Bartow County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Bartow, Georgia.

Bartow County
County
Bartow County Courthouse and Confederate Monument
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°14′N84°50′W / 34.24°N 84.84°W / 34.24; -84.84
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 3, 1832;192 years ago (1832)
Named for	Francis S. Bartow
Seat	Cartersville
Largest city	Cartersville
Area
• Total	470 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	460 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (30 km2)  2.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	108,901
• Estimate  (2023)	115,041
• Density	230/sq mi (89/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	11th
Website	bartowcountyga.gov

Bartow County is in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,901, up from 100,157 in 2010. ^[1] The county seat is Cartersville. ^[2] Traditionally considered part of northwest Georgia, Bartow County is now included in the Atlanta metropolitan area, mainly in the southeastern part near Cartersville, which has become an exurb more than 40 miles (64 km) from downtown Atlanta on I-75. It has a sole commissioner government, and is the largest county by population of the few remaining in Georgia with a sole commissioner.

History

Further information: Cassville, Georgia § History; Kingston, Georgia § History; and Adairsville, Georgia § History

Bartow County was created from the Cherokee lands of the Cherokee County territory on December 3, 1832, and named Cass County, after General Lewis Cass (1782–1866), Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, Minister to France and Secretary of State under President James Buchanan, ^[3] who was instrumental in the removal of Native Americans from the area. However, the county was renamed on December 6, 1861, in honor of Francis S. Bartow, because of Cass's support of the Union, ^[4] even though Bartow never visited in the county, living 200 miles (320 km) away near Savannah all of his life. Cass had supported the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the right of each state to determine its own laws independently of the Federal government, the platform of conservative Southerners who removed his name.

The American Civil War first entered Bartow County on April 12, 1862, in the form of "The Great Locomotive Chase": As a result of the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s (W&A RR) strategic war time value, Union soldiers boarded and stole a train named "The General". Their plan was to take the stolen train north toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, destroying bridges, parts of the railroad, and telegraph lines along the way. ^[5]

The Raiders were unable to cause sufficient destruction to the railroad to make pursuit impossible, and William Fuller, the conductor of the stolen train, eventually caught up with the raiders just north of Ringgold Georgia. ^[5]

The first county seat was at Cassville, but after the burning of the county courthouse and the Sherman Occupation, the seat moved to Cartersville, where it remains.

Bartow County was profoundly affected by the Civil War: an estimated one out of three Bartow County soldiers died during the war as a result of wounds received, diseases caught, and, in one case, as a result of a train accident. At the end of the Civil War, many residents were financially insolvent, the county seat was "in ruins", the transportation networks were severely damaged, and the citizens were starving due to several consecutive years of crop failures. ^[6]

Prior to the Civil War, Bartow County's social order, and that of the South as a whole, was dominated by "a sense of white intra-class unity that rested upon a shared notion of racial supremacy." ^[7] Post-Civil War, during Reconstruction, that world-view was challenged, creating a period of racial tension. When the state of Georgia allocated $200,000 to purchase and transport corn into North Georgia, local officials solely distributed the corn to white families. ^[6] And when black families petitioned Bartow County for better educational and vocational opportunities, some local whites responded with violence, including but not limited to Ku Klux Klan activity. ^[8]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,217 km²), of which 460 square miles (1,191 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28 km²) or 2.2% is water. ^[9]

The bulk of Bartow County is located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The northeastern portion of the county around Rydal is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin, while an even smaller northwestern section around Adairsville is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin of the larger ACT River Basin. ^[10]

The Etowah is mostly part of Lake Allatoona in southeast Bartow and southwest Cherokee counties, with the Allatoona Dam near Cartersville also impounding Allatoona Creek into northwest Cobb county. The peninsula between the two major arms of the lake is home to Red Top Mountain State Park, east-southeast of Cartersville and just southeast of the dam.

Adjacent counties

• Gordon County – north
• Pickens County – northeast
• Cherokee County – east
• Cobb County – southeast
• Paulding County – south
• Polk County – southwest
• Floyd County – west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	9,390		—
1850	13,300		41.6%
1860	15,724		18.2%
1870	16,566		5.4%
1880	18,690		12.8%
1890	20,616		10.3%
1900	20,823		1.0%
1910	25,388		21.9%
1920	24,527		−3.4%
1930	25,364		3.4%
1940	25,283		−0.3%
1950	27,370		8.3%
1960	28,267		3.3%
1970	32,663		15.6%
1980	40,760		24.8%
1990	55,911		37.2%
2000	76,019		36.0%
2010	100,157		31.8%
2020	108,901		8.7%
2023 (est.)	115,041	[11]	5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [12] 1790-1880 [13] 1890-1910 [14] 1920-1930 [15] 1930-1940 [16] 1940-1950 [17] 1960-1980 [18] 1980-2000 [19] 2010 [1] 2020 [20]

2020 census

Bartow County racial composition ^[21]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	80,159	73.61%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	11,309	10.38%
Native American	254	0.23%
Asian	1,169	1.07%
Pacific Islander	40	0.04%
Other/mixed	5,219	4.79%
Hispanic or Latino	10,751	9.87%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 108,901 people, 39,742 households, and 28,529 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 100,157 people, 35,782 households, and 26,529 families living in the county. ^[22] The population density was 217.9 inhabitants per square mile (84.1/km²). There were 39,823 housing units at an average density of 86.7 per square mile (33.5/km²). ^[23] The racial makeup of the county was 82.7% white, 10.2% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.7% of the population. ^[22] In terms of ancestry, 13.9% were American, 10.0% were Irish, 9.3% were English, and 7.8% were German. ^[24]

Of the 35,782 households, 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, and 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.2 years. ^[22]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,216 and the median income for a family was $56,281. Males had a median income of $42,835 versus $31,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,241. About 10.8% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over. ^[25]

2000 census

As of 2000, there were 76,019 people, 27,176 households, and 21,034 families living in the county. The population density was 64/km² (170/sq mi). There were 28,751 housing units at an average density of 24 persons per square kilometre (62 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 87.79% White, 8.68% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 3.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 27,176 households, out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 22.60% were non-families. 18.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 33.00% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,660, and the median income for a family was $49,198. Males had a median income of $35,136 versus $24,906 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,989. 8.60% of the population and 6.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.60% were under the age of 18 and 12.20% were 65 or older.

Education

Public education in Bartow County is administered by Bartow County School District and Cartersville City Schools.

Excel Christian Academy and the Trinity School are private institutions.

Politics

Bartow County has voted Republican consistently since 1984. ^[26] Mitt Romney carried the county in 2012 with 75.11 percent of the vote. Barack Obama won a small minority of votes in the county, at 23.5 percent, that same year. ^[27]

United States presidential election results for Bartow County, Georgia ^[28]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	43,271	75.19%	13,942	24.23%	334	0.58%
2020	37,672	74.62%	12,091	23.95%	723	1.43%
2016	29,911	75.28%	8,212	20.67%	1,610	4.05%
2012	26,876	74.87%	8,396	23.39%	625	1.74%
2008	25,976	71.81%	9,662	26.71%	537	1.48%
2004	22,311	73.66%	7,741	25.56%	239	0.79%
2000	14,720	64.62%	7,508	32.96%	553	2.43%
1996	9,250	51.32%	6,853	38.02%	1,922	10.66%
1992	7,742	45.57%	6,675	39.29%	2,573	15.14%
1988	8,039	61.63%	4,884	37.44%	121	0.93%
1984	7,104	59.78%	4,780	40.22%	0	0.00%
1980	3,135	28.89%	7,490	69.01%	228	2.10%
1976	1,876	18.68%	8,166	81.32%	0	0.00%
1972	4,836	75.26%	1,590	24.74%	0	0.00%
1968	2,045	24.78%	2,154	26.11%	4,052	49.11%
1964	2,813	37.77%	4,635	62.23%	0	0.00%
1960	1,292	26.71%	3,545	73.29%	0	0.00%
1956	1,536	29.68%	3,640	70.32%	0	0.00%
1952	1,183	22.94%	3,973	77.06%	0	0.00%
1948	440	14.34%	2,384	77.71%	244	7.95%
1944	506	20.90%	1,915	79.10%	0	0.00%
1940	318	15.44%	1,734	84.17%	8	0.39%
1936	444	16.57%	2,228	83.13%	8	0.30%
1932	121	7.22%	1,546	92.19%	10	0.60%
1928	838	50.24%	830	49.76%	0	0.00%
1924	482	34.60%	846	60.73%	65	4.67%
1920	754	44.99%	922	55.01%	0	0.00%
1916	92	5.28%	1,325	76.02%	326	18.70%
1912	89	5.55%	963	60.00%	553	34.45%
1908	780	48.99%	726	45.60%	86	5.40%
1904	406	30.41%	791	59.25%	138	10.34%
1900	823	46.37%	891	50.20%	61	3.44%
1896	808	42.84%	1,026	54.40%	52	2.76%
1892	445	20.79%	1,327	62.01%	368	17.20%
1888	290	22.48%	916	71.01%	84	6.51%
1884	584	36.07%	1,035	63.93%	0	0.00%
1880	827	30.14%	1,917	69.86%	0	0.00%

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 75
• U.S. Route 41
• U.S. Route 411
• State Route 3
• State Route 20
• State Route 20 Spur
• State Route 61
• State Route 113
• State Route 140
• State Route 293
• State Route 293 Connector
• State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)

Secondary highways

• Old S.R. 293. Portion south of Emerson and east of U.S. 41 into Cobb County.

Museums

• Savoy Automobile Museum connects people to the cultural diversity of the automobile. Through changing exhibits, educational programs, and engaging experiences individuals have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and history of automobiles. Guests visiting this world-class museum will be met with an assortment of automobiles and original works of art.
• Bartow History Museum ^[29] opened in 1987 and is located in the historic 1869 Courthouse in downtown Cartersville. Artifacts, photographs, documents and a variety of permanent exhibits focus on the settlement and development of Bartow County, Georgia, beginning with the early nineteenth century when the Cherokee inhabited the area. Early European settler life, the iron ore and bauxite industries, Civil War strife, post-war recovery, the Great Depression era, early textile industries and notable figures are depicted through interactive exhibits in the permanent gallery space. The museum offers a wide variety of educational programs and lectures.
• Booth Western Art Museum, ^[30] an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m²) museum located in Cartersville. Guests are invited to See America's Story through contemporary Western artwork, presidential portraits and letters, Civil War art, more than 200 Native American artifacts, and Sagebrush Ranch children's gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the second largest art museum in the state, and houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country.
• Tellus Science Museum, ^[31] an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a world-class 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m²) museum located in Cartersville, just off I-75 at exit 293. The museum features four main galleries: the Weinman Mineral Gallery, the Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and the Collins Family My Big Backyard. There is also a 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory with a state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope located at Tellus.
• Euharlee History Museum ^[32] is located adjacent to the Euharlee Covered Bridge in Euharlee, Georgia, about 9 miles west of downtown Cartersville. The museum opened in 1997 and is a cooperation between the Euharlee Historical Society and the City of Euharlee.
• Adairsville Rail Depot Age of Steam Museum ^[33] is located in a restored 1847 railroad depot on the Historic Public Square in Adairsville, along with a locally operated welcome center. The museum displays artifacts and pictures covering almost 150 years of life in the area, including the Civil War, the chenille boom, railroad history, early farming implements, and weapons.

Recreation

• Bartow County Georgia Hiking Trails ^[34]
• Etowah Indian Mounds

Communities

Cities

• Adairsville
• Cartersville
• Emerson
• Euharlee
• Kingston
• White

Town

• Taylorsville

Unincorporated communities

• Atco
• Cassville
• Rowland Springs
• Stilesboro
• Rydal (south of Pine Log)
• Folsom
• Center
• Funkhouser
• Allatoona (mostly lost to Lake Allatoona, but portion remains at Allatoona Pass)

Historical communities

Allatoona	Aylmer	ATCO	Aubrey	Bartow
Best's	Birmingham	Bochee	Bolivar	Cass Line
Cass Station	Cassville (Manassas)	Cave	Cement	Center
Clifford	Connaseena	Corbin	Dewey	Etowah
Etowah Valley (see Rowland Springs)	Eves	Ferrobutte (see Rogers Station)	Five Forks	Flexatile (see Funkhouser)
Folsom	Ford	Grassdale	Gum Springs	Halls Station (see Linwood)
Iron Hill	Ironville	Junta	Ladds	Ligon
Linwood (see Hall's Station)	Little Prairie	Malbone	McCallie	McGinnis
Mountain House	Murchisons	Nolans	Pine Log (see Rydal)	Rogers Station (aka Rogersville)
Rowland Springs (see Etowah Valley)	Ruby	Rydal (see Pine Log)	Sanfordsville	Sophia
Stamp Creek	Stilesboro	Sugar Hill	Woolley's	Wyvern

^[35]

See also

• State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bartow County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Cass County kenkrakow.com p.36
4. "Bartow County". Calhoun Times. September 1, 2004. p. 13. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
5. "Perceptions of the Great Locomotive Chase – The Etowah Valley Historical Society of Bartow County, Georgia". January 18, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
6. Hébert, Keith S. (2008). "The Bitter Trial of Defeat and Emancipation: Reconstruction in Bartow County, Georgia, 1865-1872". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (1): 73. ISSN   0016-8297. JSTOR   40585039.
7. Hébert, Keith S. (2008). "The Bitter Trial of Defeat and Emancipation: Reconstruction in Bartow County, Georgia, 1865-1872". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (1): 67. ISSN   0016-8297. JSTOR   40585039.
8. Hébert, Keith S. (2008). "The Bitter Trial of Defeat and Emancipation: Reconstruction in Bartow County, Georgia, 1865-1872". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (1): 65–92. ISSN   0016-8297. JSTOR   40585039.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
10. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
12. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
13. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1880.
14. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1910.
15. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1930.
16. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1940.
17. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1950.
18. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 1980.
19. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau . 2000.
20. US Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Troup County, Georgia
21. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
22. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
23. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
24. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
25. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
26. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
27. "Bartow - Election Results". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
28. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
29. "Bartow History Museum - Cartersville, Georgia - Bartow History Center". www.bartowhistorymuseum.org.
30. "The Booth Western Art Museum - Cartersville, GA". www.boothmuseum.org.
31. Museum, Tellus Science. "Tellus Science Museum - Cartersville, GA". Tellus Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.
32. "Euharlee Welcome Center and History Museum". www.facebook.com.
33. "Adairsville Rail Depot Age of Steam Museum". Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
34. "Bartow County Georgia Hiking Trails". www.mountaintravelguide.com.
35. "The Etowah Valley Historical Society of Bartow County, Georgia – 50 years of preserving human history and culture for Bartow County" . Retrieved October 18, 2023.

External links

• Bartow County official website
• Antebellum Iron Industry in North Georgia Centered in Bartow County
• Bartow Ancestors - People, Places & History of Bartow County
• Bartow County historical marker

34°14′N84°50′W / 34.24°N 84.84°W / 34.24; -84.84