[4] The city was named for Madison Perry, fourth governor of the state of Florida and a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War.

[6][7][8] Firefighters battling a blaze at a natural gas plant in August 1998 were injured when an explosion ripped through the area, sending a mammoth fireball into the sky.

The flames destroyed at least six houses and several vehicles and forced the evacuation of 100 homes within two miles of the plant.

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry as a Category 4-strength storm, causing major damage and loss of power.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24 km2), all land.

[12] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,898 people, 2,443 households, and 1,808 families residing in the city.

[21] Taylor County High School's Bulldogs[22] were the 1977–1978 Class 3A football District 3, Region 2 and State Semi-final Champions, losing to Bartow HS in the championship game, 7–0.

The 1978–1979 football team were the District 3 champions and lost to Milton HS in the Regional championship game.

The city is served by Perry Shuttle, a bus route operated by Big Bend Transit.