Cherokee County is in the US 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 ...
. As of the 2020 census the population was 266,620.
[US 2020 Census Bureau report, Cherokee County, Georgia] 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
Canton.
The county
Board of Commissioners is the governing body, with members elected to office. Cherokee County is included to be part of
Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...
.
History
Original territory
Cherokee County was created by an act of the
Georgia General Assembly
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 directl ...
on December 26, 1831, covering a vast area northwest 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
Chestatee River (except for
Carroll County). It was named after the
Cherokee people who lived in the area at that time.
The discovery of gold in local streams accelerated the push of European Americans to expel the Cherokee from their land.
In 1832, the State of Georgia implemented the
Cherokee Land Lottery, which gave deeds of land that had previously belonged to the Cherokee people to white male citizens. The forcible
removal of the Cherokee people 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 began during this year.
Partition
The General Assembly passed a law on December 3, 1832, which created the counties of
Forsyth,
Lumpkin,
Union,
Cobb,
Gilmer,
Murray, Cass (now
Bartow),
Floyd, and
Paulding from area that had previously been part of Cherokee County.
Etowah was declared the county seat in 1833. Its name was later changed to Canton, which is still the county seat today.
In 1857, part of the southeastern corner of the county was ceded by the General Assembly to form
Milton County (now the cities of
Milton,
Alpharetta
Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818; in 2010, the population had been 57,551. ...
,
Roswell, and parts of
Sandy Springs, within north
Fulton County).
Development
In the 1890s, The Atlanta & Knoxville Railroad (later renamed the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad when it could not be completed to
Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
) built a
branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
through the middle of the county. When this line was bought by the
Louisville & Nashville Railroad in the following decade, the L&N Railroad built
stations at
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
and
Holly Springs.
Cherokee County began to see rapid population growth following the construction of
Interstate 575, the first phase of which opened in 1979. The freeway bisects the county and serves as its primary thoroughfare, running from
Kennesaw north through
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
,
Holly Springs,
Canton, and
Ball Ground. Today, the county is most densely populated in its southern areas, which are closest to the
City of Atlanta.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (2.9%) are covered by water.
Much of the water is in
Lake Allatoona in the southwest. The lake is fed by the
Etowah and
Little Rivers (the county's primary waterways), and other large streams such as
Noonday Creek. Much of the northern part of the county begins to rise toward the
foothills
Foothills or piedmont are geography, geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an highland, upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low terrain, relief hill ...
of the north Georgia mountains.
The vast majority of Cherokee County is located in the
towah Riversub-basin of the
Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin, with only a small northwesterly corner of the county located in the
Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same basin.
Mountains
Nine
summits
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
are listed by the
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...
as being in the county. From tallest to lowest, they are:
*
Bear Mountain –
*
Pine Log Mountain –
* Oakey Mountain –
* Dry Pond Mountain –
* Hickory Log Mountain –
* Polecat Mountain –
* Byrd Mountain –
* Garland Mountain –
* Posey Mountain –
Adjacent counties
*
Pickens – north
*
Dawson – northeast
*
Forsyth – east
*
Fulton – southeast
*
Cobb – south
*
Bartow – west
*
Gordon – northwest
Government, politics, and policing
An exurban county of
Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...
, Cherokee County strongly supports the
Republican Party. Having consistently followed a
Solid South
The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...
voting pattern for the bulk of the late 19th century and again from the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
through the
civil rights movement, the most recent Democratic presidential candidate to win Cherokee County is Georgian
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
, who carried it in both of his bids. In addition, it has not voted Democratic at the state level since the
1994 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 1994.
Africa
* 1994 Botswana general election
* 1994 Guinea-Bissau general election
* 1994 Malawian general election
* 1994 Mozambican general election
* 1994 Namibian general election
* 1994 South Afr ...
, when it supported Democratic candidates for Secretary of State and Agriculture Commissioner. The GOP margin of victory has decreased in the past three presidential cycles as population growth has led Metro Atlanta and, in turn, the state as a whole to shift politically leftward.
Government
The five-member board of commissioners is elected from four districts, with an
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 ...
county commission chair. Thus, members are elected as residents of geographic districts, but the commission chair must receive the majority vote of the county in total. Each is elected to a four-year term.
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and city police agencies
The county is under the jurisdiction of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, which is currently headed by Sheriff Frank Reynolds. Unlike some other metro Atlanta counties in Georgia, the Cherokee Sheriff's Office is a full-service Sheriff's Office meaning they manage the Adult Detention Center (jail), and handle law enforcement for unincorporated areas of Cherokee County. The incorporated cities within Cherokee County,
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
,
Canton,
Holly Springs, and
Ball Ground, have independent municipal police departments.
Cherokee County Marshal's Office
Originally formed by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners as the Cherokee County Police, the Marshal's office is composed of Sworn Deputies and civilian Animal Control Officers. The Deputies primarily handle code enforcement (in unincorporated areas), commercial vehicle traffic enforcement, park ordinance enforcement, business and liquor licenses, Cherokee Probation arrests and transports, as well as enforcing State Laws (including traffic laws) and assisting the Sheriff's Office and City Police. The civilian Animal Control Officers enforce all animal related ordinances within the county, including cities.
Politics
As of 2021, all state, county, and municipal elected officials representing Cherokee County are members of the Republican Party, with the exception of officials who hold officially non-partisan offices.
Cherokee County had voting patterns similar to most
Solid South
The Solid South was the electoral voting bloc for the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the Southern United States between the end of the Reconstruction era in 1877 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the aftermath of the Co ...
and Georgia counties prior to
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
in presidential elections, though Democratic Party candidates did not win by as wide margins as they did in the rest of the state and the
Deep South
The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...
. In fact, the county backed Republican candidates four times between
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
and
1960. From 1964 onward, the county has swung strongly toward the Republicans, only failing to vote for the Republican in presidential elections since then in
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
when
segregationist
Racial segregation is the separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, such as schools and hospitals by peopl ...
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...
appealed to anti-Civil Rights Act sentiment and in the two times Georgian
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
was on the ballot in
1976
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
and 1980. In addition, unlike the inner suburban counties of the Atlanta metropolitan area, Cherokee County has continued to vote for Republicans by landslide margins, although the margins have decreased slightly in the most recent elections with the growth of the metropolitan area. In
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 ...
, the majority of votes from all of the 42 county election precincts were cast for incumbent President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 266,620 people, 93,441 households, and 69,257 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States census, 214,346 people, 75,936 households, and 57,876 families were living in the county.
The population density was . The 82,360 housing units averaged .
The racial makeup of the county was 86.6% White, 5.65% Black or African American, 1.65% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin of any race made up 9.6% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 16.2% were Irish, 16.1% were German, 14.1% were English, 10.7% were American, and 5.7% were Italian.
Of the 75,936 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.8% were not families, and 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $66,320 and for a family was $77,190. Males had a median income of $53,773 versus $40,153 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,217. About 5.5% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.
2000 census
As of the census
of 2000, 141,903 people, 49,495 households, and 39,200 families resided in the county. The population density was .
Of the 49,495 households, 41.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.20% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.80% were not families. About 16.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the county, the population was distributed as 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 35.80% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 6.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $60,896, and for a family was $66,419. Males had a median income of $44,374 versus $31,036 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,871. About 3.50% of families and 5.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools
*
Cherokee County School District
* Cherokee Charter Academy
Private schools
Private schools in Cherokee County include:
*
Lyndon Academy
Lyndon Academy is a private international college preparatory school located in the southeast portion of Cherokee County in the Woodstock, Georgia, area near Marietta and Atlanta, in the United States
The United States of America (USA), ...
(Holly Springs)
*
Cherokee Christian Schools (Woodstock)
*
Cherokee Christian Academy (Woodstock)
* Community Christian School (Canton)
* Crossroads Christian School (Canton)
* Omega Learning Academy (Woodstock)
* The King's Academy (Woodstock)
Higher education
*
Reinhardt University
Reinhardt University is a private university with its main campus in Waleska, Georgia, and its Cauble School of Nursing and Health Sciences in Jasper, Georgia, Jasper. Over 50 graduate and undergraduate programs are offered on campus and online ...
is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in
Waleska, Georgia.
Chattahoochee Technical College has campuses in Woodstock and Canton in Cherokee County.
Transportation
Major highways
*
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
*
Interstate 575
*
State Route 5
*
State Route 5 Business (Canton)
*
State Route 5 Business (Ball Ground)
*
State Route 20
*
State Route 92
*
State Route 108
*
State Route 140
*
State Route 369
*
State Route 372
*
State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
*
State Route 417 (unsigned designation for I-575)
Airport
The
Cherokee County Airport (FAA LOC ID: CNI) is located adjacent to I-575 about northeast of downtown Canton.
A redevelopment project recently completed a terminal, the lengthening of the runway from , a new parallel taxiway, instrument landing equipment, and new hangars. The new facilities will accommodate 200 corporate aircraft in hangars and provide 100 tie-downs for smaller aircraft.
Public transportation
The Cherokee Area Transit Service serves all of the Cherokee County area, rural and suburban.
Communities
Cities
*
Ball Ground
*
Canton (county seat)
*
Holly Springs
*
Mountain Park (partially in
Fulton County)
*
Nelson (partially in
Pickens County)
*
Waleska
*
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
Unincorporated communities
*
Batesville
*
Buffington
*
Free Home
*
Gold Ridge
*
Hickory Flat
*
Keithsburg
*
Lake Arrowhead
*
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
*
Toonigh (neighborhood of Holly Springs)
*
Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
*
Mica
Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is co ...
*
Oak Grove
*
Orange
*
Salacoa
*
Sixes
*
Sutallee
*
Towne Lake
*
Univeter
*
Victoria
Notable residents
*
Joseph E. Brown was elected governor of Georgia in 1857 and later served as U.S. Senator from Georgia. Brown's primary residence and law practice were in Canton, and he owned a farm believed to be near the Sutallee community.
*
Ira Roe Foster was
Quartermaster General of Georgia, a
brigadier general in the
Georgia Militia (1845), attorney, medical doctor, Cherokee County
State Representative, first mayor of
Eastman, Georgia
Eastman is a city in Dodge County, Georgia, United States. The population was 5,658 at the 2020 census, up from 4,962 at the 2010 census. The city was named after William Pitt Eastman, a native of Massachusetts who purchased a large tract of l ...
, and
Alabama state senator.
*
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� ...
, actor and model, is most famous for his role as
James "Sawyer" Ford
James Ford, better known by the alias "Sawyer" () and later as "Jim LaFleur", is a fictional character on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television series ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', portrayed by Josh Holloway. Created by Jeffrey Li ...
on ''
Lost''. He attended Free Home Elementary in Free Home and
Cherokee High School in Canton.
*
Johnny Hunt was president of the
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...
in 2008–2010.
*
Chris Kirk, a
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
golfer, attended
Etowah High School.
*
Nick Markakis,
MLB
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 ...
outfielder for the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
, attended
Woodstock High School.
*
Bruce Miller,
NFL fullback, formerly played for the
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 ...
, attended Woodstock High School.
* Robert Rechsteiner, better known as
Rick Steiner, ex-professional wrestler, is now a part of the
school board
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...
for the county.
*
Blair Redford, an actor best known for his roles as
Scotty Grainger on ''
The Young and the Restless
''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
'' and
Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on ''
Passions'', grew up in Canton.
*
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk (February 9, 1909December 20, 1994) was the United States secretary of state from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, the second-longest serving secretary of state after Cordell Hull from the ...
, U.S. Secretary of State, was born in Cherokee County.
Dean Rusk Middle School was named after him.
*
Buster Skrine,
NFL cornerback for the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
, attended Etowah High School.
*
Drew Waters, professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, attended Etowah High School.
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Cherokee County, Georgia
*
List of counties in Georgia
The U.S. state of Georgia is divided into 159 counties, the second-highest number after Texas, which has 254 counties. Under the Georgia State Constitution, all of its counties are granted home rule to deal with problems that are purely loca ...
References
External links
Cherokee County governmentCherokee County School DistrictCherokee County Airport – FAA Airport Master RecordCherokee Countyhistorical marker
Local newspapers
TheCherokeeConnection.com – Cherokee County Ga News, Events, & Community Publication''The Cherokee Ledger-News''HomeTownCherokee.com – Cherokee's Online News & Community Publication''Cherokee Tribune''Cherokee Today
{{Authority control
1831 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Populated places established in 1831
Georgia (U.S. state) placenames of Native American origin
Georgia (U.S. state) counties
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...