Lanier County, Georgia

Lanier County, Georgia
Lanier County Courthouse in Lakeland
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1920
Named for	Sidney Lanier
Seat	Lakeland
Largest city	Lakeland
Area
• Total	200 sq mi (518 km2)
• Land	185 sq mi (479 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (39 km2), 7.3%
Population
• (2010)	10,078
• Density	54/sq mi (21/km²)
Congressional district	8th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Lanier County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,078. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Lakeland. The county is named after the Georgia poet Sidney Lanier.

Lanier County is part of the Valdosta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lanier shares Moody Air Force Base with Lowndes County on its western boundary.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 200 square miles (520 km²), of which 185 square miles (480 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (7.3%) is water.

The vast majority of Lanier County is located in the Alapaha River sub-basin of the Suwannee River basin. Just a narrow section of the western border of the county, northeast and southeast of Ray City, is located in the Withlacoochee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin, and a very narrow section of the eastern border of Lanier County is located in the Upper Suwannee River sub-basin of the same Suwannee River basin.

The Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1985, hosts approximately 20,000 visitors annually. It provides hiking, fishing, and boating opportunities on more than 4,000 acres (16 km²) of water, Banks Lake marsh, and swamp. The Robert Simpson III Nature Trail, dedicated in August 2001, is located within the Lakeland, Georgia city limits on 75 acres (300,000 m²) of pine and hardwood forests. The county is famous for its excellent fishing in the Alapaha River, Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge as well as in its many small lakes.