Fitzgerald, Georgia
Fitzgerald is a city of 8,918 people in Ben Hill County, Georgia, founded in 1895.
Why visit Fitzgerald
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 10 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Ben Hill County Jail and Holtzendorf Apartments.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 92°F; January lows average 39°F.
Weather in Fitzgerald
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald is a city in and the county seat of Ben Hill County in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2020, its population was 9,006. It is the principal city of the Fitzgerald micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Ben Hill and Irwin counties. A small portion of Fitzgerald is in Irwin County.
From the Wikipedia article Fitzgerald, Georgia (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks5
Ben Hill County Jail
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Jail in Fitzgerald, Georgia
Holtzendorf Apartments
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Apartment building in Fitzgerald, Georgia
Ben Hill County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
Blue and Gray Museum
Museum · 0.4 mi
Museum in Fitzgerald, Georgia, USA
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Restaurants and cafes10
Burger King
Fast food · Burger · 1.4 mi
278 Ocilla Highway, Fitzgerald
Mo-Sa 06:00-22:00; Su 07:00-22:00
Zaxby's
Fast food · Chicken · 1.5 mi
128 Benjamin H Hill Drive West, Fitzgerald
Mo-Th 10:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-00:00; Su 10:00-23:00
DQ Grill & Chill
Fast food · Ice Cream, Burger · 1.1 mi
203 Ocilla Highway, Fitzgerald
Sa-Tu,Th 10:00-22:00; We 10:00-18:00; Fr 10:00-23:00
Where to stay1
History
Fitzgerald was developed in 1895 by Philander H. Fitzgerald, a newspaper editor from Indianapolis, Indiana. A former drummer boy in the Union Army during the Civil War, he founded it as a community for war veterans–both from the Union and from the Confederacy. The majority of the first citizens (some 2700) were Union veterans. It was incorporated on December 2, 1896. The town is located less than 15 miles (24 km) from the site where Confederate president Jefferson Davis was captured on May 10, 1865.
Fitzgerald was an early planned city. It was laid out as a square, with intersecting streets dividing it into four wards. Each ward was divided into four blocks and each block had sixteen squares. The first two streets running north–south on the west side of the city were named after Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Joseph E. Johnston, whereas the first two on the east side were named after Union generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman.
From the History section of Fitzgerald, Georgia on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship25
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Place of worship · Jehovahs Witness · 1.3 mi
219 West Jack Allen Road, Fitzgerald
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Fitzgerald High School School College And Career Academy
School · 2.9 mi
553 Ocilla Hwy, Fitzgerald
Healthcare1
Map of Fitzgerald
60 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60°F | 39°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 64°F | 41°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 71°F | 47°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 78°F | 53°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 85°F | 62°F | 2.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 89°F | 70°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 92°F | 72°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 71°F | 5.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 87°F | 66°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 80°F | 56°F | 3.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 69°F | 46°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 62°F | 40°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Fitzgerald (0 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Ben Hill County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-09-30: Hurricane Helene (Hurricane)
- 2024-09-26: Hurricane Helene (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-08-05: Hurricane Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2020-03-29: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2018-10-14: Hurricane Michael (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Henry Tift Myers Airport (TMA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 24 miles away.
- Tifton 23 mi southwest, about 38 min by car
- Ashburn 24 mi west, about 38 min by car
- Douglas 27 mi southeast, about 44 min by car
- Eastman 34 mi north, about 54 min by car
- Cordele 35 mi northwest, about 56 min by car
- Alamo 41 mi northeast, about 1 h by car
- Adel 42 mi south, about 1 h by car
- Cochran 47 mi north, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Moultrie 49 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Albany 55 mi west, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Fitzgerald City Hall 2017, Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Holtzendorf Apartments, Fitzgerald, GA, US, Bubba73 (Jud McCranie), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ben Hill County Jail Historic, Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ben Hill County Courthouse, Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 3.0
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