Macon serves as the trading center for the famous peach region of Georgia and is a large poultry processor. One of the world's largest kaolin deposits lies near Macon. The city's most important industries are the manufacture of tobacco products, food products, and textiles. Other products made in Macon include aircraft parts, chemicals, furniture, paper products, and zippers. Two railroads provide freight service for Macon, and two interstate highways intersect there.
Macon is a regional health center with six hospitals.
The Macon area also has many companies in the aerospace industry. Creek Indians first settled the Macon area. Thomas Jefferson established Fort Hawkins there in 1806. The city was chartered in 1823 and named for Nathaniel Macon, a North Carolina congressman. During the 1840's and 1850's, Macon became an important railroad center.