Vidalia, Georgia
Population: 10,491
Located in Toombs County
Toombs County was created in 1905, carved out of parts of Emanuel, Montgomery and Tattnall counties. It was named in honor of Robert Toombs, who served Georgia in the U.S. Senate and served briefly as Confederate secretary of state. The county seat is the City of Lyons, and Vidalia is the largest City in Toombs County. Vidalia was named by the daughter of the man who built the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railroad, and is a contraction of "via dalia,' for "by way of the dahlias.' Toombs County is also home to Santa Claus, a community of about 154 people. People visit the City of Santa Claus each December to have their Christmas cards postmarked. The City of Vidalia is governed by a mayor, Ronnie A. Dixon, and five city councilmen. Toombs County has five county commissioners, with Charles Rustin serving as the chairman. The City of Lyons governing body consists of Mayor John Moore and five city councilmen. According to the 2000 census, there were over 26,000 citizens in the county, with over 10,000 living in Vidalia and approximately 4,000 living in Lyons. Toombs County has two public school systems, a county system and Vidalia city schools. Four campuses constitute the Vidalia city schools: a primary, an elementary, a middle school and high school. The Toombs County school system also has four schools. There are also two private schools, Robert Toombs Christian Academy offering K-12 and Heritage Academy which offers grades K-8. Vidalia has excellent medical services provided by a variety of health care professionals and anchored by a state of the art medical facility, "Meadows Regional Medical Center." The Tombs County Health Department also offers a variety of services and is headquartered in Lyons. Toombs County has two recreation departments, one in Vidalia and one in Lyons, which provide a number of activities including sports and swimming. Vidalia also offers two 18 hole golf courses, Vidalia Country Club and Rocky Creek Golf Club. The City of Vidalia is known world wide as the home of the Sweet Vidalia Onion. The City hosts the Vidalia Onion Festival each year in late spring, celebrating the onion so sweet it can be eaten like an apple. The festival features an onion cook-off, an onion-eating contest, an onion run, a beauty pageant, sports tournaments, an air show, a street dance, and arts and crafts displays. Thousands of people attend the annual celebration. The City of Lyons hosts the Southeast Georgia Regional Soap Box Derby each June. The winner travels to Akron, Ohio to compete in the national finals. Find homes for sale in Vidalia Georgia
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Vidalia's Premier Real Estate Agent
Ronnie A DixonREALTOR®, Mayor of VidaliaSpecializing in Residential, Commercial, RE/MAX Vidalia
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