Lumber City sits in Telfair County, in south-central Georgia, at one of the state's most significant river confluences. The Ocmulgee River and the Oconee River meet just east of the city to form the Altamaha River, the 137-mile waterway that flows from here to the Atlantic coast. The 2020 census counted 967 residents, and the city lies near the border with Jeff Davis County, a short distance from Hazlehurst and McRae-Helena. The community's name tells its story. Incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly in 1889, Lumber City developed around a local sawmill, part of the timber economy that built much of south Georgia. It was once known as the Artesian City for its reliance on artesian wells, a reminder of the water resources beneath the region. Railroads and the rivers shaped its early growth, and the rivers remain central to its identity today. The river setting is the city's defining asset. The Ocmulgee River Water Trail, a roughly 200-mile paddling route, reaches its end near the Lumber City and Hazlehurst confluence, and the Altamaha — one of the largest free-flowing rivers on the East Coast — supports fishing, paddling, and wildlife viewing. The Little Ocmulgee joins the Ocmulgee near the city, adding to the area's network of waterways. For residents, Lumber City is a small, quiet community tied to the land and the rivers. Students attend the Telfair County School District, based in McRae, and the surrounding county offers rural recreation and a low-key pace. The county seat of McRae-Helena lies a short drive north, providing government services and retail, while Hazlehurst and the larger cities of the region are within reach. Its position at the head of the Altamaha gives the city a distinctive place in Georgia's geography, even as it remains one of the state's smaller incorporated communities.