Get to know: Peach County

Peach County was the last county formed in Georgia. Created from Houston and Macon counties in 1924, it is named after the area’s most famous crop.

Fort Valley is the county seat; the only other municipality is Byron.

Fort Valley was originally called Fox Valley, but its name accidentally became Fort Valley when a congressman scrawled the name on the application for a post office in 1825 and an official in Washington misread it.

Byron was named for the English poet, Lord Byron. On Fourth of July weekend in 1970, it was the site of the South’s largest pop festival.

Fort Valley is home of Fort Valley State University, a member of the University System of Georgia.

The American Camellia Society is headquartered at Massee Lane Gardens in Peach County. This park is 100 acres and has more than 2,000 varieties of camellias.Commissioner’s Office, Peach County Board of Commissioners, 205 W. Church St., Fort Valley, 478-825-2535Byron City Hall, 101 Murdock Lane, Byron, 478-956-3600

Fort Valley City Hall, 204 W. Church St., Fort Valley, 478-825-8261

Voter registration

Byron: City Hall or Byron Library

Fort Valley: Peach County Courthouse, Fort Valley City Hall, Thomas Public Library and Fort Valley Sate University Library

Auto tags

Peach County Courthouse: 205 W. Church St., Fort Valley, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday

Driver’s licenses

No place in Peach County. Officials advise that licenses can be obtained at bureaus at 198 Carl Vinson Parkway in Warner Robins from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 478-542-2110; and at 450 Larry Walker Parkway in Perry from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 478-988-6721

Emergency numbers

Byron Police Department, 911 or 478-956-2880; Fire Department, 911 or 478-956-3611

Fort Valley Police Department, 911 or 478-822-6970 or 478-822-6982; Fire Department, 911 or 478-825-5190

Ambulance Service, 911

Libraries

Thomas Public Library: 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Fort Valley, 478-825-1640

Byron Public Library: 105 Church St., Byron, 478-956-2200

POPULATION

2014 estimate: 26,922

Change, 2010 to 2014: -2.8 percent

White: 51.7 percent

Black: 45 percent

Hispanic: 7.4 percent

EDUCATION

High school or better: 82.7 percent

Bachelor’s or better: 19.2 percent

Public high school graduates, 2014: 188

Graduation rate, 2014: 68.6 percent

Public school enrollment, October 2014: 3,672

Eligible for HOPE scholarship: 46.3 percent

Enrolled, white: 32.5 percent

Enrolled, black: 50.1 percent

ECONOMICS

Median household income, 2009-2013: $39,844

People below poverty level: 24.6 percent

Unemployment rate, May 2015: 8.3

Civilian labor force, May 2015: 11,390

HEALTH

Births per 1,000 people, 2012: 10.6

Deaths per 1,000 people, 2012: 8.69

Births to unwed mothers, 2012: 55.1 percent

Teen pregnancies per 1,000 girls aged 10 to 19: 29.8

People per physician, 2010: 1,846

Uninsured, less than age 65, 2012: 22.6 percent

TANF recipients, Fiscal 2013: 0.6 percent

PHYSICAL

Land: 151.3 square miles

Land in farms: 36.7 percent

Road mileage, unpaved, 2013: 8.6 percent

Sources: Telegraph analysis, Georgia Statistics System, U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia Departments of Labor and Education

This story was originally published October 14, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Get to know: Peach County ."