Cumming, Georgia | |
---|---|
Motto: Gateway to Leisure Living | |
Location of Cumming in Metro Atlanta | |
Coordinates: 34°12′25″N84°08′21″W / 34.20694°N 84.13917°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Forsyth |
Incorporated | 1834 |
Chartered | 1845 [1] |
Named for | William Cumming |
Government | |
• Mayor | Troy Brumbalow (R) |
• Body | Cumming City Council |
Area | |
• Total | 7.23 sq mi (18.73 km2) |
• Land | 7.19 sq mi (18.62 km2) |
• Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2) |
Elevation | 1,217 ft (371 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,318 |
• Density | 1,017.80/sq mi (393.00/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP codes | 30028, 30040, 30041 |
Area code | 770 |
FIPS code | 13-20932 [3] |
GNIS feature ID | 0331494 [4] |
Website | www |
Cumming is a city in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States, and the sole incorporated area in the county. It is a suburban city, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In the 2020 census, the population is 7,318, up from 5,430 in 2010. [5] Surrounding unincorporated areas with a Cumming mailing address have a population of approximately 100,000. Cumming is the county seat of Forsyth County. [6]
The area now called Cumming is located west of the historic location of Vann's Ferry between Forsyth County and Hall County.
The area, now called Cumming, was inhabited earlier by Cherokee tribes, who are thought to have arrived in the mid-18th century.[ citation needed ] The Cherokee and Creek people developed disputes over hunting land. After two years of fighting, the Cherokee won the land in the Battle of Taliwa. The Creek people were forced to move south of the Chattahoochee River. [7] [8]
The Cherokee coexisted with white settlers until the discovery of gold in Georgia in 1828. Settlers that moved to the area to mine for gold pushed for the removal of the Cherokee. In 1835, the Treaty of New Echota was signed. The treaty stated that the Cherokee Nation must move to the Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River. This resulted in the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee territory was then formed into Cherokee County in 1831. In 1832, the county had been split into several counties including Forsyth County. [9]
In 1833, the town of Cumming was formed from two 40-acre (16 ha) land lots that had been issued as part of a Georgia State Land Lottery in 1832. The two lots designated as Land Lot 1269 and Land Lot 1270 were purchased by a couple of Forsyth County Inferior Court justices who realized that it was necessary to have a seat of government to conduct county business. The boundaries of the two lots ended at what is now Tolbert Street on the west side, Eastern Circle on the east side, Resthaven Street on the south side, and School Street on the north side. In 1834 the post office was established and began delivering mail. The justices of the Inferior Court divided the town land into smaller lots and began selling them to people over the next several years, reserving one lot for the county courthouse. During that same year, the Georgia State Legislature incorporated the town of Cumming into the City of Cumming and made it the official government seat of Forsyth County.
A second charter was issued in 1845, decreeing that Cumming's government would follow the mayor–council model of government. [10]
The community is commonly thought to be named after Colonel William Cumming. [11] An alternate theory proposed by a local historian posits the name honors Rev. Frederick Cumming, a professor of Jacob Scudder, a resident of the area since 1815 who owned land in present-day downtown. [12] Yet another theory is that the town is named after Alexander Cuming, the son of a Scottish baronet. [13]
During the 1830s and 1840s, Cumming benefited from the gold mining industry as many businesses were created to meet the needs of the miners. However, the California Gold Rush in 1849 put the city into an economic depression. Newly built railroads bypassed the city and took traffic from the Federal Road that ran near Cumming. The city was spared during the Civil War because William T. Sherman did not pass through the city during his March to the Sea. In 1900, the county courthouse was destroyed in a fire after being struck by lightning; it was rebuilt in 1905. [7] [8]
In 1912, Governor Joseph M. Brown sent four companies of state militia to Cumming to prevent riots after two reported attacks of young white women, allegedly by black men. A suspect in the second assault, in which the victim was also raped and later died, was dragged from the Cumming county jail and lynched. The governor then declared martial law, but the effort did little to stop a month-long barrage of attacks by night riders on the black citizens. This led to the banishment of blacks, and the city had virtually no black population. [14]
Racial tensions were strained again in 1987 when a group of black people were assaulted while camping at a park on Lake Lanier. This was widely reported by local newspapers and in Atlanta. As a result of this, a local businessman[ who? ] decided to hold a "Peace March" the following week. Civil rights leader Reverend Hosea Williams joined the local businessman in a march along Bethelview and Castleberry Road in south Forsyth County into the City of Cumming where they were assaulted by whites. The marchers retreated and vowed to return. During the following "Brotherhood March" on January 24, 1987, another racially mixed group returned to Forsyth County to complete the march the previous group had been unable to finish. March organizers estimated the number at 20,000, while police estimates ran from 12,000 to 14,000. Hosea Williams and former senator Gary Hart were in the demonstration. A group of the National Guard kept the opposition of about 1,000 in check. Oprah Winfrey featured Cumming and Forsyth County on her The Oprah Winfrey Show . She formed a town hall meeting where one audience member said:
I'm afraid of [blacks] coming to Forsyth County. I was born in Atlanta, and in 1963, the first blacks were bussed to West Fulton High School. I go down there now and I see my neighborhood and my community, which was a nice community, and now it's nothing but a rat-infested slum area because they don't care. [15]
However, most of the audience members agreed that Forsyth County should integrate. Rev. Hosea Williams was excluded from Oprah's show and arrested for trespassing.
Today, the city is experiencing new growth and bears little resemblance to the small rural town it was mere decades ago. The completion of Georgia 400 has helped turn Cumming into a commuter town for metropolitan Atlanta. The city holds the Cumming Country Fair & Festival every October. The Sawnee Mountain Preserve provides views of the city from the top of Sawnee Mountain. [7] In 1956, Buford Dam, along the Chattahoochee River, started operating. The reservoir that it created is called Lake Lanier. [8] The lake, a popular spot for boaters, has generated income from tourists for Cumming as well as provides a source of drinking water. However, because of rapid growth of the Atlanta area, drought, and mishandling of a stream gauge, Lake Lanier has seen record-low water levels. Moreover, the lake is involved in a longstanding lawsuit between Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Because of a recent ruling, the city of Cumming may not be able to draw water from the lake. [16] However, the city is looking into different sources of water such as wells and various creeks. [17]
Cumming is located in the center of Forsyth County at 34°12′30″N84°8′15″W / 34.20833°N 84.13750°W (34.208464, -84.137575). [18] It is 39 miles (63 km) northeast of downtown Atlanta and 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Alpharetta.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Cumming has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.9 km2), of which 6.1 square miles (15.8 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.58%, is water. [19]
Cumming is a municipal corporation; since 1845 it has been governed by a mayor and a five-member city council. The mayor and council members serve staggered four-year terms.
On December 22, 1834, Cumming was officially incorporated and five councilmen were appointed: John Jolly, William Martin, Daniel McCoy, John H. Russell, and Daniel Smith. The town of Cumming's charter was revised on December 22, 1845, resulting in new councilmen William F. Foster, Arthur Irwin, Major J. Lewis, Henry L. Sims, and Noah Strong. [20]
House Bill 334 was enacted on October 10, 1885, giving Cumming a mayor and five-person city council.
Former mayor H. Ford Gravitt was first elected to the city council in 1966, and went on to be elected mayor in 1970. [21] Gravitt was mayor of Cumming for 48 years before losing to rival candidate and current mayor Troy Brumbalow, who has held the office since January 2018. [10]
Year | Mayor | Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 | Post 5 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | H. Ford Gravitt | Rupert Sexton | Quincy Holton | Lewis Ledbetter | Ralph Perry | John Pugh |
2012 | ||||||
2013 | ||||||
2014 | ||||||
2015 | ||||||
2016 | Chuck Welch | Linda Ledbetter | Christopher Light | |||
2017 | ||||||
2018 | Troy Brumbalow | Chad Crane | Jason Evans | |||
2019 | ||||||
2020 | Joey Cochran |
City council [10] | ||
---|---|---|
Post | Council member | Term |
Post 1 | Chad Crane | 2018–2021 |
Post 2 | Jason Evans | 2018–2021 |
Post 3 | Lewis Ledbetter | 1971–2019 |
Post 4 | Linda Ledbetter | 2016–2019 |
Post 5 | Christopher Light [22] | 2016–2019 |
Many historical records have been destroyed in fires, leaving some information unavailable or unverifiable. [20]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 267 | — | |
1880 | 250 | −6.4% | |
1890 | 356 | 42.4% | |
1900 | 239 | −32.9% | |
1910 | 305 | 27.6% | |
1920 | 607 | 99.0% | |
1930 | 648 | 6.8% | |
1940 | 958 | 47.8% | |
1950 | 1,264 | 31.9% | |
1960 | 1,561 | 23.5% | |
1970 | 2,031 | 30.1% | |
1980 | 2,094 | 3.1% | |
1990 | 2,828 | 35.1% | |
2000 | 4,220 | 49.2% | |
2010 | 5,430 | 28.7% | |
2020 | 7,318 | 34.8% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [28] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 3,999 | 54.65% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 333 | 4.55% |
Native American | 6 | 0.08% |
Asian | 589 | 8.05% |
Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.03% |
Other/Mixed | 279 | 3.81% |
Hispanic or Latino | 2,110 | 28.83% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,318 people, 2,480 households, and 1,368 families residing in the city.
As of the census [3] of 2010, there were 5,430 people, 1,893 households (of which 57.1% were families), and 1,081 families residing in the city. The population density was 787.0 inhabitants per square mile (303.9/km2). There were 2,037 housing units at an average density of 295.2 per square mile (114.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 76.6% White, 31.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 16.9% from other races, 2.9% Black, 1.7% from two or more races, 1.4% Asian and 0.5% Native American.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,118, and the median income for a family was $48,947. Full-time, year-round male workers had a median income of $35,402 versus $31,892 for similarly situated females. The per capita income for the city was $18,326. About 27.9% of families and 22.0% of the adult population were below the poverty line.
Cumming is served by Forsyth County Schools. The following schools are located in the county school district:
Elementary schools
Middle schools
High schools
Alternative schools
Hall County is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 203,136, up from 179,684 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Gainesville. The entirety of Hall County comprises the Gainesville, Georgia, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also part of the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, Combined Statistical Area.
Forsyth County is a county in the Northeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. Suburban and exurban in character, Forsyth County lies within the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The county's only incorporated city and county seat is Cumming. At the 2020 census, the population was 251,283. Forsyth was the fastest-growing county in Georgia and the 15th fastest-growing county in the United States between 2010 and 2019.
Canton is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 22,958, up from 7,709 in 2000.
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.
Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 US Census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818; in 2010, the population was 57,551.
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.
Calhoun is a city in Gordon County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,949. Calhoun is the county seat of Gordon County.
Buford is a city in Gwinnett and Hall counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,144. Most of the city is in Gwinnett County, which is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area. The northern sliver of the city is in Hall County, which comprises the Gainesville, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the larger Atlanta-Athens-Clarke-Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area.
Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Atlanta.
Sugar Hill is a city in northern Gwinnett County in the U.S. state of Georgia, included within the Metro Atlanta area. The population was 25,076 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Gwinnett County. It is in close proximity to Lake Lanier and the foothills of the North Georgia mountains.
Forsyth is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,384 at the 2020 census, up from 3,788 in 2010. Forsyth is part of the Macon metropolitan statistical area.
Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The community's population was 880 at the 2010 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word Ayuhwasi, which means meadow, Hiawassee is also known in the novel "Restart" by Gordon Korman.
Milton is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. Located about 30 miles due north of Atlanta, Milton is known for its rural and equestrian heritage. The City was incorporated on December 1, 2006, out of the unincorporated northernmost part of northern Fulton County. As of the 2010 census, Milton's population was 32,661, with an estimated population of 39,587 in 2019. Milton is named in honor of the former Milton County, which was named after Revolutionary War hero John Milton. The portion of north Fulton County generally north of the Chattahoochee River comprises most of the territory of the former Milton County.
Johns Creek is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 82,453. The city is a northeastern suburb of Atlanta.
Forsyth County Schools (FCS) is a public school district in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States, based in Cumming. FCS serves over 51,000 students and is the largest employer in the county with over 8,000 full-time employees and substitutes. Out of 180 school districts, FCS is the seventh largest school system in 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 sixth-largest in the United States, based on the July 1, 2023 metropolitan area population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Its economic, cultural, and demographic center is Atlanta, and its total population was 6,307,261 in the 2023 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sawnee Mountain is a low mountain between the piedmont and Appalachian foothills of the U.S. state of Georgia, north of Atlanta. Average rainfall/46.26in/yr/ average snowfall/5.7in/yr/. The name Sawnee Mountain actually refers to the entire ridge of approximately five miles (8 km) in length. At its summit, the elevation is 1,946 feet (593 m) above mean sea level, and is roughly 750 feet (230 m) above the surrounding terrain. The Sawnee Mountain range runs southwest to northeast, and consists of five knolls and three gaps. Located only a few miles north of Cumming, Georgia, the mountain is the highest point in Forsyth county at 1,946 ft above sea level. One of the highest peaks of metro Atlanta, it is taller than its more well-known neighbors Stone Mountain and Kennesaw Mountain by 260 ft and 138 ft respectively. Compared to other mountains in the area, however, Sawnee Mountain sits behind Bear Mountain and Pine Log Mountain, both in neighboring Cherokee County to the west.
In Forsyth County, Georgia, in September 1912, two separate alleged attacks on white women in the Cumming area resulted in black men being accused as suspects. First, a white woman reportedly awoke to find a black man in her bedroom; then days later, a white teenage girl was beaten and raped, later dying of her injuries.
Sawnee EMC is an electrical generation and transmission cooperative founded in July 1938 and based in Cumming, Georgia. As of 2022, Sawnee EMC is the third-largest electric co-op in Georgia and the eighth-largest in the United States, operating 11,982 miles of power lines in seven counties: Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, and Lumpkin. It is a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Touchstone Energy.
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has generic name (help)"We're just the battleground for these two forces," said Charles Welch, a member of the Cumming City Council for 14 years. He and others seemed perplexed that suddenly their county was in the glare of national attention, and they tried to analyze what it meant.