Lake Park, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Lake Park · Lowndes County, Georgia
Population 962 (est. 2026: ~2,200)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 28.27% annual growth projection

Lake Park, Georgia

Lowndes County, Georgia · Population 932

Lake Park sits just north of the Florida state line on Interstate 75, about 10 miles south of Valdosta — close enough to draw on that city's jobs, hospitals, and retail without being swallowed by it. The town is small even by South Georgia standards: under a thousand residents, a single elementary school, and a median age of 28.9 that signals a community defined by young families rather than retirees. The interstate gives it a certain transient energy — trucks, travelers, and the kind of roadside economy that comes with an exit — but the residential core is a tight, working-class neighborhood where carpooling is nearly as common as driving alone.

People & Demographics

Lake Park's ACS 2022 count puts the population at 980, with 337 households and an average household size of 2.91 — well above Georgia's statewide average, which reflects how many of those households contain children. At 352 residents under 18, children make up roughly 36% of the total population. That is a striking share, and it shows up everywhere from the elementary school enrollment to the family-heavy household composition: 283 of 337 total households are family households.

The racial breakdown is 688 white, 219 Black, 17 Asian, and 41 Hispanic or Latino residents. Lowndes County as a whole (118,251 people) is more diverse, anchored by Valdosta's larger population and Valdosta State University's student body.

Economy & Employment

The labor force numbers are lean. Of 980 residents, 440 are in the labor force, with just 5 reported as unemployed — an extremely low figure that likely reflects both genuine employment and the small sample size inherent in a town this size.

Per capita income is $40,843. The median household income field in the source data is not valid and has been excluded. Poverty is a significant issue: 347 residents fall below the poverty line, which is more than a third of the total population. That figure is notable even in Lowndes County, where rural pockets of South Georgia face persistent economic challenges. The local economy leans heavily on I-75 corridor activity, and most working residents commute into Valdosta for employment in healthcare, retail, education, and the military presence at Moody Air Force Base.

Housing

Lake Park has 433 total housing units, of which 337 are occupied and 96 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of about 22%, which is high and suggests some housing stock that is aging, unaffordable to maintain, or simply awaiting buyers in a slow market.

Owner and renter occupancy are nearly split: 168 owner-occupied units versus 169 renter-occupied. Median home value is $229,800 and median rent is $749 per month. The rent figure is modest by any Georgia standard, making Lake Park one of the more affordable rental markets in the region. Home values, however, have climbed with the broader South Georgia market, putting ownership out of reach for households dealing with poverty-level incomes.

Schools

Lake Park Elementary School serves grades pre-K through 5 with 643 enrolled students — a notable enrollment for a town with fewer than 1,000 residents, which confirms the school draws from the surrounding rural area beyond the city limits. Students in Lake Park feed into the Lowndes County School System for middle and high school, which means the dominant secondary experience is in Valdosta and its immediate surroundings.

Getting Around

Lake Park is a car-dependent community. Of 430 workers, 254 drove alone, 121 carpooled, 39 worked from home, and just 3 used public transit. No workers were recorded as walking to work. The carpool rate — about 28% — is high, which in a lower-income community often reflects practical cost-sharing rather than environmental preference.

Aggregate travel time for all workers is 9,685 minutes. Divided across 430 workers, that averages to roughly 22 minutes per commute, consistent with a short drive into Valdosta or nearby commercial areas along US-41 and I-75.

Healthcare

SGMC Health (South Georgia Medical Center) in Valdosta is the regional hospital serving Lake Park. Greenleaf Center, also in the Valdosta area, provides behavioral health services. Both are a short drive north on I-75. For a directory of individual healthcare providers registered in Lake Park, the CMS NPI Registry lists licensed practitioners by city.

Library

The Johnston Lakes Library serves Lake Park and the surrounding area. Contact: (229) 559-8016. It operates as part of the Lowndes County public library network, with the main branch in Valdosta providing expanded collections and services.

Natural Hazards

Lowndes County has accumulated 15 FEMA disaster declarations since 1998, a record that reflects the region's exposure to Gulf and Atlantic storm systems funneled inland through the Florida panhandle corridor.

Recent events include two separate Hurricane Helene declarations in September 2024, as well as declarations for Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Debby earlier that same year. Hurricane Idalia struck in 2023. Earlier cycles include Hurricane Irma (2017, two declarations), Hurricane Michael (2018), and Hurricane Katrina evacuation support (2005). Severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding in January 2017 and April 2009 round out a pattern that is not exceptional weather — it is the baseline reality of living in deep South Georgia.

Anyone moving to Lake Park should carry flood insurance, have a storm plan, and know that the nearest shelter and coordination hub is Valdosta.

Government & Municipal Code

Lake Park's municipal code is published by Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/lake_park. The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file in the Municode system, which means construction and renovation projects default to state-level standards and Lowndes County oversight.

Weather

National Weather Service forecasts for Lake Park are available at forecast.weather.gov. Active weather alerts for the area can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest observation station is Lake Park 2.8 W, approximately 3 miles from town center.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)