Canton is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. It is also the county seat, which means it is the main city where the county government is located. In 2020, about 32,973 people lived in Canton. The city has grown a lot, nearly tripling its population between 2000 and 2010.

Exploring Canton's Location and Size
Canton's Growing Population
A Look Back at Canton's History
Learning in Canton: Education
- Cherokee County School District
- Higher Education
Getting Around: Transportation in Canton
Famous People from Canton
See also

Exploring Canton's Location and Size

Canton is located in the middle of Cherokee County. It sits just north of Holly Springs and south of Ball Ground. A major highway, Interstate 575, runs through the eastern part of the city. This highway makes it easy to travel to and from Canton.

Canton is about 40 miles (64 km) north of downtown Atlanta. The city covers an area of about 19 square miles (49 square kilometers). Most of this area is land. The Etowah River flows through the center of Canton, from east to west.

Canton's Growing Population

Canton has seen its population grow quite a bit over the years. It first appeared as a town in the 1870 U.S. Census. By 1960, it was officially recognized as a city.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1870	214	—
1880	363	69.6%
1890	659	81.5%
1900	847	28.5%
1910	2,002	136.4%
1920	2,679	33.8%
1930	2,892	8.0%
1940	2,651	−8.3%
1950	2,716	2.5%
1960	2,411	−11.2%
1970	3,654	51.6%
1980	3,601	−1.5%
1990	4,817	33.8%
2000	7,709	60.0%
2010	22,958	197.8%
2020	32,973	43.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850-1870 1870-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

In 2020, the city had 32,973 people living in it. There were 10,233 households and 7,138 families. Many different groups of people make up Canton's community.

A Look Back at Canton's History

Canton is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This area was once the heart of the original Cherokee Nation. For a long time, Northwest Georgia was known as "Indian Country." Settlers usually avoided it when moving west.

In 1802, Georgia made a deal with the U.S. government. Georgia gave up its claims to western lands. In return, the government promised to remove all Native American tribes from Georgia. While other tribes were moved, the Cherokee remained.

The Georgia Gold Rush and Cherokee Removal

In 1829, the Georgia Gold Rush began. This brought many European-American settlers into the area. They started moving into the land north of Carrollton and west of the Chattahoochee River. They called this new area Cherokee.

Many Cherokee people moved west in 1829. However, most stayed until 1838. That year, federal troops came to remove them. The remaining Cherokee were gathered and held in forts. One of the largest forts, Fort Buffington, was about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of present-day Canton.

By the fall of 1838, the Cherokee from Fort Buffington were forced to march. They joined other groups on the famous "Trail of Tears." This was a long, difficult march in bad winter weather to a new territory west of the Mississippi River.

From Etowah to Canton

In 1833, the new settlers chose a spot for their county seat and courthouse. They first named it "Etowah." Later that year, the name was changed to "Cherokee Courthouse."

In 1834, the name was changed again to "Canton." This name came from the Chinese city of Guangzhou, which was then called Canton in English. The settlers hoped to make the Georgia town a center for the silk industry. At that time, China was famous for silk. Even though Canton, Georgia, never became a big silk center, it did become a successful manufacturing town.

Canton During the Civil War

During the American Civil War, Canton was a small town with about 200 people. Between November 1 and 5, 1864, the town was burned by the Union Army. This happened under the command of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman.

A group of Union soldiers destroyed Canton. They were ordered to do so because Confederate fighters were attacking the Western and Atlantic Railroad near Cassville. This railroad was very important for supplying the Union Army. The Union troops also burned the home of Georgia's Governor, Joseph E. Brown, in Canton.

Cassville, a nearby county seat, was also destroyed. Cassville never fully rebuilt, but Canton survived and grew. It remained the county seat and continued to prosper.

Canton's Growth and Industry

Over the years, Canton changed from unsettled land to a busy mill town. It became known worldwide for its "Canton Denim" fabric. The original county, formed in 1831, now includes 24 counties. Canton is still the county seat.

Cherokee Poultry, a chicken company, was built in 1955. The Canton Cotton Mills, which made the famous denim, closed in 1981. Since then, Canton has grown as Atlanta's suburbs have expanded north. The city is currently growing faster than ever before.

Learning in Canton: Education

Education in Canton is managed by the Cherokee County government and the state of Georgia.

Cherokee County School District

The Cherokee County School District serves students from pre-school all the way to twelfth grade. In 2010, the district had many teachers and over 28,434 students.

Here are some of the schools in Cherokee County:

Elementary Schools

Arnold Mill Elementary School
Avery Elementary School
Ball Ground Elementary School
Bascomb Elementary School
Boston Elementary School
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
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 Education

Chattahoochee Technical College (Canton Campus)

Getting Around: Transportation in Canton

Canton has its own airport, the Cherokee County Airport. It is located about 7 miles (11 km) northeast of downtown Canton, right next to Interstate 575.

The airport is being improved. It already has a new terminal building. The runway is also being made longer, from 3,414 feet (1,041 m) to 5,000 feet (1,500 m). These changes will allow more planes to use the airport.

Interstate 575 runs through the east side of Canton. Georgia State Route 20 goes east-to-west through the city, just south of the Etowah River. Georgia State Route 140 also passes near the city center.

Famous People from Canton

Many interesting people have connections to Canton:

David Bottoms was the Poet Laureate of Georgia from 2000 to 2012. He was born in Canton.
Joseph E. Brown was a lawyer and politician. He served as Governor of Georgia from 1857 to 1865. He also became a U.S. Senator. Brown lived in Canton and cared a lot about public education. He is the only person to be elected governor of Georgia four times.
Bill Byrd was a professional baseball pitcher in the Negro league.
John Hannah is a famous football player who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Josh Holloway is an actor who played James "Sawyer" Ford on the TV show Lost. He went to Cherokee High School in Canton.
Sonny Landham was an actor and stunt man. He played Billy Sole in the movie Predator.
Bruce Miller is a former NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers.

Canton, Georgia facts for kids

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