MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME:
$47,323 (source: quickfacts.census.gov,
2008-2012)
SALES TAX: 7 percent
Forsyth/Monroe County Chamber of
Commerce
68 North Lee St.
Forsyth
(478) 994-9239 | (888) 642-4628
forsyth-monroechamber.com
PEACH COUNTY
They really do like their peaches in
Peach County. And so does the rest
of the country. In fact, this one county
produces more than half of the state's
total annual peach crop. But why stop
there, Peach County is also known
for producing school buses, college
graduates and camellias.
Agriculture has always been a prime
industry for Peach County. Before
peaches and pecans, it was cotton. In
order to transport the crops to market,
DID YOU KNOW?
In 1925, the Atlantic Ice and Coal Company was built in Fort Valley
to provide the ice needed in shipping peaches. At the time, it was
the largest ice plant in the world.
the railroad came to Fort Valley in 1871
and a thriving downtown developed
around it. During the busy summer
peach season, trains ran 24 hours a day
taking fruit to the New York markets.
The nearby town of Byron grew up
around a railroad refueling station and
was incorporated in 1871.
The state of Georgia is a major producer
of peaches with only California and
South Carolina producing more. Peach
County continues as a site of major
peach farming. The county celebrates
the Peach Festival in June.
Besides peaches and pecans, Fort
Valley is also known for school buses.
Founded in 1927, the Blue Bird
Corporation is one of the world's leading
bus manufacturers. Blue Bird delivers
thousands of school buses, commercial
buses and luxury recreational vehicles to
the market each year.
POPULATION: 27, 014 (source: quickfacts.
census.gov, 2013 estimate)
MEDIAN HOUSE VALUE: $120,000
(source: factfinder.census.gov, 2008-2012)
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME:
$41,488 (factfinder.census.gov, 2008-2012)
SALES TAX: 7 percent
Peach County Chamber of Commerce
201 Oakland Heights
Fort Valley
(478) 825-3733
peachchamber.com
JUNE/JULY 2014 MACON MAGAZINE I 73
