Eastman is a rural city and the county seat of Dodge County, situated in central Georgia. It was founded in 1871 alongside the Macon and Brunswick Railroad and named for landowner William Pitt Eastman. Today the city is home to roughly 5,600 residents and anchors a county that lies within Georgia's historic cotton-producing Black Belt region. Eastman combines small-town southern character with a notable educational and aviation presence. Middle Georgia State University operates its Georgia Aviation Campus at Heart of Georgia Regional Airport, a public-use facility on the city's edge — a legacy of the Georgia Aviation Technical College that merged with Middle Georgia College. This aviation program gives the city a technical-education footprint uncommon for a community of its size. The city's commercial and civic life centers on its Main Street and surrounding historic district, where local businesses, dining, and preserved architecture reflect its late-19th-century railroad origins. Agriculture and small manufacturing have long shaped the local economy alongside county government and education, and the surrounding countryside remains largely rural, with farms, timberland, and small communities extending outward from the city center. U.S. Highways 23 and 341 and the Norfolk Southern Railway connect Eastman to the wider region, placing it within reach of larger cities across central and south Georgia. Eastman suits residents seeking a quiet, small-town pace with access to outdoor recreation and strong community ties. Public schools are operated by Dodge County Schools, and nearby attractions such as Little Ocmulgee State Park and the Dodge County Golf Club provide recreation close to home. The city's blend of railroad heritage, aviation education, and central-Georgia location gives it a distinct identity within the region.