Lakeland, GA

Lakeland is the Lanier County seat in south Georgia, part of the Valdosta metro and close to a string of blackwater lakes. The 2020 census counted 2,875 residents. The town began as Alapaha, later became Milltown, and took the Lakeland name in 1925 for its nearby water: Grand Bay Lake, Lake Irma, and Banks Lake. That name is a pretty good local compass. Water is not a side note here; it is the reason the town has its name. The Alapaha River and Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge keep the surrounding landscape tied to cypress, marsh, and slow-moving water.

ATTRMichael Rivera / CC BY-SA 4.0

Joshua Lee's early mill stood near what is now the refuge, and Lakeland once operated its own railroad, giving the county seat more transportation history than the streets might suggest. The W. Miller Memorial Library and Lanier County schools sit inside the modern town map. Lakeland is a south Georgia county seat where three lakes, a river, and an old mill story all meet.