine W. Travis: first black woman to serve in the Montana House of Representatives{{Cite news |date=August 15, 2018 |title=GERALDINE WASHINGTON TRAVIS (1931- ) |work=BlackPast.org |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/travis-geraldine-washington-1931/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201012025133/https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/travis-geraldine-washington-1931/ |archive-date=October 12, 2020}}
• James Wheeler (1937–2014), Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter{{Cite web |title=James Wheeler Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-wheeler-mn0000206865/biography |access-date=November 24, 2022 |website=AllMusic}}
• Joe Yonan, journalist, cookbook author and the Food and Dining Editor for The Washington Post

{{Reflist}}

• Carolyn Clive, Frances Davis, and Tom Liner, eds., Glancing Backward: Albany, Georgia, 1836–1986 (Albany, Ga.: Dougherty County School System and Sesquicentennial Publication Committee, 1986).
• Lee W. Formwalt, "A Garden of Irony and Diversity", in The New Georgia Guide (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1996).
• Joseph Winthrop Holley, You Can't Build a Chimney from the Top: The South through the Life of a Negro Educator (New York: William-Frederick Press, 1948).
• Thronateeska Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, History and Reminiscences of Dougherty County, Georgia (1924; reprint, Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Co., 1978).
• Works Progress Administration, Historical Background of Dougherty County, 1836–1940 (Atlanta: Cherokee, 1981).

{{Wikivoyage|Albany (Georgia)}}

{{Commons category|Albany, Georgia}}

• [https://www.albanyga.gov/ City of Albany official website]
• [http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/sgnewspapers South Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive] Digital Library of Georgia
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060708223032/http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/interaia_save.nsf/0/53ecda1746d76afc852565d900539edf?OpenDocument Old U.S. Post Office and Courthouse]
• [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/dougherty/albanys-first-brick-house Albany's First Brick House] historical marker
• {{Wikisource-inline|list=
• {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Albany (Georgia)|short=x|noicon=x}}
• {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Albany (Georgia)|display=Albany|short=x|noicon=x}}
• {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Albany (Georgia)|short=x|noicon=x}}
• {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Albany (Georgia)|short=x|noicon=x}}

}}

{{Geographic location

| Centre =Albany

| North =Columbus

| Northeast =Macon

| East =Tifton

| Southeast =Valdosta

| South =Thomasville

| Southwest =Eufaula, Alabama

| West =Union Springs, Alabama

| Northwest =Phenix City, Alabama

}}

{{Dougherty County, Georgia}}

{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}

{{Georgia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Cities in Dougherty County, Georgia

Category:Albany metropolitan area, Georgia

Category:Populated places established in 1836

Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Populated places in Dougherty County, Georgia

Category:Geography of Dougherty County, Georgia

Category:1836 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)