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Rockmart is a town in Polk County,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, United States. Its population was 4,732 at the 2020 census. It developed as a railroad depot town when the Southern Railway built a station in the area. The community was incorporated in 1872, and was named from abundant deposits of slate in the area. The Rockmart Downtown Historic District is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.


Geography

Rockmart is located at . According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.69%) is water. Most of the town is in Polk County; parts of it also stretches into Paulding County.
U.S. Route 278 U.S. Route 278 (US 278) is a parallel route of US 78. It currently runs for from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to Wickes, Arkansas at US 71/ US 59, passing through five states in the process. Landmarks along its route incl ...
, and Georgia State Routes
101 101 may refer to: *101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a 19 ...
and
113 113 may refer to: *113 (number), a natural number *AD 113, a year *113 BC, a year *113 (band), a French hip hop group *113 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route *113 (New Jersey bus), Ironbound Garage in Newark and run to ...
, are the major roads through the town. U.S. 278 runs from west to east as a northern bypass, leading southeast to
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
and west to Cedartown, the Polk County seat. GA-101 runs along the northern bypass of the town with U.S. 278, leading north to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and southeast to Yorkville (concurrent with GA-113). GA-113 also follows U.S. 278/GA-101 along the northern bypass of the town, leading northeast to Cartersville and southeast to Yorkville (concurrent with GA-101).


Demographics


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,732 people, 1,557 households, and 1,131 families residing in the city.


Economy

Beginning in the mid-1990s, Rockmart experienced a period of economic expansion. Growth in the form of new restaurants and casual dining, as well as retail shopping, came about as residential building increased.


Culture


Arts and theater

The Drama Department at Rockmart High School is known for its involvement with the community and every spring the advanced acting class performs at a GHSA
One-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...
competition. When the new Rockmart High School was constructed, performance space was not included. Instead, the Rockmart Thespians use the historic Rockmart Art Center Theatre for their productions. The department has produced many theatrical feats. In October 2008, the Rockmart High School Thespians placed first at the Region AA One Act Competition with their performance of
Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical in two acts with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set t ...
, as well as receiving the Best Actor award. The RHS Thespians then took the show to the State AA One Act Competition and placed 3rd out of four schools. In 2013, Rockmart Thespians placed first in the State AAA One Act Competition.


Music

Another important addition to the performing arts in Rockmart is the Rockmart High Marching Yellow Jacket band. The band won a best in show at the 2006 and 2008 Golden River Marching Festival. In those competitions, both band and auxiliary sections (such as the drumline, tubas, colorguard and danceline) were regarded as being among the best in Northwest Georgia. RHS host the annual Yellow Jacket Classic band competition every year, and is well attended by bands all over the state.


Rockmart In the movies

The movie '' Irresistible'' produced by
Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...
was filmed in the Seaborn Jones Park, historic downtown Rockmart, and Rockmart Middle School. Downtown Rockmart was the location of the fictional Deerlaken, Wisconsin.


Parks and recreation

Parks and recreation areas in Rockmart include the Nathan Dean Complex, the
Silver Comet Trail The Silver Comet Trail is a rail trail in west-northwestern Georgia, United States. Route The Silver Comet Trail is named for the '' Silver Comet'' passenger train that traversed the same route from 1947 to 1969. It begins in Smyrna, Georgi ...
& Riverwalk Park, as well as Rockmart City Parks.


Government

Rockmart operates under a council-manager form of government. The city is divided into five council wards, each electing one member to the council. The city's mayor serves as chairman of the council, and is its sixth member. The mayor and council, together, appoint the city manager. Other appointed positions include the city clerk, city attorney, city auditor, and city court judge.


Education

The city of Rockmart is a part of the Polk County School District. It has one high school, Rockmart High School; one middle school, Rockmart Middle School; and two elementary schools, Eastside Elementary and Van Wert Elementary. Rockmart High School is the only high school in the city of Rockmart and serves the
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
community as well. As of the 2011/12 school year, the school had an enrollment of 837 students and 50.10 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 16.71. In 1912, the
Georgia Legislature The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly ...
created the public school system in the state of Georgia. That year, the city of Rockmart began the Rockmart School System in the building vacated by the Piedmont Institution (established in 1889 by the
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
North Georgia Annual Conference). It had closed after a 23-year existence in 1912, after it was purchased by the Rockmart School Board of trustees. Rockmart High School was in the building until it burned down in 1915. The building was later rebuilt until the building burned down again in 1940. The current lot is now the Rockmart Governmental Complex. Prior to the Polk County School System of Georgia, RHS had its own city school system and rival school
Cedartown High School Cedartown High School (also known as the Cedartown Bulldogs or CHS) is the only high school in Cedartown, Georgia, Cedartown, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2011-2012 school year, it had an enrollment of 1,081 students and ...
also had its own city school system in Cedartown. The Polk County campus of
Georgia Northwestern Technical College Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) is a public technical college serving nine counties across northwestern Georgia. It operates under the Technical College System of Georgia. The college has six campuses: Catoosa County campus, W ...
is also located in Rockmart.


Racial integration

Prior to the
racial integration Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of Race (classification of human beings), race, and t ...
of the Polk County School System, two high schools existed in Rockmart—Rockmart High School and Elm Street High School—which served the
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
community of Rockmart. The integration of the school system began in the year 1964 when some African American students began attending Rockmart High School until total integration was achieved in 1965 with the closing of Elm Street High School.


Transportation


Rail

The Southern Railway had two Mid-West to Florida named trains, ''
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'' and ''
Royal Palm ''Roystonea regia'', commonly known as the royal palm, Cuban royal palm, or Florida royal palm, is a species of Arecaceae, palm native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Florida, and parts of Central America. A large and attractive palm, it has been plan ...
'', that made stops in the town into the 1960s. The
Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...
, had the '' Silver Comet,'' which made a stop in Rockmart on all trips between Atlanta and Birmingham. The Passenger and Mail #5 and #6 made stops in Rockmart, until it was cancelled in 1968. The ''Silver Comet'' continued on the merged
Seaboard Coast Line The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...
, which discontinued the train on May 30, 1969.


Roads

U.S. Route 278 U.S. Route 278 (US 278) is a parallel route of US 78. It currently runs for from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to Wickes, Arkansas at US 71/ US 59, passing through five states in the process. Landmarks along its route incl ...
and
Georgia State Route 6 State Route 6 (SR 6) is a state highway that travels northwest-to-southeast in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is known as Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway, Jimmy Campbell Parkway, Nathan Dean Parkway, and Wendy Bagwell Parkway in Paulding C ...
run through the town.


Notable people

* Fred P. Branson (1881–1960), native of Rockmart; Oklahoma attorney, judge and politician; served as associate justice of Oklahoma Supreme Court * Bill Calhoun, former
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
first baseman for the
Boston Braves The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...
. * Nathan Dean, former Georgia State Senator from the 31st DistrictVotesmart.org-Nathan Dean
/ref> * Brody Malone, gymnast and two-time Olympian (
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
and
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
) * Danny Ware, former
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
for the
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
.


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Polk County, Georgia 1872 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Populated places established in 1872