Acworth, Georgia | |
---|---|
Motto: The Lake City | |
Coordinates: 34°03′46″N84°40′12″W / 34.06278°N 84.67000°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Cobb |
Incorporated | 1840 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Tommy Allegood |
Area | |
• Total | 9.79 sq mi (25.36 km2) |
• Land | 9.09 sq mi (23.54 km2) |
• Water | 0.70 sq mi (1.81 km2) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 22,440 |
• Density | 2,468.65/sq mi (953.11/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP Code | 30101, 30102 |
Area code | 770/678/470 |
FIPS code | 13-00408 |
Website | www |
Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, this city had a population of 22,440, up from 20,425 in 2010. Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River. Unincorporated areas known as Acworth extend into Bartow, Cherokee and Paulding counties.
Acworth's is often referred to as "the Lake City" because of its proximity to Lake Allatoona and Lake Acworth. [2]
Like the rest of Cobb County, the area now containing Acworth was carved out of the former Cherokee Nation in 1831 after the natives were expelled. [3]
The Western and Atlantic Railroad was completed through town in 1840. A watering station for the locomotives was established there. [4]
The town received its current name in 1843 from Western & Atlantic Railroad engineer Joseph L. Gregg, who named it for his hometown of Acworth, New Hampshire, which was named for the former Royal Navy Surveyor Sir Jacob Acworth. [5]
Telegraph lines reached the town in 1851.
A private school was opened for white students in 1852. A newer private school operated from 1899 to 1935, when they integrated with the Cobb County School District. Until 1935, high school students from Acworth paid tuition to attend. Students outside the town were subsidized by the Cobb County School Board. Black students were educated separately in a grammar school. The closest Black high school was in Atlanta. Later, students were bused by the county to a segregated school in Marietta. [6]
Acworth was incorporated on December 1, 1860.
Volunteers to fight in the Civil War enlisted in what became Company A ("Acworth Infantry") in the 18th Georgia Volunteer Infantry and Company C ("Invincibles") in the 41st Georgia Volunteer Infantry. [7]
The town was captured by the Union June 6, 1864. The city was called "Little Shanty" by the Union troops, to contrast it with the next town south, "Big Shanty", since renamed Kennesaw. The town was under martial law during the six months of occupation. On November 13, 1864, the town was burned down by the army of General W. T. Sherman, sparing 12 homes and one church; its citizens were left destitute.
The town had nearly recovered by the 1880s. Cotton farming in the area peaked from the 1890s through the 1920s. Low prices during the Great Depression resulted in a cessation of cotton farming in the area and throughout Cobb County. [8]
During segregation, the railroad tracks served as a racial divide, with African Americans living to the northeast of the tracks and the whites to the southwest. There were few common public events. When a movie theater was erected in the 1930s, Blacks were allowed to access the balcony from a separate entrance. Whites sat on the main floor. [9]
Volunteers formed a fire department in 1907. [10]
There were eventually a total of three textile mills in town from 1905 through the 1980s. They employed about 800 workers at their peak. [11]
In 1926, Main Street was paved. When the entire Dixie Highway (old U.S. Route 41 and part of the Cherokee Peachtree Trail) was paved in 1929, over 800 tourist vehicles entered the city daily. [12]
When the Etowah River was dammed, forming Lake Allatoona, citizens feared that land near the town would become a swamp. They successfully petitioned for a second dam, resulting in Lake Acworth in the 1950s. This became a tourist attraction. [13]
The town made a major improvement in its water and sewage lines in the late 1940s. [14]
The city elected its first woman mayor, Mary McCall, in 1956 and 1961–66. [15]
African-American students were schooled separately from white children until 1967. [6]
Acworth was recognized as a 2010 All-America City Award winner by the National Civic League. [16] [17]
In 2011, the filming of several scenes for the Footloose remake took place in downtown Acworth. The Acworth Presbyterian Church was used as the primary church, and the house of Mayor Tommy Allegood was used as Julianne Hough's character's home.[ citation needed ] [18]
In 2017, the city was the site of the WWA Wakeboarding National Championship. [15]
Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River. It is bordered by the city of Kennesaw to the southeast and by Bartow and Cherokee counties to the north.
Interstate 75 runs through the northern part of the city in Cherokee and Bartow counties, with access from exits 277 and 278. Via I-75, downtown Atlanta is 34 mi (55 km) southeast, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, is 88 mi (142 km) northwest. U.S. Route 41 and Georgia State Route 92 also run through the city, with GA-92 leading east 12 mi (19 km) to Woodstock, and south 18 mi (29 km) to Hiram. US-41 runs to the west of the city, leading southeast 6 mi (9.7 km) to Kennesaw, Georgia and northwest 12 mi (19 km) to Cartersville.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.8 square miles (22.7 km2), of which 8.3 square miles (21.4 km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km2), or 6.05%, is water. [19]
Unincorporated areas considered Acworth for mailing purposes extend into southeast Bartow County, southwest Cherokee County, and northeast Paulding County. Some of the incorporated portions of Acworth east of Nance Road and Acworth Due West Road have a Kennesaw mailing address.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 633 | — | |
1890 | 815 | 28.8% | |
1900 | 937 | 15.0% | |
1910 | 1,043 | 11.3% | |
1920 | 1,117 | 7.1% | |
1930 | 1,163 | 4.1% | |
1940 | 1,267 | 8.9% | |
1950 | 1,466 | 15.7% | |
1960 | 2,359 | 60.9% | |
1970 | 3,929 | 66.6% | |
1980 | 3,648 | −7.2% | |
1990 | 4,519 | 23.9% | |
2000 | 13,422 | 197.0% | |
2010 | 20,425 | 52.2% | |
2020 | 22,440 | 9.9% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [20] 1850-1870 [21] 1880 [22] 1890-1910 [23] 1920-1930 [24] 1930-1940 [25] 1940-1950 [26] 1960-1980 [27] 1980-2000 [28] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 11,260 | 50.18% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 5,803 | 25.86% |
Native American | 39 | 0.17% |
Asian | 920 | 4.1% |
Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.02% |
Other/Mixed | 1,168 | 5.2% |
Hispanic or Latino | 3,245 | 14.46% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,440 people, 8,337 households, and 5,470 families residing in the city.
As of the census [30] of 2000, there were 13,422 people, 5,194 households, and 3,589 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,896.9 inhabitants per square mile (732.4/km2). There were 5,453 housing units at an average density of 770.7 per square mile (297.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 79.7% White, 12.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.05% of the population.
There were 5,194 households, out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 41.0% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The city is governed by a five-member Board of Aldermen, who serve staggered four-year terms. The mayor is elected to four-year terms. [31]
An unusual ordinance once required all citizens to own a rake. [32] This ordinance was enacted shortly after the neighboring city of Kennesaw, Georgia ordered every homeowner to own a gun in 1982. The requirement to own a rake is no longer in effect. [33]
The city maintains ten public parks: Acworth Sports Complex, Baker Plantation, Dallas Landing, East Lakeshore, Frana Brown, Logan Farm, Newberry, Overlook, Proctor Landing, and South Shore.
Public education in Acworth is handled by the Cobb County School District. [34]
Public schools include:
Private schools include:
The main route through the center of Acworth is Main Street, a two-lane road. It is known as "Old 41" as it was formerly the route for US 41. State Route 92 and the new Highway 41 pass through the southern part of the city. The newly built Seven Hills Connector connects South Acworth to Paulding County. Bells Ferry Road goes through Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta, and Woodstock.
Paulding County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, it had an estimated population of 168,661 in 2020. The county seat is Dallas.
Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. It is the state's third most populous county, after Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Its county seat is Marietta; its largest city is Mableton.
Cherokee County is located in the US state of Georgia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 266,620. The county seat is Canton. The county Board of Commissioners is the governing body, with members elected to office. Cherokee County is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.
Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under its 1887 charter. According to the 2020 census, Kennesaw had a population of 33,036, a 10.9% increase in population over the preceding decade. Kennesaw has an important place in railroad history. During the Civil War, Kennesaw was the staging ground for the Great Locomotive Chase on April 12, 1862.
Mableton is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. Voters of the unincorporated area of Mableton approved a referendum to incorporate on November 8, 2022, and six council members were elected on March 21, 2023, with Michael Owens elected as mayor of Mableton in the 2023 Mableton mayoral election. According to the 2020 census, the census-designated area Mableton had a population of 37,115; the city has more. Upon Brookhaven's cityhood in December 2012, Mableton was previously the largest unincorporated CDP in Metro Atlanta. With boundaries described in Appendix A of House Bill 839, Mableton is the largest city in Cobb County in terms of population and includes historical Mableton, along with the Six Flags area, areas of unincorporated Smyrna, and parts of unincorporated South Cobb.
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest of the principal cities by population of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Powder Springs is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,940 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population for 2019 of 15,758. In 2015, the city elected its first black mayor, Al Thurman. He was the first African-American to be elected as a mayor in Cobb County, but was one of several elected in small towns in Georgia in 2015. The 12,000-capacity Walter H. Cantrell Stadium is located in Powder Springs. It is used mostly for football and soccer matches.
Roswell is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States. At the official 2020 census, the city had a population of 92,883, making Roswell the state's ninth largest city. A close suburb of Atlanta, Roswell has an affluent historic district.
Dallas is a city in, and the county seat of, Paulding County, Georgia, United States. The estimated population, as of 2020, was 14,042. Dallas is a northwestern exurb of Atlanta, located approximately 38 miles (61 km) from the downtown area. It was named for George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States, under James K. Polk.
CobbLinc is the bus public transit system in Cobb County, Georgia, one of metro Atlanta's three most populous suburban counties.
The Cobb County Public Library System (CCPLS) is a system of 15 public libraries in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, excluding its second-largest city of Smyrna, which runs its own Smyrna Public Library. CobbCat.org is the online database of all CCPLS holdings.
Lake Allatoona is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River in northwestern part of the State of Georgia. This reservoir is mostly in southeastern Bartow County and southwestern Cherokee County. A small portion is located in Cobb County near Acworth.
Chattahoochee Technical College is a public technical college in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is governed by the Technical College System of Georgia and has eight campuses in the north-northwest metro-Atlanta area, and another just outside the region. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS) to award technical certificates of credit, diplomas, and associate degrees. The college was formed in 2009 as the result of the merger of Appalachian Technical College, Chattahoochee Technical College, and North Metro Technical College.
The Marietta Daily Journal (MDJ) is a daily newspaper published in Marietta, Georgia. It is the primary local newspaper of Cobb County, Georgia, second only to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which covers all of metro Atlanta, and previously most of north Georgia.
Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the eighth-largest in the United States. Its economic, cultural, and demographic center is Atlanta, and its total population was 6,237,435 in the 2022 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Allatoona High School is one of eighteen public high school in the Cobb County School District. The institution opened in the fall of 2008, and is currently the most recent high school in the district. It is located in suburban Acworth, Georgia, north of Atlanta, in the United States. The school is named after the nearby Lake Allatoona.
Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,187. Cartersville is the county seat of Bartow County.
East Cobb is an unincorporated community in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, with a population of 164,055 people. It is an affluent northern suburb of Atlanta.
The Noonday Water Reclamation Facility is a sewage treatment plant that processes around 20 million gallons or 75 million liters of sewage per day for northeast Cobb and southern Cherokee counties in north-northwest metro Atlanta, located in north-central Georgia. It is operated by Cobb's water system, which partly wholesales its service to Cherokee's.
The Cobb County School District (CCSD) is the school district which operates public schools in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The school district includes all of Cobb County except for the Marietta City Schools, though a number of schools in unincorporated parts of the county have Marietta addresses. It is the second-largest school system in Georgia and 23rd largest in the United States. The district is the county's largest employer and one of the largest in the US. All Cobb County schools are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and the district is among the first to have earned district-wide accreditation. The superintendent of the school district is Chris Ragsdale.
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