Catoosa County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

region of the U.S. state of

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 ...

. According to the 2020 census, the population was 67,872. 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 ...

is Ringgold. The county was created on December 5, 1853. The meaning of the

Cherokee language file:Cherokee Speakers by County, 2000.png, 350px, Number of speakers file:Lang Status 20-CR.svg, Cherokee is classified as Critically Endangered by UNESCO's ''Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger'' Cherokee or Tsalagi (, ) is an endangere ...

name "Catoosa" is obscure. "Catoosa" may come from the Cherokee words ''gatusi'' ("hill", "small mountain" or "high place") or ''gatu'gitse'' ("new settlement place"). Catoosa County is part of the

Chattanooga 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 ...

, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

On March 14, 2002, due to a one-time sudden fog, about 125 vehicles crashed, causing a pileup in Interstate 75 that killed four people and injured 39. On April 27, 2011, a devastating tornado touched down in the town of Ringgold, located in Catoosa County, leaving a path of severe destruction.Ringgold, GA Tornado Confirmed as an EF-4 Tornado
The OKCStormWatcher Weather Blog, April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. The entire county is located in the Middle

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

- Chickamauga sub-basin of the Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee basin.

Major highways

Interstate 75 * US 27

U.S. Route 27 * US 41

U.S. Route 41 * US 76

U.S. Route 76 * Georgia 1

State Route 1 * Georgia 2

State Route 2 * Georgia 3

State Route 3 * Georgia 146

State Route 146 * Georgia 151

State Route 151 * Georgia 401

State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)

Adjacent counties

* Hamilton County,

(north) * Whitfield County (east) * Walker County (west)

National protected areas

* Chattahoochee National Forest (part) * Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 67,872 people, 24,130 households, and 17,293 families residing in the county.

2016

the largest self-reported ancestry groups in Catoosa County, Georgia are:

2010 census

According to the 2010 United States census, there were 63,942 people, 24,475 households, and 17,785 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 26,606 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.6% white, 2.2% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. Of the 24,475 households, 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.3% were non-families, and 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 38.3 years. The median income for a household in the county was $46,544 and the median income for a family was $54,796. Males had a median income of $39,962 versus $31,505 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,563. About 8.5% of families and 11.2% 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 14.8% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

According to the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 53,282 people, 20,425 households, and 15,400 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 21,794 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.39%

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 ...

, 1.26%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.31% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.39% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races; 1.17% of the population were

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. There were 20,425 households, of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.60% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.50% 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 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 30.80% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,998, and the median income for a family was $45,710. Males had a median income of $31,746 versus $23,790 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 county was $18,009. About 6.40% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the

, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 11.00% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Education

All of Catoosa County is in the Catoosa County School District.
Text list
/ref> ; Elementary schools *Battlefield Elementary School *Battlefield Primary School *Boynton Elementary School *Cloud Springs Elementary School *Graysville Elementary School *Ringgold Elementary School *Ringgold Primary School *Tiger Creek Elementary School *West Side Elementary School *Woodstation Elementary School ; Middle schools *Heritage Middle School *Lakeview Middle School *Ringgold Middle School ; High schools * Heritage High School * Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School * Ringgold High School * Performance Learning Center