FORT VALLEY, Ga. — The city of Fort Valley sees progression in its future.
According to a recent study from the University System of Georgia, Fort Valley State University made a $164 million impact to the local economy in generating over a thousand jobs.
Some local businesses say that business in Fort Valley often starts booming once students are back in school.
"As the college grows, our city grows," Economic Development Director of the City of Fort Valley Gary Lee said. "They are intertwined in all of what we do, so they are a part of it. They are an integral part of how we grow."
There's no surprise to those who live here. According to Lee, he says that many of the amenities offered by Fort Valley State help aid in the growth and development of the city.
"Fort Valley now is moving outside of the walls and now with them moving outside of the walls and having structures that impact our area, that will address some of the needs and things of the student body," Lee said.
April Smith, a partner at Sharks Fish and Chicken and of Queen Beauty Supply Store, said that the amount of business they get during the summer does not compare to when school is in session.
"We need them back because our business takes a hit when the students are not here," Smith said. "This is their city. They make us grow. Without them here, the revenue doesn't come in"
With the student discounts offered and the quick and ready meals, Smith wants to be there for students the same way they are there for her business.
"Students have always given us one hundred and ten percent," Smith said. "I think that for the city of Fort Valley, hopefully we're appreciating them and also trying to give back to them as well."
So what's next for the city of Fort Valley? According to Lee, a new downtown redevelopment that he hopes will bring even more revenue and student jobs.
"We're looking to be creative, use some things that are working somewhere else, and bring them here and include the students involved in it," Lee said. "That's where the future is, so why not use them? I know that's what I'm going to do."
While students at Fort Valley State University generated $164 million dollars in revenue and jobs, Georgia College State in Milledgeville created about $303 million in economic impact. Middle Georgia State had a $288 million economic impact in the local economy, too.