Lakeland is a city in Lanier County, Georgia, United States. The city is the county seat of Lanier County. It is part of the Valdosta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,366 at the 2010 census. Originally called Alapaha and then Milltown or Mill Town, Lakeland received its current name in 1925 in honor of its proximity to Grand Bay Lake, Lake Irma, and Banks Lake. For many years, Lakeland owned and operated its own railroad. Numerous festivals are held in the county throughout each year, one of which is the Flatlanders Frolic Arts and Crafts Show. This event features bluegrass music, a road race and various other Labor Day weekend events. Also held in Lanier County is the Living Murals Celebration, held in the spring, and most recently the Georgia Deep Woods Deerfest, a festival featuring wild game suppers and firearms giveaways.
History
By the late 1830s, a community known as Alapaha had come into existence along the road from Waresboro, Georgia to Troupville, Georgia near the mill established by Joshua Lee on what is now Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. In 1838, a post office was established and was officially named Alapaha after the nearby Alapaha River. In 1848, Joshua Lee sold his mill to William Lastinger. In the 1850s, additional mills were established in the area and the population of the community continued to grow. In 1857, Alapaha was renamed Milltown. During the American Civil, William Lastinger sold his mill to Henry Banks. Milltown was incorporated in 1901. In 1919, Milltown was designated seat of the newly formed Lanier County. In 1928, the city was incorporated and renamed to its present form of Lakeland.
Geography
Lakeland is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,730 people, 966 households, and 661 families residing in the city. The population density was 881.0 people per square mile. There were 1,162 housing units at an average density of 375.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 67.18% White, 29.27% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.77% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.86% of the population. There were 966 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 20.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,346, and the median income for a family was $28,487. Males had a median income of $23,457 versus $19,276 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,156. About 25.3% of families and 28.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.9% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.
The South Georgia Regional Library operates the W. L. Miller Memorial Library in Lakeland. Initially the community was served by a library that was only open during school periods, and therefore people in the community considered it to be a school library rather than a complete community library. This small library opened in the courthouse office of the superintendent of the county school system in 1950. It was relocated to the Lanier County Primary School's Kindergarten building and then to a portion of Lanier County High School. The first standalone library, then the Lanier-Lakeland Library, opened on May 18, 1980. The current facility, built as part of a State of Georgia grant-funded library wave and partially financed by the W. L. Miller family through a $45,000 donation, opened on March 13, 1988. It was renovated from August 9 through August 23 in 2012.
