Albany is a city in Dougherty County, Georgia, and its county seat, in the southwestern portion of the state on the Flint River. The 2020 census counted 69,647 residents, making Albany the largest city in Southwest Georgia and the region's commercial, medical, and cultural center. Founded in 1836, the city grew as a river and railroad trading point and later became a hub of pecan growing and processing — an industry still central to the area's identity. Albany's riverfront is the symbolic heart of the city. The Flint RiverQuarium, a regional aquarium focused on the Flint River ecosystem, anchors the downtown riverfront, alongside the Ray Charles Plaza honoring the pioneering soul musician, who was born in Albany in 1930. The riverfront and downtown have been the focus of sustained revitalization, adding trails, parks, and civic spaces. Education is a major local institution. Albany State University, founded in 1903 and one of Georgia's historically Black colleges and universities, enrolls roughly 6,000 students, while Albany Technical College provides workforce training. The Dougherty County School System serves the city's public K-12 students. Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, established in the early 1950s just east of the city, is the region's largest employer, rebuilding and repairing Marine Corps ground equipment and supporting East Coast installations, with an estimated economic impact of more than a billion dollars annually. Together with agriculture and healthcare, it anchors a diverse economy. The surrounding countryside of pecan groves, peanut and cotton fields, and cypress-lined river bottom defines the landscape beyond the city. Albany serves as the hub for a broad swath of Southwest Georgia, drawing shoppers, patients, and students from surrounding counties. For residents, the city offers the amenities of a regional center — healthcare, higher education, retail, and recreation — in the setting of the Georgia coastal plain.