Chattahoochee County, also known as Cusseta-Chattahoochee 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 ...

located on the western border in central

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,565. 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 Cusseta, with which the county shares a

consolidated city-county In local government in the United States, United States local government, a consolidated city-county (#Terminology, see below for alternative terms) is formed when one or more city, cities and their surrounding County (United States), county (Lis ...

government. The city of Cusseta remains a geographically distinct municipality within Chattahoochee County. The county was created on February 13, 1854. Chattahoochee County is included in the

Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area The Columbus metropolitan area, officially the Columbus metropolitan statistical area, and colloquially known as the Chattahoochee Valley, is a metropolitan statistical area consisting of six counties in the U.S. state of Georgia and one county i ...

History

This area was occupied by the historic

Muscogee people The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsFive Civilized Tribes The term Five Civilized Tribes was applied by the United States government in the early federal period of the history of the United States to the five major Native American nations in the Southeast: the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Cr ...

who were forcibly removed 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, ...

in the 1830s during the administration of President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. European Americans moved into their former areas, in some cases acquiring land through lotteries run by the state. The Georgia General Assembly created Chattahoochee County on February 13, 1854, from portions of

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek or just Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language; English: ), are a group of related Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands Here they waged war again ...

and Marion counties. It is named for 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 ...

that forms its western boundary. The county seat was named Cusseta to commemorate the historic Creek Indian town of that name that long existed nearby. In 2004–2005, the U.S. Census Bureau reported a 6.2% population decline, making this county at the top of those nationally with shrinking populations. The original courthouse, built in 1854 by enslaved African Americans, is preserved at the tourist attraction of Westville in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

. Since 1918, most of the land in Chattahoochee County has been part of the

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

military reservation.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. The vast majority of Chattahoochee County is located in the Middle

- Walter F. George Lake subbasin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The very small southeastern corner of the county is located in the Kinchafoonee- Muckalee subbasin of the same larger ACF Basin. The county forms part of the West Georgia region.

Major highways

U.S. Route 27 * US 280

U.S. Route 280 * Georgia 1

State Route 1 * Georgia 26

State Route 26 * Georgia 355

State Route 355 * Georgia 520

State Route 520

Adjacent counties

* Muscogee County (north) * Talbot County (northeast) * Marion County (east) * Stewart County (south) *

Russell County, Alabama Russell County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,183. Its county seat is Phenix City. Its name is in honor of Colonel Gilbert C. Russell, who fought in the wars ...

(which is west of the border of Central Standard Time border except for

Phenix City, Alabama Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 38,817. Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee ...

, a part of the Columbus Metropolitan Area)

Communities

Cities

* Cusseta

Former census-designated places

Fort Benning South Fort Benning South is a former census-designated place (CDP) in Chattahoochee County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia-Alabama metropolitan statistical area. The population was 11,737 at last official census (2000). The ...

(now part of Cusseta)

Unincorporated communities

* Ida Vesper

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,565 people, 2,570 households, and 1,886 families residing in the county.

Education

The Chattahoochee County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 85 full-time teachers and over 1000 students. *Chattahoochee County Education Center *Chattahoochee County Middle School *Chattahoochee County High School All parts of the county except

are zoned to county schools for all grades. Fort Benning children are zoned to

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...

(DoDEA) schools for grades K-8.
Text list
- "Fort Benning Schools" refers to the DoDEA schools on Fort Benning. The document states that the county schools have high school zoning. However Fort Benning high school students attend the public high schools in the respective counties they are located in. - The document states that the county schools have high school zoning.

Politics

References

External links

''Columbus Enquirer'' archive
at Digital Library of Georgia
Chattahoochee County
historical marker {{Coord, 32.35, -84.79, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990 1854 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) counties Georgia (U.S. state) placenames of Native American origin Columbus metropolitan area, Georgia Populated places established in 1854 Consolidated city-counties