Named For General Jett Thomas, a hero of the War of 1812, who built the state capitol at Milledgeville Nickname "The City of Roses" County Seat of Thomas County In History In the 1880s, Thomasville and the surrounding area was a magnet for wealthy northerners (many of them from Cleveland, Ohio) who built or bought homes in town and plantations in the countryside turning Thomasville and Thomas County into a resort area Famous Sons and Daughters Writer Bailey White (Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Sleeping at the Starlite Motel) is from Thomasville; Academy Award-winning actress Joanne Woodward was born in Thomasville Top Annual Events Rose Festival Don't Miss The 300 + year-old "Big Oak" at the corner of Monroe and Crawford streets with its own webcam