Smithville, Georgia

Smithville is a city in Lee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 593 in 2020. It is part of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.

History
A post office was established at Smithville in 1871. The community was named after the local Smith family. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Smithville as a town in 1863.

Geography
Smithville is located in northwestern Lee County at 31.90194°N, -84.25528°W (31.902073, -84.255336). It is bordered to the north by the Sumter County line.

U.S. Route 19 runs through the west side of the city, leading south 12 mi to Leesburg, the Lee county seat, and north 13 mi to Americus. Georgia State Route 118 passes through the center of Smithville, leading east 12 mi to Leslie and southwest 14 mi to Dawson.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.5 km2, all of it recorded as land. Muckaloochee Creek forms the northeast border of the city. The creek is a south-flowing tributary of Muckalee Creek and part of the Flint River watershed.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 593 people, 239 households, and 143 families residing in the city.

Education
Public schools are operated by the Lee County School District. Students are zoned to Lee County High School.

Notable people

 * Bessie Jones (1902-1984), gospel and folk singer
 * Bill McAfee (1907-1958), baseball player and mayor
 * William J. Sears (1874-1944), congressman from Florida
 * Jeffery Waters (1989-2019), second African American to serve as Command Master Chief of Naval Air Station Jacksonville (2016-2019)
 * Ja'Lia Taylor (1989–Present) First woman to run for Mayor of Smithville. First African American to receive a PhD in Special Education from Smithville, Ga. Founder of KimRose Brown Academy and Founder of Rare Genetics by Lia Jai'
 * Hudson Woodbridge (1904-1981), aka Tampa Red, musician in Blues Hall of Fame