Perry is a city in Houston and Peach Counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, and it serves as the county seat of Houston County. It is part of the Warner Robins, Georgia metropolitan statistical area, within the Macon–Bibb County–Warner Robins combined statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,624.
Founded in 1823 as Wattsville and renamed for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, a hero of the War of 1812, the city was incorporated by the Georgia legislature on December 9, 1824, making it the first official town in Houston County. It is nicknamed the "Crossroads of Georgia" because Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 41 run north–south and U.S. Highway 341 runs northwest–southeast through the city. Robins Air Force Base, just northeast of Perry, is the city's largest employer, and its industrial base also includes Frito-Lay and Riverwood International.
Among Perry's notable features are the 1,100-acre Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter, home of the official state fair each October, and the twice-yearly Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival. The New Perry Hotel, built in 1925, is known for traditional Southern cooking, and the downtown area, which underwent a facelift around the turn of the 21st century, has specialty shops and a welcome center.