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Cherokee County, Georgia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cherokee County, Georgia | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Georgia |
|
 Georgia's location in the USA |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1831 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Canton |
| Largest City | Woodstock |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
434 sq mi (1,124 km²) 424 sq mi (1,097 km²) 10 sq mi (27 km²), 2.38% |
| PopulationEst. - (2006) - Density |
195,327 335/sq mi (129/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.cherokeega.com | |
Cherokee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 141,903. The 2006 Census Estimate placed the population at 195,327 [1]. The county seat is Canton, Georgia6.
Cherokee County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
Originally, Cherokee County was more like a territory than a county, covering everything northwest of the Chattahoochee River and Chestatee River except for Carroll County. This county was created December 26, 1831 by the state legislature. It was named after the Cherokee Indians who lived in the area at that time. Several other counties were carved out of these Cherokee lands as part of the Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832. [2]
An act of the Georgia General Assembly passed on December 3rd of that year created the counties of Forsyth, Lumpkin, Union, Cobb, Gilmer, Murray, Cass (now Bartow), Floyd, and Paulding. [3] The forcible (sometimes at gunpoint) removal of the Cherokee people, leading up to the notorious Trail of Tears, began in this area the year before, later accelerated by the discovery of gold in local streams.
The first county seat was at Harnageville, originally called Marble Works. Since 1880 that town has been called Tate, and it is now (since 1853) in Pickens County. Part of that county was taken directly from Cherokee, the other via Gilmer (itself earlier taken from Cherokee).
In 1857, part of the southeastern corner of the county was ceded by the General Assembly to form Milton County (now the city of Milton in the county of Fulton. In the 1890s, The Atlanta & Knoxville Railroad (later renamed the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad when it could not be completed to Knoxville) built a branch line up through the middle of the county. When this line was bought by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad the following decade, the L&N built train depots at Woodstock and other towns.
- Joseph E. Brown, who was elected governor of Georgia in 1857 and later served as U.S. Senator from Georgia. Brown's primary residence and law practice were in Canton, and he owned a farm believed to be near the Sutallee community.
- Dean Rusk, U.S. Secretary of State was born in Cherokee County.
- Robert Rechsteiner, also known as Rick Steiner, ex-professional wrestler who is now a part of the school board for the county. He also sells homes in the county as a real estate agent.
- Josh Holloway, actor and model, most famous for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on Lost. He attended Cherokee High School in Canton.
Cherokee County is now a part of the Atlanta metro area. It is bisected by Interstate 575, which runs from Marietta north through Woodstock, Lebanon, Holly Springs, Canton, the county seat, and Ball Ground, ending at the Pickens County line into Georgia 515, the Appalachian Parkway developmental highway. The Georgia Northeastern Railroad also operates freight service on the former L&N tracks, roughly parallel to this route, and it could potentially serve commuter rail to Atlanta eventually. Population growth follows the same general pattern as well, with new suburbs in the south following the highway toward exurbs further north.
As in similar counties, such rapid construction and consumption of land has strained the local ecology, as well as relations between developers and residents, even between the governments of the county and its cities. Impact fees, zoning decisions, and environmental damage have all been sources of contention, with some developers trying to circumvent the county laws by asking the cities for annexation.
One situation occurring in the county is the fact that at least two of its cities (Canton and Holly Springs) annex alongside roads for new subdivisions, but do not annex the roads themselves. This can be seen by the many subdivisions which have city limits signs right at their entrances from main roads. This means that the cities take the new tax revenue, but leave the county with the burden which the developments create on the roads.
There has also been a highly contentious issue with annexation by the city of Holly Springs eastward toward the community of Hickory Flat. The county land-use plan called for low-density in that area, as the residents wanted it, however it was learned in 2006 that the city was considering ignoring this and taking it in order to allow a new Wal-Mart. In October 2007, the county lost a lawsuit against the city that claimed the previous annexation of 21 parcels (including the huge Harmony on the Lakes project in 2003) were illegal, therefore making impossible any attempt to take Hickory Flat (as it would be discontiguous).
Another recent issue is the contention between the school board and the county commission. In 2007, the commission voted to refuse to pay for road improvements at new public schools, saying it was the board's responsibility. The board shot back, noting that the only reason the schools were needed was because the commission kept approving new housing developments.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,124 km² (434 sq mi). 1,097 km² (424 sq mi) of it is land and 27 km² (10 sq mi) of it (2.38%) is water. much of which is Lake Allatoona in the southwest. The lake is fed by the Etowah and Little rivers (the county's primary waterways), and other large streams such as Noonday Creek. Much of the northern part of the county begins to rise toward the foothills, and most of it is in the Coosa River watershed.
There are nine summits listed by the USGS GNIS as being in the county. From tallest to lowest, they are:
- Bear Mountain - 2,297 feet (700 m) - 34°18'48N, 84°38'53"W
- Pine Log Mountain - 2,260 feet (689 m) - 34°19'15"N, 84°38'29"W
- Oakey Mountain - 1,686 feet (514 m) - 34°22'56"N, 84°33'51"W
- Dry Pond Mountain - 1,644 feet (501 m) - 34°22'29"N, 84°33'23"W
- Hickory Log Mountain - 1,545 feet (471 m) - 34°17'05"N, 84°30'10"W
- Polecat Mountain - 1,503 feet (458 m) - 34°16'27"N, 84°31'31"W
- Byrd Mountain - 1,358 feet (414 m) - 34°17'16"N, 84°31'04"W
- Garland Mountain - 1,348 feet (411 m) - 34°21'48"N, 84°35'52"W
- Posey Mountain - 1,306 feet (398 m) - 34°24'35"N, 084°36'40"
These mountains are in the still-rural northern and western parts of the county. However, if considered part of metro Atlanta, Bear Mountain is the tallest in the metro area.
Interstate 75
Interstate 575
State Route 5
State Route 5 Business
State Route 5 Connector
State Route 20
State Route 92
State Route 108
State Route 140
State Route 369
State Route 372
- Bell's Ferry Road (former Georgia 205)
- East Cherokee Drive
- Towne Lake Parkway
- Arnold Mill Road
- Yellow Creek Road
- Upper and Lower Burris Road
- Alabama Road
- Wade Green Road
- Kellogg Creek Road
- Canton Highway (former Georgia 5)
- Marietta Highway (former Georgia 5)
- Ball Ground Highway (former Georgia 5)
- Old Marietta Road (former Georgia 20)
- Hickory Flat Road (Georgia 140)
- Pickens - north
- Dawson - northeast
- Forsyth - east
- Fulton (former Milton part) - southeast
- Cobb - south
- Bartow - west
- Gordon - extreme northwest
As of the census² of 2000, there were 141,903 people, 49,495 households, and 39,200 families residing in the county. The population density was 129/km² (335/sq mi). There were 51,937 housing units at an average density of 47/km² (123/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 92.41% White, 2.48% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races, and 1.29% from two or more races. 5.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 49,495 households out of which 41.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.20% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.80% were non-families. 16.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 35.80% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 6.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $60,896, and the median income for a family was $66,419. Males had a median income of $44,374 versus $31,036 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,871. About 3.50% of families and 5.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
- Ball Ground (north-northeast) - site of old gold mines along the Etowah River
- Canton (central; county seat) - Interstate 575 intersects with Georgia 140/20/5 here.
- Holly Springs (just south of Canton) - east of Interstate 575
- Mountain Park (southeast) - mostly (about 80%) in Fulton County
- Nelson (far north-northeastern) - mostly (about 60%) in Pickens County
- Waleska (western) - home to Reinhardt College
- Woodstock (south-central) - east of Interstate 575.
- Avery (eastern Cherokee)
- Batesville (southeast Cherokee)
- Buffington (east of Canton)
- Clayton (north of Canton)
- Creighton (northeast Cherokee)
- Free Home (eastern Cherokee)
- Gober (southwest of Ball Ground)
- Gold Ridge (southwest of Canton)
- Greeley (northwest Cherokee)
- Hickory Flat (east of Holly Springs)
- Holbrook (eastern Cherokee)
- Keithsburg (northeast of Canton)
- Lake Arrowhead (southwest of Waleska)
- Lathemtown (eastern Cherokee)
- Lebanon / Toonigh (south of Holly Springs)
- Macedonia (eastern Cherokee)
- Mica (northeast Cherokee)
- Oak Grove (southwest Cherokee)
- Ophir (eastern Cherokee)
- Orange (east Cherokee)
- Salacoa (northwest Cherokee)
- Sharp Top (northern Cherokee)
- Sixes (west of Holly Springs)
- Sutallee (western Cherokee)
- Towne Lake (west of Woodstock)
- Union Hill (eastern Cherokee)
- Univeter (south of Canton)
- Victoria (southwest Cherokee)
- Cherokee TV
- Cherokee County government
- Cherokee County School District School District
- Cherokee County Humane Society
- Cherokee Live A community website
|
Cherokee County, Georgia |
||
|---|---|---|
| County seat: Canton | ||
| Cities |
Ball Ground | Canton | Holly Springs | Mountain Park | Nelson | Waleska | Woodstock |
|
| Communities |
Buffington | Free Home | Gold Ridge | Hickory Flat | Keithsburg | Lake Arrowhead | Macedonia | Oak Grove | Sixes | Sutallee | Towne Lake | Univeter |
|
