Buena Vista ( ) is a city in Marion County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,585 at the 2020 census, down from 2,173 in 2010. Formerly known as "Pea Ridge", the city changed its name to Buena Vista in honor of Zachary Taylor's victory in the Mexican–American War. The city is the county seat of Marion County. It is the birthplace of baseball legend Josh Gibson and Medal of Honor recipient Luther H. Story. History Buena Vista was founded in 1830. In 1850, the seat of Marion County was transferred to Buena Vista from Tazewell. Buena Vista was incorporated as a town in 1850 and as a city in 1920. Geography Buena Vista is in central Marion County in western Georgia. Georgia State Routes 26 and 41 cross in the center of town. SR 26 leads west to Cusseta and southeast to Ellaville, while SR 41 leads north to Geneva and south to Preston. State Route 137 leads northeast to Tazewell and west-northwest to Union. According to the United States Census Bureau, Buena Vista has a total area of , of which , or 1.68%, are water. The city is part of the Flint River watershed. Sitting atop a ridge, it is drained by three separate stream systems. To the northeast is Oochee Creek, an east-flowing tributary of Buck Creek, which runs to the Flint River at Montezuma. The southeast part of the city drains to Muckalee Creek, which joins the Flint River at Albany. The west side of Buena Vista drains to Peacock Ditch, a tributary of Kinchafoonee Creek, which joins Muckalee Creek at Albany. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,585 people, 722 households, and 478 families residing in the city. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 1,664 people, 645 households, and 377 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 756 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 63.40% African American, 25.84% White, 0.18% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander, 8.59% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.91% of the population. There were 645 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.4% were married