Southeast Georgia

18-county region in Georgia, US

Region in Georgia, United States

Southeast Georgia

Region

Valdosta Commercial Historic District

Southeast Georgia highlighted in red

Location of Georgia within the United States

Country| United States
State| Georgia
Largest city| Valdosta
Population

(2020)

• Total| 416,498
Demonym| Southeast Georgian
Website| georgia.org/regions/southeast-georgia

Southeast Georgia is an eighteen-county region within the U.S. state of Georgia, bordering Florida.[1] The region includes a portion of Georgia's Lower Coastal Plain. Southeast Georgia's largest city is Valdosta, which forms the core of the Valdosta metropolitan area. The region's largest county by population is Lowndes, of which Valdosta is the county seat. The region had a total resident population of 416,498 in 2020.

## Geography[edit]

Located in southern Georgia and the Deep South, the Southeast Georgia region lies on a low elevation above sea level, and a portion of its land consists of the Okefenokee Swamp.[1][2] According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Southeast Georgia consists of the following counties: Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Tift, Turner, and Ware.

## Demographics[edit]

Southeast Georgia, like the majority of the U.S. state, has been settled by a predominantly non-Hispanic white and Black or African American population since its colonial history. Among its regional population, the counties making up the region had a resident population of 416,498 as of the 2020 United States census. To its west, Southwest Georgia has remained predominantly African American, forming part of the Black Belt in the American South.

As a part of the Bible Belt, Christianity is Southeast Georgia's most practiced religion, with Protestantism being the largest form of Christianity adhered to. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, the region's largest single Christian denomination was the Southern Baptist Convention, with 97,452 adherents. Overall, the Baptist tradition is the region's largest Protestant group, with the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America and National Baptist Convention of the United States of America being the second and third-largest Baptist denominations. Non/interdenominational Protestants formed the second-largest overall group with 25,080 adherents.[3] Other prominent Protestant Christian groups in the region have included Methodists and Pentecostals.

The Catholic Church is the single largest non-Protestant Christian denomination in Southeast Georgia. During European colonization of the Americas, Spanish Catholics established missions throughout present-day regions of Southeast and Coastal Georgia.[4]

According to the same 2020 study, the largest non-Christian religions in the region were Buddhism, Islam, and the Baha'i Faith.[3] Theravada Buddhism is the dominant sect of Buddhism practiced, with 1,296 adherents in Southeast Georgia.

## Economy[edit]

According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Southeast Georgia's largest industries were the military through Georgia Air National Guard, and healthcare and education, stimulated by the Mayo Health Clinic System and Valdosta State University.[1] Valdosta State University operates a center of economic development for the region,[5] aiming to increase development within industrial businesses, healthcare, education, arts and athletics.

## Transportation[edit]

The region is served by one interstate and four U.S. route highways; it is also served by the Valdosta Regional Airport which provides services by Delta to Atlanta.[6]

* Interstate 75
* U.S. Route 41
* U.S. Route 82
* U.S. Route 84
* U.S. Route 221

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Southeast Georgia - Region 11". Georgia Department of Economic Development. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
2. ^ "Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
3. ^ a b "Congregational Membership Reports | US Religion". Association of Religion Data Archives. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
4. ^ "Explorers and Settlers (Georgia)". National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
5. ^ "Center for South Georgia Regional Impact". Valdosta State University. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
6. ^ "Regional Airport in Valdosta, GA". Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport. Retrieved 2024-01-03.

* v
* t
* e

State of Georgia

Atlanta (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Climate change
* Geology
* History
* Congressional delegations
* Government
* Law
* People
* Mass media
* newspapers
* radio
* TV
* Music
* Elections
* Geography
* State parks
* Symbols
* Transportation
* Tourist attractions
* African Americans (Slavery)

Society|

* Abortion
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gun laws
* LGBT rights
* Politics
* Sports

Regions|

* Central Georgia
* Coastal Georgia
* East Georgia
* Golden Isles
* Lower Coastal Plain
* Metro Atlanta
* North Georgia
* Northeast Georgia
* Northwest Georgia
* Sea Islands
* South Georgia
* Southern Rivers
* Southeast Georgia
* Southwest Georgia
* West Georgia

Largest cities|

* Albany
* Atlanta
* Athens
* Augusta
* Columbus
* Johns Creek
* Macon
* Marietta
* Roswell
* Sandy Springs
* Savannah
* South Fulton
* Valdosta
* Warner Robins

Counties|

* Appling
* Atkinson
* Bacon
* Baker
* Baldwin
* Banks
* Barrow
* Bartow
* Ben Hill
* Berrien
* Bibb
* Bleckley
* Brantley
* Brooks
* Bryan
* Bulloch
* Burke
* Butts
* Calhoun
* Camden
* Candler
* Carroll
* Catoosa
* Charlton
* Chatham
* Chattahoochee
* Chattooga
* Cherokee
* Clarke
* Clay
* Clayton
* Clinch
* Cobb
* Coffee
* Colquitt
* Columbia
* Cook
* Coweta
* Crawford
* Crisp
* Dade
* Dawson
* Decatur
* DeKalb
* Dodge
* Dooly
* Dougherty
* Douglas
* Early
* Echols
* Effingham
* Elbert
* Emanuel
* Evans
* Fannin
* Fayette
* Floyd
* Forsyth
* Franklin
* Fulton
* Gilmer
* Glascock
* Glynn
* Gordon
* Grady
* Greene
* Gwinnett
* Habersham
* Hall
* Hancock
* Haralson
* Harris
* Hart
* Heard
* Henry
* Houston
* Irwin
* Jackson
* Jasper
* Jeff Davis
* Jefferson
* Jenkins
* Johnson
* Jones
* Lamar
* Lanier
* Laurens
* Lee
* Liberty
* Lincoln
* Long
* Lowndes
* Lumpkin
* Macon
* Madison
* Marion
* McDuffie
* McIntosh
* Meriwether
* Miller
* Mitchell
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* Murray
* Muscogee
* Newton
* Oconee
* Oglethorpe
* Paulding
* Peach
* Pickens
* Pierce
* Pike
* Polk
* Pulaski
* Putnam
* Quitman
* Rabun
* Randolph
* Richmond
* Rockdale
* Schley
* Screven
* Seminole
* Spalding
* Stephens
* Stewart
* Sumter
* Talbot
* Taliaferro
* Tattnall
* Taylor
* Telfair
* Terrell
* Thomas
* Tift
* Toombs
* Towns
* Treutlen
* Troup
* Turner
* Twiggs
* Union
* Upson
* Walker
* Walton
* Ware
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Wheeler
* White
* Whitfield
* Wilcox
* Wilkes
* Wilkinson
* Worth
* (Campbell)
* (Milton)

* Georgia (U.S. state) portal
* Category
* WikiProject

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template