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Canton is a city in and the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Cherokee 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. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 22,958, up from 7,709 in 2000.


Geography

Canton is located near the center of Cherokee County at (34.227307, −84.494727). The city lies just north of Holly Springs and south of Ball Ground. Interstate 575 passes through the eastern side of the city, with access from exits 14 through 20. Canton is north of downtown
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
via I-575 and
I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end ...
. 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 , or 0.76%, is water. The
Etowah River The Etowah River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...
, a tributary of the
Coosa River The Coosa River is a tributary of the Alabama River in the U.S. states of Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The river is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, ac ...
, flows from east to west through the center of the city.


Demographics

Canton first appeared as a town in the 1870 U.S. Census and as a city in the 1960 U.S. Census. Prior to 1970 U.S. Census, the town absorbed the North Canton unincorporated community.


2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 32,973 people, 10,233 households, and 7,138 families residing in the city.


2010 census


Households

As of the 2010 census, there were 22,958 people, 8,204 households, and 5,606 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,341 housing units at an average density of . There were 8,204 households, out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were headed by married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77, and the average family size was 3.30.


Ethnicity, age, and sex

The racial makeup of the city was 75.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 22.5%
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race, 8.9%
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 ...
, 1.3% Asian, 0.8% Native American, 0.2%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 10.2% some other race, 2.9% from two or more races. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 34.7% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.


Income

For the period 2010–12, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $46,691, and the median income for a family was $52,432. Male full-time workers had a median income of $36,971 versus $37,092 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $20,705. About 13.4% of families and 18.1% of the 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 ...
, including 26.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.


History

Located in the foothills of the
Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...
, the site where Canton would be founded lay in the heart of the original
Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...
. During the first 100 years of Georgia's history, Northwest Georgia was generally considered "Indian Country" and was bypassed by settlers going West. Georgia reached an agreement with the federal government in 1802 shortly after the Revolutionary War to relinquish its Western Territory (it claimed the Pacific Ocean as its western boundary) in exchange for the removal of all Indians within its boundaries. Although other tribes had been removed, the Cherokee remained. Since this was the heartland of the Cherokee Nation, the state and nation were reluctant to disturb them. But following the
Georgia Gold Rush The Georgia Gold Rush was the second significant gold rush in the United States and the first in Georgia, and overshadowed the previous rush in North Carolina. It started in 1829 in present-day Lumpkin County near the county seat, Dahlonega, ...
in 1829, European-American settlers ignored the Indian problems and began to move into the area north of Carrollton and west of the
Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...
and named it Cherokee. Many members of the Cherokee Nation moved west in 1829, but the majority stayed until removed by federal troops sent into the area during the summer of 1838. The remaining Cherokee were gathered and held in forts until the removal could be completed. Present-day Cherokee County had the largest and most southerly of these forts, Fort Buffington, which stood east of Canton. Today nothing stands to identify its timber structure, but the speculated area is marked by a large piece of green Cherokee marble quarried near Holly Springs. By autumn of 1838, the federal troops had accomplished their mission, and the Cherokee at Fort Buffington were marched off to join other groups on the infamous "
Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...
," a lengthy march in worsening winter weather to
Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...
west of the Mississippi River. The new settlers chose a site for a permanent county seat and courthouse in 1833, naming it "Etowah". The name was changed to "Cherokee Courthouse" in 1833. In 1834 it was changed to "Canton" (pronounced cant'n), after the Chinese city of
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
, which was then known in English as Canton (pronounced ). The name was chosen because a group of citizens had dreams of making the Georgia town a center of the
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
industry, which was concentrated in China at the time. Though Canton never became a significant silk center, it did become a successful manufacturing community. During the American Civil War, Canton, which had a population of about 200, was burned between November 1 and 5, 1864, by the Union Army under the command of Maj. Gen.
William T. Sherman William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...
. Canton was destroyed by a foraging party of the Ohio 5th Cavalry under the command of Major Thomas T. Heath. At the time the Ohio 5th Cavalry was headquartered in Cartersville. The written order for destruction was given on October 30, 1864, by Brig. General John E. Smith. Union troops were ordered to burn the town because of Confederate guerrilla attacks coming from Canton and directed against the
Western and Atlantic Railroad The Western & Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia (W&A) is a railroad owned by the State of Georgia and currently leased by CSX, which CSX operates in the Southeastern United States from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was f ...
near the town of Cassville. The railroad was a vital supply line for the Union Army from the captured city of
Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
, to newly captured
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. The Union troops identified the Canton home of Governor Joseph E. Brown for destruction. The same Union party destroyed Cassville, the county seat of neighboring Bartow County, on November 5, 1864, as it has also been a base of guerrilla actions. Cassville never rebuilt, but Canton survived to prosper, as it was the county seat. Over the years, Canton evolved from unsettled territory to a prosperous mill town known the world over for its "Canton Denim". The original county of 1831 now includes 24 counties. The city of Canton remains the county seat. Cherokee Poultry, founded by T.B.Bradshaw was built on Univeter Road in 1955; later sold to Central Soya in 1962. The Canton Cotton Mills, which produced the famous "Canton Denim", closed in 1981. Since then, Canton has grown as the suburbs of Atlanta have expanded northward, and is currently experiencing its period of greatest population growth, which nearly tripled between 2000 and 2010.


City Government


City Government Council and Mayor

The city of Canton is governed by a council-mayor form of government. The six council members and mayor are each elected to four-year terms by city residents. The city is divided into three council wards, with two council members serving from each ward. The mayor is elected
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
. The Mayor and Council hold the monthly council meetings on the first and third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. All meetings of the City Government Manager and Council are held in the Council Chambers of City Hall located at 110 Academy Street.


Administration

The Administration Department of the City Government of Canton consists of the City Government Manager, City Government Council, City Government Administration Manager, City Clerk and Administrative Secretaries. The office is located at Canton City Hall at 110 Academy Street in Canton. The City Manager is the Administrative Executive of the City of Canton and is responsible for overseeing daily operations of all City departments. The City Manager is appointed by the City Government Manager and The City Government Council, the governing authority of the city. The City Clerk serves as the Clerk of Council and is responsible for the minutes and records of all meetings. The City Clerk is responsible for serving as custodian of all legal documents for the city.


Infrastructure

Many projects are underway in the city including new construction, renovation, and revitalization. Canton has received millions of dollars in grants for park and sidewalk improvements in the city. The city's public buses have established routes and carry thousands of passengers throughout the city from residential areas to downtown, shopping areas, the medical district, and job sites. The Historic Canton Theatre on Main Street features plays and other special entertainment events throughout the year, injecting new life into the downtown business district. Streets in the downtown area were recently improved, by the removal of parking spaces, as part of the "Streetscapes" program, bringing brick pavers to sidewalks, lamp posts, lush landscaping and intersection upgrades. In May 2004, the city held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Heritage Park, the first phase of the
Etowah River The Etowah River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...
Greenway. The park covers approximately and has pedestrian and bike trails and a natural
amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...
. The city used to hold concerts and movies in Heritage Park throughout the summer free of charge to its residents. The city, in partnership with the Metro Atlanta
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
, constructed an $8 million community center on Waleska Street contiguous to Heritage Park. Now completed, the community center includes an indoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, wellness center, aerobics studio, childcare facilities and the Cherokee Sports Hall of Fame. Although construction was approved for the facility by a local referendum authorizing a "free" community center, the city decided to operate it through the YMCA. People must become members, thus paying a fee for use. Phase two of the Etowah River Greenway north of Heritage Park consists of recreation fields for softball, baseball, tennis, and soccer. This phase involves approximately of property. In June 2004, the Bluffs Parkway opened off Riverstone Boulevard. This parkway, funded by an $8 million grant from the
Georgia Department of Transportation The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a li ...
, bisects the Bluffs at Technology Park, owned by Technology Park/Atlanta. It will be home to 15,000
high-tech High technology (high tech or high-tech), also known as advanced technology (advanced tech) or exotechnology, is technology that is at the cutting edge: the highest form of technology available. It can be defined as either the most complex or ...
jobs when built out in 10 years. The technology park includes a satellite campus of Chattahoochee Technical College, which opened in the fall of 2011. The federal Hickory Log Creek Dam project, north of the city center, was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The construction and ownership of the Hickory Log Creek Raw Water Reservoir will be shared by the Cobb County / Marietta Water Authority and the City of Canton on a 75% and 25% respective basis; it was completed in December 2007. This water source will provide of water per day and will be bordered by of park land with picnic and other public areas. In 2009, Canton opened the newly renovated Canton Marketplace. It features both big box retailers and smaller shops. With the rapid increase in population, restaurants and shopping centers have had a rise in business.


Education

Education in Canton is run by the Cherokee County government and the
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 ...
state government.


Cherokee County School District

The Cherokee County School District serves grades pre-school to grade twelve, with 23 elementary schools, seven middle schools, and six high schools. As of 2010, the district had 1,766 full-time teachers and over 28,434 students. Schools in Cherokee County include:


Elementary schools

*Arnold Mill Elementary School *Avery Elementary School *Ball Ground Elementary School *Bascomb Elementary School *Boston Elementary School *Canton Elementary School (Closed May 2018) *Carmel Elementary School *Clark Creek Elementary School *Clayton Elementary School *Free Home Elementary School *Hasty Elementary School *Hickory Flat Elementary School *Holly Springs Elementary School *Indian Knoll Elementary School *Johnston Elementary School *Knox Elementary School *Liberty Elementary School *Little River Elementary School *Macedonia Elementary School *Mountain Road Elementary School *Oak Grove Elementary School *R.M. Moore Elementary School *Sixes Elementary School *Woodstock Elementary School


Middle schools

*Creekland Middle School * Dean Rusk Middle School *Freedom Middle School- Next to Liberty Elementary School on Bells Ferry Road *Teasley Middle School- *Woodstock Middle School *Mill Creek Middle School *E.T. Booth Middle School


High schools

* Cherokee High School * Etowah High School * Creekview High School * Sequoyah High School * Woodstock High School * River Ridge High School


Higher learning

* Chattahoochee Technical College (Canton Campus)


Transportation

The Cherokee County Airport (FAA LOC ID: 47A) is located adjacent to I-575 northeast of downtown Canton. A redevelopment project currently underway includes an already completed terminal, the ongoing lengthening of the runway from its current , a new parallel taxiway, instrument landing equipment, and new hangars. The new facilities will accommodate 200 hangared corporate aircraft and provide 100 tie-downs for smaller aircraft. Interstate 575 goes through Cobb and Cherokee counties, passing through the east side of Canton (roughly north to south), ending just about 10 miles north of the city. Georgia State Route 20 runs east-to-west right through the city just south of the
Etowah River The Etowah River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...
. Georgia State Route 140 also passes close to the center of the city in a northwest to southeast direction.


Notable people

* David Bottoms, Poet Laureate of Georgia 2000–2012, born in Canton * Joseph E. Brown, headmaster, attorney and politician, Governor of Georgia 1857–1865, and US Senator. From 1844 he lived in Canton, where he became devoted to
public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
. He achieved great wealth in railroads and mining after the Civil War. Brown is the only person ever to have been elected governor of Georgia four times. * Bill Byrd, professional pitcher in Negro league baseball * Mark Anthony Cooper, entrepreneur, founded the Cooper Ironworks in Etowah in 1847."He purchased the furnace and moved it to the Etowah River in 1847. In 1848 he added a short line railroad from the iron works to Etowah Station on the Western and Atlantic Railroad and began building the city of Etowah, Georgia. Almost all of the remains of the city were covered by Lake Allatoona."
/ref> * John Hannah, pro football Hall of Famer * Matt Hawkins, racing driver *
Josh Holloway Joshua Lee Holloway (born July 20, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as James "Sawyer" Ford on the ABC television show '' Lost'' (2004–2010) as Will Bowman on the USA Network science fiction drama ''Colony'' (2016� ...
, who played James "Sawyer" Ford on the television series ''Lost'', attended Cherokee High School in Canton. *
Sonny Landham William M. "Sonny" Landham III (February 11, 1941 – August 17, 2017) was an American actor. He portrayed Billy Bear in ''48 Hrs.'' (1982), tracker Billy Sole in ''Predator (film), Predator'' (1987), and 'Chink' Weber in Lock Up (1989 film), '' ...
, film actor and stunt man. He portrayed tracker Billy Sole in the film
Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...
. * Bruce Miller, former NFL player (
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
) * Chase Miller, racing driver


See also

* Canton Theatre * Cherokee County Courthouse * Georgia National Cemetery


References


External links


City of Canton official website
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Cherokee County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)