Macon, city in central Georgia, on the Ocmulgee River; it is the seat of Bibb County, though a small portion of the city is in Jones County. An important medical center, Macon is a diversified transportation, commercial, and manufacturing city. Products include zippers, tobacco products, textiles, printed materials, and aerospace equipment. Robins Air Force Base, a contributor to the city's economy, is to the south. The area is served by the Middle Georgia Regional Airport.
Macon is the seat of Mercer University (1833); Wesleyan College (1836), the first college in the United States to confer degrees on women; and two junior colleges. Local points of interest include the remains of Fort Hawkins; several 19th-century buildings, including the classical revival-style City Hall; Hay House, an Italian renaissance revival villa which was completed in 1860; the Grand Opera House; and the birthplace of poet Sidney Lanier. Macon is also the home of the Tubman African-American Museum. Ocmulgee National Monument, which preserves Native American mounds, adjoins the city, and the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge is nearby.
