Cumming is a city in

Forsyth County, Georgia Forsyth County ( or ) is a county in the north-central 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 ...

, 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. Surrounding unincorporated areas with a Cumming mailing address have a population of approximately 100,000. Cumming is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Forsyth County.

History

The area now called Cumming is located west of the historic location of Vann's Ferry between Forsyth County and Hall County.

Early history

The area, now called Cumming, was inhabited earlier by

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

tribes, who are thought to have arrived in the mid-18th century. 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 Battle of Taliwa was fought in Ball Ground, Georgia in 1755. The battle was part of a larger campaign of the Cherokee against the Muscogee Creek people, where an army of 500 Cherokee warriors led by Oconostota (c. 1710–1783) defeated the Mus ...

. The Creek people were forced to move south of the Chattahoochee River. 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 The Treaty of New Echota was a treaty signed on December 29, 1835, in New Echota, Georgia, by officials of the United States government and representatives of a minority Cherokee political faction, the Treaty Party. The treaty established ter ...

was signed. The treaty stated that the Cherokee Nation must move to the

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

, west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. This resulted in the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...

. The Cherokee territory was then formed into Cherokee County in 1831. In 1832, the county had been split into several counties including Forsyth County. In 1833, the town of Cumming was formed from two 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. The community is commonly thought to be named after Colonel William Cumming. 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. Yet another theory is that the town is named after Alexander Cuming, the son of a Scottish baronet.

Modern history

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 A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

because

William T. Sherman William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

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.

1912 racial conflict

In 1912, Governor Joseph M. Brown sent four companies of state militia to Cumming to prevent riots after several rapes of young white women allegedly by African-American men. The governor then declared martial law, but the effort did little to stop a month-long barrage of attacks by night riders on the African-American citizens. This led to the banishment of Blacks, and the city had virtually no black population (see

sundown town Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminator ...

). Racial tensions were strained again in 1987 when a group of black people were assaulted while camping at a park on

Lake Lanier Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier) is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee Ri ...

. This was widely reported by local newspapers and in Atlanta. As a result of this a local businessman decided to hold a "Peace March" the following week. Civil rights leader Reverend

Hosea Williams Hosea Lorenzo Williams (January 5, 1926 – November 16, 2000) was an American civil rights leader, activist, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist, and politician. He is best known as a trusted member of fellow famed civil r ...

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 to 14,000. Hosea Williams and former senator Gary Hart were in the demonstration. A group of the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

kept the opposition of about 1,000 in check. Oprah Winfrey featured Cumming and Forsyth County on her ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...

''. She formed a town hall meeting where one audience member said: 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.

City growth

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 Georgia State Route 400 (SR 400; commonly known as Georgia 400) is a freeway and state highway in the U.S. state of Georgia serving parts of Metro Atlanta. It is concurrent with U.S. Route 19 (US 19) from exit 4 ( Inte ...

has helped turn Cumming into a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...

for metropolitan

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. 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. In 1956, Buford Dam, along the Chattahoochee River, started operating. The reservoir that it created is called

. 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 A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

, 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 (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Because of a recent ruling, the city of Cumming may not be able to draw water from the lake. However, the city is looking into different sources of water such as wells and various creeks.

Geography

Cumming is located in the center of Forsyth County at (34.208464, -84.137575). It is northeast of

downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county ...

and northeast of

Alpharetta Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 US Census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818 The population in 2010 was 57,551. History In the 1830s, the Che ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, Cumming has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.58%, is water.

Government

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. 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. 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.

City Council

Previous city council members

* Rupert Sexton, 1970–2015 (Post 1; mayor pro tem) * John D. Pugh, 1993–2016 (Post 5) * Quincy Holton, 1969–2017 (Post 2) * Dot Otwell, 1956–1957 * Charles Welch, 1972–1986 * Chuck Welch, 2015–2017 (Post 1) * Ralph Perry, 1979–2016 (Post 4) * Kenneth J. Vanderhoff, 1987–1990

Previous mayors

Many historical records have been destroyed in fires, leaving some information unavailable or unverifiable. * W. W. Pirkle (possible) * T. J. Pirkle (possible) * E. F. Smith (possible) * Charles Leon Harris, term dates unknown (also Forsyth County School Superintendent, 1912–1916) * Alman Gwinn Hockenhull, term dates unknown (also Cumming Postmaster, 1913–1922) * Enoch Wesley Mashburn, 1913–? * Marcus Mashburn Sr., 1917; 1961–1966 * Joseph Gaither Puett, 1918–1919 * Henry Lowndes "Snacks" Patterson, 1920–1921 (also Georgia General Assembly representative, 1884–1885; Commissioner of Public Instruction, 1892–1910; Blue Ridge Circuit Court judge, 1912–1917) * John Dickerson Black, 1922–1923 (also Georgia General Assembly representative, 1933–1936) * Andrew Benjamin "Ben" Tollison, 1926–1927 (also Forsyth County School Superintendent, 1920–1932) * Roy Pilgrim Otwell, 1928–1956; 1959–1960 * Marcus Mashburn Jr., 1957–1958 * George Ingram, 1966–1970 * H. Ford Gravitt, 1970–2018

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Route 19 * Georgia 9

State Route 9 * Georgia 20

State Route 20 * Georgia 306

State Route 306 * Georgia 400

State Route 400

Pedestrians and cycling

* Big Creek Greenway

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 7,318 people, 2,480 households, and 1,368 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

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 . There were 2,037 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 76.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 31.4%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race, 16.9% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, 2.9%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, 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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,326. About 27.9% of families and 22.0% of the adult population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

Education

Cumming is served by

Forsyth County Schools Forsyth County Schools is a public school district in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States, based in Cumming, Georgia, Cumming. FCS serves over 51,000 students and is the largest employer in the county with over 8,000 full-time employees and ...

. The following schools are located in the county school district: Elementary schools * Big Creek Elementary * Brandywine Elementary * Brookwood Elementary * Chattahoochee Elementary * Chestatee Elementary * Coal Mountain Elementary * Cumming Elementary * Daves Creek Elementary * Haw Creek Elementary * Johns Creek Elementary * Kelly Mill Elementary * Mashburn Elementary * Matt Elementary * Midway Elementary * Poole's Mill Elementary * Sawnee Elementary * Settles Bridge Elementary * Sharon Elementary * Shiloh Point Elementary * Silver City Elementary * Vickery Creek Elementary * Whitlow Elementary Middle schools *Veritas Classical Schools * DeSana Middle * Hendricks Middle * Lakeside Middle * Liberty Middle * Little Mill Middle * North Forsyth Middle * Otwell Middle * Piney Grove Middle * Riverwatch Middle * South Forsyth Middle * Vickery Creek Middle High schools * Alliance Academy for Innovation * Denmark High School * East Forsyth High School *

Forsyth Central High School Forsyth Central High School is a public high school located in Cumming, Georgia, United States, northeast of Atlanta. Built in 1955, it was originally known as Forsyth County High School until 1989 when South Forsyth High School opened. It is one ...

* Lambert High School * North Forsyth High School * Pinecrest Academy * South Forsyth High School * West Forsyth High School Alternative schools *Creative Montessori School *Forsyth Academy *Forsyth Virtual Academy *Gateway Academy * Montessori Academy at Sharon Springs *Mountain Education

Notable people

Luke Appling Lucius Benjamin "Luke" Appling (April 2, 1907 – January 3, 1991), nicknamed "Old Aches and Pains" was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Chicago White Sox (1930–1950). He was elected to the Base ...

, Hall of Fame

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player * Zac Brown, lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning

Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini ( fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukul ...

, was born in Cumming * Col. William Cumming, distinguished officer in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, probable eponym of the town of Cumming (incorporated 1834) *

Skyler Day Skyler Elizabeth Day (born August 2, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her recurring roles as Maggie Ritter on the TeenNick series '' Gigantic'' and as Amy Ellis on the NBC series '' Parenthood''. Life and career ...

, actress born in Cumming * Geoff Duncan, businessman and

Lieutenant Governor of Georgia The lieutenant governor of Georgia is a constitutional officer of the State of Georgia, elected to a four-year term by popular vote. Unlike in some other U.S. states, the lieutenant governor is elected on a separate ticket from the Governor of Ge ...

since 2019 *

Kelli Giddish Kelli Marie Giddish (born April 13, 1980) is an American television, stage, and film actress. From 2011 to 2022, she has played NYPD Detective Amanda Rollins in the NBC crime-drama television series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. Giddis ...

, actress born and raised in Cumming * Colby Gossett, NFL player born and raised in Cumming * Wynn Everett, actress raised in Cumming. * Ethan Hankins,

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

baseball player *

Billy Magnussen William Gregory Magnussen (born April 20, 1985) is an American actor. He has been featured in the films ''Into the Woods'' (2014), ''Birth of the Dragon'' (2016), '' Game Night'' (2018), and ''Aladdin'' (2019), and has had supporting television r ...

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominated actor *

Ron Reis Ronald Allen Reis (born April 26, 1970) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1998 under the ring names The Yeti and Reese. Early life Ron Reis is the son of ...

, former

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

wrestler also known as The Yeti, lives in Cumming *

Junior Samples Junior Samples, born Alvin Samples Jr. (April 10, 1926 – November 13, 1983) was an American comedian best known for his 14-year run as a cast member of the television show ''Hee Haw''. Early years A sixth-grade dropout, Samples was a stock car ...

, comedian on the TV show ''

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

'' *

Glenn Sutko Glenn Edward Sutko (born May 9, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball catcher from Atlanta, Georgia who played for the Cincinnati Reds. His major league career lasted only eleven games spread throughout the 1990 and 1991 seasons. He was drafted ...

, former catcher for the Cincinnati Reds * Roger L. Worsley, college administrator, formerly resided in Cumming

In popular culture

* ''

American Reunion ''American Reunion'' (also known as ''American Pie 4: Reunion'' or ''American Pie: Reunion'' in certain countries) is a 2012 American ensemble sex comedy film written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. It is the fourth installm ...

'' was partially filmed in Cumming at Mary Alice Park. * Peach State Cats, Arena Football team in Cumming, Georgia * Unsolved Mysteries, Season 1 Episode 2 takes place in Cumming, Georgia.

References

External links

City of Cumming official website

Forsyth County, Georgia
Cumming is the county seat
Video of Annual Steam Engine Parade
60 Minute DVD of parade with many antique steam engines.

''Forsyth Herald''

Cumming Historic Cemetery
historical marker {{Authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Forsyth County, Georgia Cities in the Atlanta metropolitan area County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Sundown towns in Georgia (U.S. state)