Cherokee County, Georgia facts for kids

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Cherokee County

U.S. county

Cherokee County Justice Center

Flag

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of Georgia

Georgia's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Georgia

Founded

1831; 193 years ago

Largest city

Area

• Total

434 sq mi (1,120 km²)

• Land

421 sq mi (1,090 km²)

• Water

13 sq mi (30 km²) 2.9%%

Population

(2020)

• Total

266,620

Time zone

UTC−5 (Eastern)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

Congressional districts

6th, 11th

Cherokee County is located in the US state of Georgia. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 266,620. The county seat is Canton. The county Board of Commissioners is the governing body, with members elected to office. Cherokee County is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

History

Original territory

An 1822 map of Cherokee lands in Georgia

Cherokee County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 26, 1831, covering a vast area northwest of the Chattahoochee River 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 west of the Mississippi River began during this year.

Partition

An 1834 map of counties created from Cherokee land

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, 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) built a branch line 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 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, 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 434 square miles (1,120 km²), of which 422 square miles (1,090 km²) are land and 13 square miles (34 km²) (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 of the north Georgia mountains.

The vast majority of Cherokee County is located in the [Etowah River] sub-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

Pine Log Mountain (left) and Bear Mountain (right)

Nine summits are listed by the United States Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System as being in the county. From tallest to lowest, they are:

Bear Mountain – 2,297 feet (700 m)
Pine Log Mountain – 2,260 feet (689 m)
Oakey Mountain – 1,686 feet (514 m)
Dry Pond Mountain – 1,644 feet (501 m)
Hickory Log Mountain – 1,545 feet (471 m)
Polecat Mountain – 1,503 feet (458 m)
Byrd Mountain – 1,358 feet (414 m)
Garland Mountain – 1,348 feet (411 m)
Posey Mountain – 1,306 feet (398 m)

Adjacent counties

Pickens – north
Dawson – northeast
Forsyth – east
Fulton – southeast
Cobb – south
Bartow – west
Gordon – northwest

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	5,895	—
1850	12,800	117.1%
1860	11,291	−11.8%
1870	10,399	−7.9%
1880	14,325	37.8%
1890	15,412	7.6%
1900	15,243	−1.1%
1910	16,661	9.3%
1920	18,569	11.5%
1930	20,003	7.7%
1940	20,126	0.6%
1950	20,750	3.1%
1960	23,001	10.8%
1970	31,059	35.0%
1980	51,699	66.5%
1990	90,204	74.5%
2000	141,903	57.3%
2010	214,346	51.1%
2020	266,620	24.4%
2023 (est.)	286,602	33.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1880 1890-1910 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1960-1980 1980-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

**Cherokee County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	127,618	174,243	197,867	89.93%	81.29%	74.21%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,483	11,633	17,326	2.45%	5.43%	6.50%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	420	536	502	0.30%	0.25%	0.19%
Asian alone (NH)	1,127	3,484	5,429	0.79%	1.63%	2.04%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	32	84	100	0.02%	0.04%	0.04%
Other race alone (NH)	123	487	1,544	0.09%	0.23%	0.58%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,405	3,313	11,741	0.99%	1.55%	4.40%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7,695	20,566	32,111	5.42%	9.59%	12.04%
Total	141,903	214,346	266,620	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

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 508.3 inhabitants per square mile (196.3/km²). The 82,360 housing units averaged 195.3 per square mile (75.4/km²). 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.

Education

Public schools

Cherokee County School District
Cherokee Charter Academy

Private schools

Private schools in Cherokee County include:

Lyndon Academy (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 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 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 six miles (9.7 km) northeast of downtown Canton.

A redevelopment project recently completed a 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) terminal, the lengthening of the runway from 3,414 to 5,000 feet (1,041 to 1,524 m), 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

Unincorporated communities

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, and Alabama state senator.
Josh Holloway, actor and model, is most famous for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford 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 in 2008–2010.
Chris Kirk, a PGA Tour golfer, attended Etowah High School.
Nick Markakis, MLB outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, attended Woodstock High School.
Bruce Miller, NFL fullback, formerly played for the San Francisco 49ers, attended Woodstock High School.
Robert Rechsteiner, better known as Rick Steiner, ex-professional wrestler, is now a part of the school board for the county.
Blair Redford, an actor best known for his roles as Scotty Grainger on The Young and the Restless and Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on Passions, grew up in Canton.

Dean Rusk, 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, attended Etowah High School.
Drew Waters, professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, attended Etowah High School.