Albany Area
Albany Area Hikes
Originally settled by the Creek Indians, the Albany area gradually opened to development in the mid 19th century, following Indian removal. The development of the area began with the arrival of a Connecticut businessman - Nelson Tift - who chose to name the settlement Albany, after the capital of the state of New York. Albany is conveniently located on the Flint River, which - together with the Chattahoochee River - forms the Apalachicola River at Lake Seminole, approximately 70 miles to the southwest. Albany proved to be an economic center point for the surrounding cotton plantations. The area around Albany became densely populated by African Americans, due to the extensive amount of slaves required to run the cotton plantations. From Albany, the cotton was then transported down the Flint River using boats. While the Flint River was an important part of Albany, it also had its cons. The river flooded frequently, destroying residential areas along the river. Later on, with the approach of the 20th century, Albany began to serve other important purposes: it became the center point of several different railroads, and it also was home to an army training base. Today, there is still a US Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany. However, since army activies have declined, and railroads have been rerouted away for Albany, there have been many job losses, and now, Albany's population's majority is African Americans, and the economy is poor.
There is not much to be found, in terms of outdoor recreation, in the Albany area and across the southwest Georgia region. West of Albany, there are two state parks - Kolomoki Mounds State Park and George T. Bagby State Park - with a few hiking trails. The former has some Indian mounds, the latter is conveniently situated on the shores of Walter F. George Reservoir. To the northeast of Albany, Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park - found next to Lake Blackshear - provides a variety of recreational activies, including several miles of hiking trails through longleaf pine forests and sandhills. The park is also the home of the SAM Shortline Excursion Train, a tourist railroad that visits a few historical towns nearby.
There is not much to be found, in terms of outdoor recreation, in the Albany area and across the southwest Georgia region. West of Albany, there are two state parks - Kolomoki Mounds State Park and George T. Bagby State Park - with a few hiking trails. The former has some Indian mounds, the latter is conveniently situated on the shores of Walter F. George Reservoir. To the northeast of Albany, Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park - found next to Lake Blackshear - provides a variety of recreational activies, including several miles of hiking trails through longleaf pine forests and sandhills. The park is also the home of the SAM Shortline Excursion Train, a tourist railroad that visits a few historical towns nearby.
