Kennesaw | |
---|---|
City of Kennesaw | |
Location of Kennesaw in Metro Atlanta | |
Coordinates: 34°1′24″N84°36′55″W / 34.02333°N 84.61528°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Cobb |
Incorporated | September 21, 1887 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Derek Easterling (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 9.82 sq mi (25.43 km2) |
• Land | 9.71 sq mi (25.16 km2) |
• Water | 0.10 sq mi (0.26 km2) |
Elevation | 1,089 ft (332 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 33,036 |
• Density | 3,400.51/sq mi (1,312.88/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 30144/30152 |
Area code(s) | 770/678/470 |
FIPS code | 13-43192 [2] |
GNIS feature ID | 0316387 [3] |
Website | www |
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. [4] 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. Kennesaw is home to Kennesaw State University, an R2 research institution and the third largest public university in the state of Georgia.
The name "Kennesaw" is derived from the Cherokee word gah-nee-sah, meaning 'cemetery' or 'burial ground'. [5]
As the Western and Atlantic Railroad was being built in the late 1830s, shanty towns arose to house the workers. These were near a big spring. A grade up from the Etowah River became known as "the big grade to the shanties", then "Big Shanty Grade", and finally "Big Shanty". [6]
Camp MacDonald, a training camp, was located there from 1861 to 1863. [7]
During the Civil War, Big Shanty was the site of major fighting in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, part of the larger Atlanta Campaign. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, [8] located southeast of the city limits, now contains many of these historic areas. Much of the surrounding land has been developed, and many of the buried artifacts have been searched for and taken by people with metal detectors. [9] Some artifacts of the Civil War are still on display in the visitor center of Kennesaw Mountain. [10]
L.C. Chalker purchased a 1.25-acre (0.51 ha) tract of land adjacent to the Kennesaw Cemetery from J.W. Ellis in 1934, which was sold for burial purposes. Chalker purchased another 1 acre (0.40 ha) adjacent to the first parcel in 1948, which was also to be used for a cemetery. The Chalker family managed these portions of the cemetery until they were sold to the City of Kennesaw in the mid-1950s. The earliest known burial is the infant Lucius B. Summers, who was interred in 1863. Other grave markers date as far back as the 1860s to the 1890s. Civil War veterans are buried here. The Kennesaw Cemetery is still in use. [11]
In March 2004, First Lady Laura Bush designated Kennesaw a Preserve America Community. [12]
Kennesaw is located in northwestern Cobb County, bordered by the city of Acworth to the northwest. Kennesaw Mountain is located southeast of the city limits in the battlefield park. Its summit is the highest point in the Atlanta metro area, at an elevation of 1,808 feet (551 m) above sea level. The city was renamed for the mountain.
U.S. Route 41 and State Route 3 pass through the city as Cobb Parkway, leading southeast 7 miles (11 km) to Marietta and northwest 17 miles (27 km) to Cartersville. Interstate 75 passes just northeast of the city limits, with access from exits 269, 271, and 273. Via I-75, downtown Atlanta is 27 miles (43 km) to the southeast, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, is 94 miles (151 km) northwest.
The iconic peaks of Kennesaw Mountain are visible from the bridge over Interstate 75 that crosses over the city limits of Kennesaw. [13]
According to the United States Census Bureau, Kennesaw has a total area of 9.5 square miles (24.7 km2), of which 9.4 square miles (24.4 km2) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.3 km2), or 1.08%, is water. [14]
Kennesaw has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). On November 22, 1992, an F-4 tornado caused 34 injuries.[ citation needed ]
Climate data for Kennesaw, Georgia | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 81 (27) | 89 (32) | 93 (34) | 96 (36) | 101 (38) | 104 (40) | 104 (40) | 99 (37) | 92 (33) | 86 (30) | 80 (27) | 104 (40) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 52 (11) | 56 (13) | 64 (18) | 73 (23) | 80 (27) | 87 (31) | 89 (32) | 88 (31) | 83 (28) | 73 (23) | 64 (18) | 54 (12) | 72 (22) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30 (−1) | 33 (1) | 39 (4) | 46 (8) | 55 (13) | 64 (18) | 68 (20) | 67 (19) | 60 (16) | 48 (9) | 39 (4) | 32 (0) | 48 (9) |
Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) | −2 (−19) | 7 (−14) | 21 (−6) | 32 (0) | 40 (4) | 50 (10) | 48 (9) | 30 (−1) | 22 (−6) | 9 (−13) | −4 (−20) | −12 (−24) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.86 (123) | 5.36 (136) | 5.07 (129) | 3.93 (100) | 4.12 (105) | 4.07 (103) | 5.10 (130) | 4.35 (110) | 4.10 (104) | 3.42 (87) | 4.30 (109) | 4.49 (114) | 54.63 (1,388) |
Source: [15] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 244 | — | |
1890 | 168 | −31.1% | |
1900 | 320 | 90.5% | |
1910 | 573 | 79.1% | |
1920 | 467 | −18.5% | |
1930 | 426 | −8.8% | |
1940 | 436 | 2.3% | |
1950 | 564 | 29.4% | |
1960 | 1,507 | 167.2% | |
1970 | 3,548 | 135.4% | |
1980 | 5,095 | 43.6% | |
1990 | 8,936 | 75.4% | |
2000 | 21,675 | 142.6% | |
2010 | 29,783 | 37.4% | |
2020 | 33,036 | 10.9% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [16] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 17,102 | 51.77% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 7,848 | 23.76% |
Native American | 67 | 0.2% |
Asian | 1,626 | 4.92% |
Pacific Islander | 17 | 0.05% |
Other/Mixed | 2,119 | 6.41% |
Hispanic or Latino | 4,257 | 12.89% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 33,036 people, 12,803 households, and 8,250 families residing in the city.
As of the census [2] of 2010, there were 29,783 people, 11,413 households, and 7,375 families residing in the city. There were 12,328 housing units at an average density of 1,027.3 per square mile (396.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 58.9% White, 22.3% Black, 10.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 5.3% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander (U.S. Census), 4.7% of other races, and 3.0% non-Hispanic mixed of two or more races.
There were 11,413 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $61,355 and the median income for a family was $75,465. Males had a median income of $46,953, versus $42,809 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,165. About 8.2% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.1% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.
Several festivals are held annually. Every April the annual Big Shanty Festival displays over 200 arts and crafts booths along with 20 food booths downtown featuring several local businesses and entrepreneurs. Over 60,000 people from around North Georgia attend the festival. The festival begins with a parade through downtown. [18]
The city hall [19] is located downtown, just off Main Street (old U.S. 41 and State Route 3, later State Route 293). It contains the offices of mayor and city council, a basement jail, a municipal 9-1-1 call center and other offices. It is the public-safety answering point for the city of Kennesaw and the neighboring city of Acworth, and dispatches the separate police departments of both cities. Calls for fire services are relayed to and dispatched from Cobb County's 911 center, [20] and serviced by the Cobb County Fire Department, as neither city has its own fire department.
In 2008, the city of Kennesaw awarded a bid to Digitel Wireless for the implementation of city wireless Internet. In March 2008, the city of Kennesaw announced the grand opening of four new wireless areas: Swift-Cantrell Park and Adams Park, and the train depot area across from the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. The city has also provided Wi-Fi in the Ben Robertson Community Center. [21]
In 2001, violent crime rates were about 60% below national and state rates. Property crime rates were from 46–56% below national and state rates. From 1999 to 2011, Kennesaw crime statistics reported that both property and violent crimes had decreased, though from 2003 to 2008 the trend in both violent and property crime rates slightly increased. [22] The increase in crime rate overall is attributed to the population growth rate of 37.41%. The population growth rate is much higher than the state average rate of 18.34% and is much higher than the national average rate of 9.71%. [23]
The Cobb County Public Library System operates a Kennesaw branch library. The Cobb County Police Department serves unincorporated areas, including the Town Center Area Community Improvement District and Kennesaw State University (in addition to KSU's own police).
Kennesaw is noted for its unique firearms legislation, passed in response to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, Illinois. In 1982 the city passed an ordinance [Sec 34-21]: [24]
(a) In order to provide for the emergency management of the city, and further in order to provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, every head of household residing in the city limits is required to maintain a firearm, together with ammunition therefore. (b) Exempt from the effect of this section are those heads of households who suffer a physical or mental disability which would prohibit them from using such a firearm. Further exempt from the effect of this section are those heads of households who are paupers or who conscientiously oppose maintaining firearms as a result of beliefs or religious doctrine, or persons convicted of a felony.
A similar law was passed in 2000 in the city of Virgin, Utah, making it the second city in the United States to require residents to own guns. [25] Nelson, Nucla, Colorado, and Gun Barrel City, Texas also followed suit. [26]
Public schools are operated by the Cobb County School District.
Elementary schools include Big Shanty Intermediate., [30] Bullard, [31] Chalker, [32] Hayes, [33] Kennesaw, [34] and Lewis. [35]
Middle schools include Awtrey, [36] Lost Mountain, [37] McClure, [38] Palmer, [39] and Pine Mountain. [40]
High schools include Harrison High School, [41] Kennesaw Mountain, [42] North Cobb, [43] and Kennesaw Charter Science & Math Academy. [44]
Private schools include Sunbrook Academy at Legacy Park, [45] Sunbrook Academy at Stilesboro, and Mount Paran Christian School.
Kennesaw State University is located within the city and is part of the University System of Georgia.
In 2016, the Atlanta Blaze of Major League Lacrosse spent their first year of play as an expansion franchise with home games at Fifth Third Bank Stadium on the campus of Kennesaw State University. [46] The team relocated in 2019.
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.
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.
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.
Smyrna is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is located northwest of Atlanta, and is in the inner ring of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. It is included in the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta MSA, which is included in the Atlanta–Athens-Clarke–Sandy Springs CSA.
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.
Little Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain in Cobb County, Georgia, northwest of Marietta and south of Kennesaw. It is a sub-peak of Kennesaw Mountain, the site of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the 1864 Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War.
Kennesaw Battlefield Park preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign, and also contains Kennesaw Mountain. It is located at 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia. The name "Kennesaw" derives from the Cherokee Indian "Gah-nee-sah" meaning "cemetery" or burial ground. The area was designated as a U.S. historic district on October 15, 1966.
Sweat Mountain is a mountain in far northeastern Cobb County, Georgia, in the suburbs north of Atlanta. The exact GNIS location of its summit is 34°4′1″N84°27′20″W, and it has an official (USGS) elevation of 1,688 ft (515 m) above mean sea level. It is the second-highest point in the county behind Kennesaw Mountain, and second in the core metro Atlanta area, behind Kennesaw Mountain, which is also in Cobb County. It is fifth if the exurban counties further north are considered.
Ernest W. Barrett Parkway is a major thoroughfare in the northwestern part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, in the north-central part of Cobb County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. It travels from the southeastern edge of Kennesaw to a point north of Marietta, and continues on in both directions under other names. The portion of Barrett Parkway between Interstate 575 (I-575/SR 5) and US 41/SR 3 is designated State Route 5 Connector. The road is named after Ernest W. Barrett, the first chairman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners in the 1960s, after home rule was enacted under a Georgia State Constitution amendment. The initial portion was constructed through Barrett family land, enabling it to be later sold for major development.
Kennesaw Mountain is a mountain between Marietta and Kennesaw, Georgia in the United States with a summit elevation of 1,808 feet (551 m). It is the highest point in the core metro Atlanta area, and fifth after further-north exurban counties are considered. The local terrain averages roughly 1,000 feet AMSL.
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.
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 Creek Multi-Use Trail in Cobb County, Georgia is a seven-mile (11 km) continuation of the Mountain to River Trail in Kennesaw. Its southwest end is at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Old 41 Highway and Stilesboro Road. Much of the trail runs alongside Noonday Creek. Noonday Creek Trail connects Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park to Town Center Mall, and its north eastern trailhead is at 3015 Bells Ferry Road, Marietta, GA 30066.
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.
The Illinois Monument is a public monument located in the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The monument honors the soldiers from Illinois who fought in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain during the Atlanta campaign of the American Civil War. It is located on Cheatham Hill, the site of intense fighting during the battle, and was dedicated in 1914, on the 50th anniversary of the battle. It was designed by Mario Korbel and James Dibelka.
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