Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of Colquitt County, Georgia,^[6] United States. It is the third largest city in Southwest Georgia, behind Thomasville and Albany. As of the 2020 census, Moultrie's population was 14,638.^[7] It was originally known as Ochlockoney until it was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly in 1859. Moultrie is an agricultural community set in the Southern Rivers part of Georgia.

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Moultrie
City
Moultrie, Georgia
Moultrie Municipal Building (City Hall)
Nickname:  The City of Southern Living
Location in Colquitt County and the state of Georgia
Moultrie Location in Georgia Show map of Georgia Moultrie Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 31°10′N 83°47′W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Colquitt
Established	December 13, 1879 (1879-12-13)[1]
Government
• Mayor	William M McIntosh (1983–present)[2]
Area [3]
• Total	16.84 sq mi (43.61 km2)
• Land	16.67 sq mi (43.18 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.43 km2)
Elevation	318 ft (97 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,638
• Density	877.95/sq mi (338.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	31768, 31776, 31788
Area code	229
FIPS code	13-53060[4]
GNIS feature ID	0332427[5]
Website	www.moultriega.com

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Downtown Moultrie contains the Moultrie Commercial Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district includes the Colquitt Theatre.

It is well known for its boutiques and farming industry. Moultrie is the home of former US Senator Saxby Chambliss.

The city was named after Gen. William Moultrie,^[8] the Revolutionary War hero after whom Fort Moultrie was named following the successful defense of Charleston, South Carolina, against the British under Peter Parker, an anniversary subsequently celebrated as Carolina Day.

Colquitt County became the 115th county in Georgia by an act of the Legislature on February 25, 1856. It was named after Walter Terry Colquitt, a minister, statesman and lawyer who was a military leader in the mid-1860s. In 1879, a charter was adopted and 50 acres (0.03 km²) in the center of the county was declared the county seat.

Founders of naval stores started harvesting timber in the late 1890s. They set up turpentine stills and built tram roads, allowing for the railroad to come into the territory. The Boston & Albany line, which later became the Georgia Northern Railway, was the first through town, bringing with it growth and prosperity for the county. Practically every train brought new residents interested in supplying naval stores or working in the sawmills.

By 1900, through the work of businessmen, bankers and speculators, the county was becoming a farmer's paradise.

Land was cleared and development companies began dividing the forested area into farm tracts. Experienced farmers from north Georgia and the Carolinas were invited to come and develop the land. The county's agriculture industry thrives today.

Located in southwest Georgia, Moultrie is in the center of Colquitt County, 24 miles (39 km) west of Interstate 75, and about 200 miles (300 km) south of Atlanta and 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Tallahassee, Florida. The city is located between Albany to the northwest, Tifton to the northeast, Thomasville to the southwest, and Valdosta to the southeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.8 km²), of which 16.3 square miles (42.3 km²) is land and 0.19 square miles (0.5 km²), or 1.15%, is water.^[9] Moultrie is located at 31°10′13″N 83°47′1″W (31.170188, -83.783601).^[10]

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,638 people, 4,945 households, and 2,988 families residing in the city.

Industry in the Moultrie area grew considerably when Sanderson Farms opened a processing plant in 2006 that now employs over 1,000 workers, over 10 percent of the local workforce.^{[citation needed]} The manufacturer of light, single-engined STOL aircraft, the Maule Air, is also located in Moultrie.

There are three radio channels and three television stations located in Moultrie.

• Radio
  • WMTM-1300 AM News/Talk
  • WMTM-93.9 FM Oldies Cruisin' 94
  • WWGW-LP 102.5 FM

• Television
  • WSWG CBS TV'
  • CW44 CW TV
  • WSWG2 My Network TV

Moultrie is home to several sites on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Colquitt County, Georgia of the National Register of Historic Places.^[19]

• Museum of Colquitt County History
• Reed Bingham State Park – offers camping, hiking, fishing, birding, and boating on a 375 acre lake. Wildlife includes bald eagles, alligators, and gopher tortoises.
• Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library
• Spence Field
• Colquitt County Arts Center – home to permanent collections, theatre groups, concerts, art education, and the Fall Quilt Exhibition
• Tom White Linear Park – a 7.5 mile "Rails to Trails" project, for walkers and cycle enthusiasts
• St. Mark's Anglican Church

Moultrie is served by US 319, which connects to Interstate 75 and Interstate 10. State Road 37 and State Road 111 also run through Moultrie. Moultrie has two public airports used primarily for general aviation, Moultrie Municipal Airport and Spence Airport.