Vidalia’s name is said to be a contraction of “via dalia,” or “road of dahlias. Vidalia, Georgia has a mixed economy, but its largest industry is agriculture. Onions grown in and near Vidalia are licensed and sold internationally as Vidalia Onions and are valued for a sweet flavor derived from the soil of the area. A variety of sweet onions are grown under different names in other parts of the United States; however, only onions grown in a 20-county production defined in 1986 by the Georgia State Legislature can carry the name “Vidalia Onion.” In 1989, the United States Department of Agriculture gave protected status to the Vidalia Onion name under the terms of the earlier Georgia law.