Tifton - 'the Friendly City' - is located in Georgia, in the southeastern United States. With a population of about 15,000 it has a small-town vibe, but a business district worth millions of US dollars.

Where Did it Come From?

Founded in the 1872 as a saw mill, Tifton quickly became 'the Gateway to Florida', as the main railroad from Georgia to Florida passed through the town. It remained a small town until the Interstate 75 motorway was built. Realising that Tifton was the only suitable town directly between Atlanta and Orlando, businesses moved in like wildfire. Suddenly the small farming town became a bustling, congested, small farming town. In a desperate attempt to protect local small businesses, the town created 'Historic Downtown Tifton' where no buildings could be torn down or altered. This part of town quickly became what locals called 'Ghosttown' after Wal-Mart moved in, and remained that until downtown revitalisation began in the year 2000.

And What's There to See?

Tifton is strategically placed on Interstate 75 (Atlanta, GA to Orlando, FL), but also connects with Highway 82 (Brunswick to Columbus, OH) and Highway 319 (Talahassee, FL to Atlanta). Due to a huge influx of travellers, most of the town's businesses are centered around the intersection of these three. Many people either run out of fuel, feel hungry or get sleepy at the right time to make it to a gas station, restaurant or hotel in Tifton.

The town's major tourist trap is The Agrirama. Also conveniently situated on I-75, this 'Living History Museum', is full of buildings from the 1890s, vehicles from the 1890s and, miraculously, people from the 1890s¹. It has a working saw mill, turpentine operation, original newspaper press, working locomotive train, and a working grits mill. The houses are original and the all volunteer staff is extremely knowledgeable. Every year the museum holds an Independence Day celebration, with one of the largest firework displays in the region, bringing out thousands of Tiftonians and pulling people off the Interstate in droves.

Many poor unsuspecting tourists also visit 'The Great Magnolia', the world's second largest magnolia tree. Surprisingly, it is one of Tifton's most urban objects as the trunk is covered in grafitti and also surrounded by a large industrial park which found its way (perplexingly) into the small town. Sadly, the tree is no longer growing; it is in fact dying and will be completely dead in a few years.

Although it doesn't really draw people off the road, Tifton does have a fairly nice 'historic downtown', featuring actual buildings from the 1920s, old-style sidewalks and large murals. There are some very nice 'Mom & Pop' operations and trip-back-in-time fashion stores. If you're interested in guns, hunting and that sort of thing, Tifton is heaven. There are many gun stores and an army surplus depot that sells what an animal rights activist would consider strange and horrific objects.

If you're a tourist, avoid all areas south of Highway 82 and east of I-75. This is a crime-plagued area with a large number of gangs for such a small town. It also contains one of the largest middle schools in town. This was one of the 'Black Schools', as Tifton remained segregated until the late 1970s. However, times have now changed. The school has an extremely successful debate team and a school band which has played at half-time events for professional football games and been in every major Thanksgiving Day parade around the country. The Chorus has also competited nationally and the football team was second in the state last year. Academically, the school has several blue ribbon programmes and has a good reputation.

But the big cash-cow, the reason the roads are clogged for miles and the town has millions of dollars it can throw around on a whim, is the Wal-Mart. Tifton has the second-largest and most successful Wal-Mart in the area and it's rumoured to make a million US dollars per week². People from all over southern Georgia come to the Wal-Mart to stock up their food stores for the ensuing Japanese invasion (yes, there still are some older locals who believe that an invasion is imminent).

Eating at Joe's?

Most restaurants in Tifton are in fact fast food places, but since they are the town's main eateries they are considered restaurants by the locals. The most classy establishment in Tifton is a contested title, but the front runners are New China Buffet, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse and Chicago's Italian Food. Of course, all the usual fast-food outlets are present - including five Subways, three Waffle Houses, two McDonalds, two Burger Kings and an extremely oversized Wendy's.

Staying Overnight?

Realising its potential, many hotels have fought bitterly over land in Tifton. There are plenty of nice hotels for people to stay at. The finest is the Marriot³, conveniently next to a Applebees Restaurant. However, the Days Inn does feature a very fine 'Country Style' restaurant and a Starbucks.

As far as living in Tifton goes, it's only half-recommended. The crime rate in most of the city is fairly low, there are plenty of nice services for the wealthy and an unfashionable amount of services for the very un-wealthy. Tifton features an agricultural college, ABAC, which also houses the local police academy and has one of the largest nursing programmes in South Georgia now offering a four-year degree in nursing. The college also houses one of the world's best research station for agricultural research - most of the grass on golf courses around the world today has a variety developed at ABAC. Its students hail from around the world. Traffic is horrendous for such a small town, but certainly better than any town with a population over 100,000.

Tifton also has a surprisingly large high-wealth population, considering its area. Most of these people are doctors or pre I-75 land owners who got rich selling their property. Tifton has a large medical centre that serves the immediate surrounding area which, luckily for the doctors, is filled with ageing locals who refuse to move to 'northern-ised' Florida.

Tifton After Dark

Nightlife in Tifton consists of the young people driving around the mall yelling obscenities at each other. This happens on Friday and Saturday nights and is best avoided.

Further Information

For more about the 'the Friendly City' try Tifton or the Official Tifton Tourism website.