Vidalia (/vaɪˈdeɪliə/ vye-DAYL-yə , locally /-ˈdeɪjə/ -⁠DAY-yə) is a city located primarily in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The city also extends very slightly into Montgomery County.^[6] As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,785.^[3]

Vidalia is the principal city of the Vidalia Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Montgomery and Toombs counties,^[7] and had a combined population of 35,640 at the 2020 census.^[8]

The town was incorporated on January 1, 1890.^[9] It is the largest city in Toombs County, but it is not the county seat.^[10] The original name for the town was "Jenkins Station", after a local landowner, Warren T. Jenkins.^[11] Although several origins for the town's modern name have been suggested, it was most likely given by a daughter of Samuel Hawkins, the president of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railroad (later the S.A.M shortline),^[11] though which of his four daughters suggested the name, or how she came to it, is not known.

Like many towns in the region, Vidalia grew up around a rail yard that served farmers in the area who grew such crops as pecans and tobacco. The area's famous onions^[12] were not an important crop until much later.

From 1952 to 1956, Vidalia was home to the Vidalia Indians, a Class D minor league baseball affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. Vidalia played in the Georgia State League and won the 1953 League Championship.^[13]

In the 1950s, Piggly Wiggly grocery stores opened a distribution center in Vidalia, bringing with it a large influx of jobs as well as railroad business. At that time, Vidalia served as an interchange junction between the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Georgia and Florida. For this, a large seven-track yard was constructed, as well as a sizable engine servicing facility and interchange yard. The latter, smaller interchange yard is still in use to some degree by the Georgia Central Railway, while the larger yard was removed sometime in the 1970s. Dot Foods currently occupies most of the old Piggly Wiggly distribution center, with smaller companies leasing space.

Vidalia is located in northwestern Toombs County at 32°12′55″N 82°24′36″W (32.215305, -82.410086).^[14] The westernmost part of the city is in northeastern Montgomery County.

The city is located along U.S. Route 280, which runs east–west through the center of town. U.S. 280 leads east 6 miles (10 km) to Lyons, the Toombs county seat, and southwest 12 miles (19 km) to Mount Vernon, the Montgomery county seat. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes 15, 130, 292, and 297.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Vidalia has a total area of 18.3 square miles (47 km²), of which 17.9 square miles (46 km²) are land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), or 2.03%, are water.^[2] The city is drained to the south by Rocky Creek and to the north by Swift Creek; both are part of the Ohoopee River watershed.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,785 people, 4,042 households, and 2,499 families residing in the city.

Vidalia has a mixed economy, but its largest industry is agriculture. Since 1931, Granex onions grown in and near Vidalia have been licensed and sold internationally as Vidalia onions. In 1986, the Vidalia Onion Trademark Act granted a state trademark and protection on the onions of the Vidalia and Toombs County area. The 1989 Federal Marketing Order #955 of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service gave the growers and handlers the legal rights to establish the Vidalia Onion Committee, and it granted U.S. federal protection of the onion's name and production.

• Paul Anderson, Olympic weightlifter and strongman; founder of Paul Anderson Youth Home in Vidalia^[27]
• Mel Blount, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back, five-time Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; born in Vidalia^[28]
• Paul Claxton, professional golfer; born in Vidalia^[29]
• Don Harris, NBC News correspondent killed during Jonestown Massacre; born in Vidalia^[30]
• Carl Simpson, football player; born in Vidalia^[31]
• Fred Stokes, defensive end who played ten seasons in National Football League; born in Vidalia^[32]