Ben Hill County is a county in Georgia, United States, in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 17,194 at the 2020 census and covers 254 square miles (660 km2) centred near 31°46′N 83°13′W.
Fitzgerald is the county seat, and its postal code is 31750. The county has one city and three unincorporated communities, sits in the Eastern time zone, and forms the core of the Fitzgerald, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Towns & Villages in Ben Hill County
Ben Hill County has one incorporated city, Fitzgerald, and several unincorporated communities scattered through its farmland. The table below marks incorporated places and unincorporated (Unincorp.) communities.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzgerald | City · seat | 9,006 | 31750 |
| Ashton | Unincorp. | — | 31750 |
| Bowens Mill | Unincorp. | — | 31750 |
| Queensland | Unincorp. | — | 31750 |
The old site list also carried Lulaville, Red Bluff and Westwood as separate places; these could not be independently verified against current gazetteer or postal records and are omitted here rather than guessed. Every address in the county, incorporated or not, is served by the single 31750 Fitzgerald ZIP code.
ZIP Codes
- 31750 — Fitzgerald (also serves Ashton, Bowens Mill and Queensland)
Ben Hill County is unusual among Georgia counties in that a single ZIP code covers essentially the entire county, including all of its unincorporated communities.
Geography
Ben Hill County lies in the Coastal Plain of south-central Georgia, a flat to gently rolling landscape of pine woods and row-crop farmland. Of its 254 square miles, 250 square miles are land and 3.8 square miles (1.5%) are water. The Ocmulgee River’s tributaries drain the northern part of the county, and several small creeks feed the Alapaha and Little rivers to the south.
Ben Hill County borders Wilcox County to the north, Telfair County to the northeast, Coffee County to the east, Irwin County to the south, and Turner County to the west.
Demographics
Ben Hill County had 17,194 residents at the 2020 census. Fitzgerald, the county seat, is by far the largest community, with the rest of the population spread across unincorporated Ashton, Bowens Mill, Queensland and the surrounding farmland. Median household income in the county runs well below the Georgia median of $74,632, reflecting the county’s rural, agriculture-dependent economy. Population density is roughly 69 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the county’s economy, with row crops, timber and poultry among the leading sectors, alongside manufacturing and public-sector jobs based in Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald Municipal Airport, about two miles southwest of town, serves general aviation and agricultural spraying operations. Fitzgerald’s downtown, built around the historic Ben Hill County Courthouse, hosts the city’s civic and retail life, and the community is known regionally for its free-roaming wild chickens, descendants of Burmese jungle fowl released decades ago.
History
Ben Hill County was organized in 1906 from parts of Irwin and Wilcox counties, and is named for Benjamin Harvey Hill, a Confederate congressman and later a United States senator from Georgia. Fitzgerald itself predates the county: it was founded in 1895 as a planned colony for Union veterans of the Civil War, a deliberate effort at postwar reconciliation that gave the city its distinctive street grid, with Union-general-named streets on one side and Confederate-general-named streets on the other. Both the Ben Hill County Courthouse and the Ben Hill County Jail are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Getting There
U.S. Routes 129 and 319 and Georgia State Routes 11, 90, 107, 125, 182, 206, 215 and 233 all pass through the county, converging on Fitzgerald.
- Tifton — 30 miles west
- Douglas — 25 miles southeast
- Cordele — 35 miles northwest
- Valdosta — 55 miles south
Fitzgerald Municipal Airport handles general aviation; the nearest commercial airport is Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon, about 80 miles north.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ben Hill County?
It is in south-central Georgia, part of the Coastal Plain region, centred near Fitzgerald.
What is the population of Ben Hill County?
17,194 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Ben Hill County?
254 square miles (660 km2), of which 250 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Ben Hill County?
Fitzgerald is the county seat.
How many towns are in Ben Hill County?
One incorporated city, Fitzgerald, plus the unincorporated communities of Ashton, Bowens Mill and Queensland.
What ZIP codes are in Ben Hill County?
The whole county is served by 31750, Fitzgerald.
Why does Fitzgerald have wild chickens?
Burmese jungle fowl released in the mid-20th century established a free-roaming population that is now a protected local emblem.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Georgia.