Pelham is Located in southern Mitchell County, just east of the Flint River, on the crossroads of U.S. Highway 19 and State Route 93. Pelham is approximately ten miles south of Camilla and thirty-one miles south of Albany. The city was incorporated in 1881 and named in honor of Major John Pelham, who was killed during the Civil War (1861-65) at the Battle of Kelly's Ford in Virginia in 1863.

The city became an agricultural and commercial jewel during the early twentieth century, due in large part to the presence of a towering retail emporium … The Hand Trading Company, which occupied an ornate four-story structure in the heart of its downtown. In 1914 Judson Larrabee Hand began building the store following his visit to the Marshall Field's Department Store in Chicago, Illinois. The Hand store featured a huge decorated dome, 100 columns, and nearly 100,000 square feet of floor space. It was the ultimate all-purpose superstore, offering a wide range of products from groceries and dry goods to tractors and other large farm equipment.  The city has one few remaining Carnegie Library’s in Georgia.

 The community attracts thousands of visitors each year. An estimated 10,000 people converge in Pelham on the first Saturday of every October for the annual wildlife festival. The Pelham Country Jamboree, held every Saturday night in the down-own across from the train depot, draws people from around the region.