Chattooga County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chattooga County
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Chattooga County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
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 Georgia's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Georgia |
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| Founded | 1838 | ||
| Named for | Chattooga River (Alabama-Georgia) | ||
| Seat | Summerville | ||
| Largest city | Summerville | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 314 sq mi (810 km2) | ||
| • Land | 313 sq mi (810 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.07%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 24,965 | ||
| • Estimate
(2023)
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25,222  |
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| • Density | 79.51/sq mi (30.70/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 14th | ||
Chattooga County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,965. The county seat is Summerville. The county was created on December 28, 1838. Chattooga County comprises the Summerville, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Rome-Summerville Combined Statistical Area. Summerville is the site of the Chattooga County Courthouse. The county is home to several properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History
Chattooga County is named for the Chattooga River, which flows through it. It was originally settled by the "mound builder" culture. A few small mounds can be found throughout the Alpine and Menlo areas. Sometime in the pre-European settlement era, the county was settled by at first the Creek Native Americans and later the Cherokee Native Americans. The principal Cherokee towns in Chattooga were Rivertown (Trion) and Broomtown in Shinbone valley. With the onset of European settlers and after gold was discovered in northern Georgia, the federal government forcibly removed the Cherokees to Oklahoma from Chattooga County in the early 1830s in what has become known as "the Trail of Tears." In this removal, thousands of Native Americans died from sickness, hunger and abuse. The land was then divided amongst white settlers in the Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832. The Lottery transformed Chattooga into a thriving agricultural area in the antebellum South with farms of varying size dotting the fertile landscape of the Chattooga Valley.
The coming of the American Civil War saw Chattoogans polarized into pro and anti-union camps. Confederate armies received five regiments from Chattooga. Several engagements were fought in the county prior to the battle of Chickamauga. General Nathan Bedford Forrest fought an engagement near Alpine with Federal cavalry resulting in the Federals being thrown back to the Chattanooga area. The largest single engagement in Chattooga was the "Battle of Trion Factory," fought on September 15, 1863, on present day First Street near the site of the East Trion Church of God. Confederate Infantry forces under the command of General Benjamin Hardin Helm and cavalry under the command of Gen. Joseph Wheeler defeated Union forces in a running battle that started somewhere near Summerville and ended in Trion. The front section of the Old Trion Cemetery on First Street contains the remains of fifty-five Union soldiers and seven Confederates killed in this action, but the graves are unmarked.
The 1860 county census shows population of 7,165, 28.7 percent of whom were enslaved.
In September 2009, the Chattooga County Camp 507, Sons of Confederate Veterans in conjunction with the Missionary Ridge Camp 63 Sons of Union Veterans, and several local groups erected a memorial monument to remember the "First Battle of Trion Factory" and the soldiers who are buried in unmarked graves at Trion.
In an interesting side note, Confederate General Helm was a brother-in-law to Mary Lincoln and was killed five days after the Battle of Trion Factory on Sept. 20 at the Battle of Chickamauga in Walker County, GA
The coming of Sherman
After the fall of Atlanta, Confederate General John Bell Hood led his Army of Tennessee from the Atlanta battleground to the north and west, in an attempt to lead General William Tecumseh Sherman's Army of the Cumberland away from Atlanta and out of Georgia. Sherman left a detachment in Atlanta while he took the remainder of his army in pursuit of Hood and the Confederates. Hood's army passed through Chattooga County in September 1864 en route to Gaylesville, Alabama.
General Sherman reportedly stated, upon first seeing the Chattooga Valley from atop Taylors Ridge, that it "is a good fertile valley suitable for agriculture." Upon reaching Summerville, Sherman was informed of a Confederate training camp several miles up the river from town. He proceeded north about two miles and "fired a few shots at the retreating rear guard" of the Confederate force. Reportedly, every road leading out of Chattooga to the west was filled with retreating Confederate soldiers. Sherman telegraphed General Henry Halleck and President Abraham Lincoln from Summerville, to outline his plan for the "March to the Sea," making Chattooga County the birthplace of his march.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 314 square miles (810 km2), of which 313 square miles (810 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.07%) is water.
The eastern third of Chattooga County is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin), while the western two-thirds of the county is located in the Upper Coosa River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin.
Major highways
U.S. Route 27
State Route 1
State Route 48
State Route 100
State Route 114
State Route 157
State Route 337
Adjacent counties
- Walker County - north
- Floyd County - southeast
- Cherokee County, Alabama - west (CST)
- DeKalb County, Alabama - west (CST)
National protected area
- Chattahoochee National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 3,438 | — | |
| 1850 | 6,815 | 98.2% | |
| 1860 | 7,165 | 5.1% | |
| 1870 | 6,902 | −3.7% | |
| 1880 | 10,021 | 45.2% | |
| 1890 | 11,202 | 11.8% | |
| 1900 | 12,952 | 15.6% | |
| 1910 | 13,608 | 5.1% | |
| 1920 | 14,312 | 5.2% | |
| 1930 | 15,407 | 7.7% | |
| 1940 | 18,532 | 20.3% | |
| 1950 | 21,197 | 14.4% | |
| 1960 | 19,954 | −5.9% | |
| 1970 | 20,541 | 2.9% | |
| 1980 | 21,856 | 6.4% | |
| 1990 | 22,242 | 1.8% | |
| 2000 | 25,470 | 14.5% | |
| 2010 | 26,015 | 2.1% | |
| 2020 | 24,965 | −4.0% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 25,222 | −3.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020 |
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2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 21,776 | 21,589 | 20,079 | 85.50% | 82.99% | 80.43% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,840 | 2,886 | 2,391 | 11.15% | 11.09% | 9.58% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 19 | 48 | 45 | 0.07% | 0.18% | 0.18% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 25 | 108 | 102 | 0.10% | 0.42% | 0.41% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 35 | 24 | 81 | 0.14% | 0.09% | 0.32% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 234 | 315 | 970 | 0.92% | 1.21% | 3.89% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 537 | 1,043 | 1,297 | 2.11% | 4.01% | 5.20% |
| Total | 25,470 | 26,015 | 24,965 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 24,965 people, 9,260 households, and 5,853 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 26,015 people, 9,548 households, and 6,665 families residing in the county. The population density was 83.0 inhabitants per square mile (32.0/km2). There were 10,977 housing units at an average density of 35.0 units per square mile (13.5 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 83.9% white, 11.1% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.6% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 41.1% were American, 8.5% were Irish, 6.5% were German, and 5.9% were English.
Of the 9,548 households, 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.2% were non-families, and 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 39.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,419 and the median income for a family was $39,037. Males had a median income of $32,099 versus $25,475 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,158. About 14.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 16.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Recreation
- Sloppy Floyd Lake Park
- Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest
- Chattooga River
Cities and communities
Incorporated cities
Unincorporated communities
- Alpine
- Armuchee
- Berryton
- Chattoogaville
- Cloudland
- Farmersville
- Subligna
- Gore
- Holland
- Pennville
- Silver Hill
- Teloga
Notable people
- Howard Finster, Christian folk artist
- Rick Camp, former baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves
- Bobby Lee Cook, notable defense attorney
- Edna Cain Daniel, journalist and publisher
- Barbara Massey Reece, former member of the Georgia House of Representatives
- Senorise Perry, NFL football player
- Brody Malone, U.S. Olympic Gymnast
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Chattooga para niños
