Milton County, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Milton County
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Former county
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Location of the county within Georgia, United States in 1857–1931.
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Georgia |
| Established | 1857 |
| Merged | 1932 |
| Seat | Alpharetta |
| Population
(1900)
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| • Total | 6,763 |
Milton County was a county in the state of Georgia, USA. It existed from 1857 until 1931. A "county" is a local government area, similar to a district. Milton County was created on December 18, 1857. It was formed from parts of three other counties: Cobb, Cherokee, and Forsyth.
The county was named after John Milton. He was an important government official in Georgia from 1777 to 1799. Alpharetta was the main town and the "county seat." This means it was where the county government was located.
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Why Milton County Merged with Fulton County
Milton County merged with Fulton County at the end of 1931. This happened during a very difficult economic time called the Great Depression. Many people lost their jobs and businesses. Milton County was struggling financially and was close to going bankrupt. To save it, the county was joined with Fulton County.
At the same time, Campbell County had already gone bankrupt. It was also added to Fulton County. These mergers made Fulton County much larger. It gained its long, irregular shape along the Chattahoochee River.
A few months later, on May 9, 1932, the town of Roswell was also added to Fulton County. Roswell had been part of Cobb County. Adding Roswell helped connect the different parts of the new, larger Fulton County.
Life in Milton County
In 1900, Milton County had a population of 6,763 people. This was a bit more than its population in 1890. Alpharetta, the county seat, had 310 residents. About 1,529 people lived in and around Alpharetta.
Besides Alpharetta, there were several other small towns and communities with post offices. These included Arnold, Coker, Dinsmore, Field's Cross Roads, Freemansville, McClure, Mazeppa, Ocee, Skelton, Stono, and Warsaw. The county covered about 147 square miles (380 square kilometers). The main religious groups in the area were Methodists and Baptists.
Efforts to Re-create Milton County
Today, Fulton County is very large. It has about 10 percent of Georgia's total population. It is even larger than some U.S. states. The school district in Fulton County is also unusual because it is not connected in one piece. There is a 17-mile (27 km) gap between its northern and southern parts.
Because of its large size, some people in northern Fulton County want to bring back Milton County. The idea is to create a new Milton County that would include several large cities. These cities are Roswell, Sandy Springs, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton, and Mountain Park.
Is a New Milton County Possible?
In 2009, a study looked into whether a new Milton County would be able to manage its money well. The study, done by the University of Georgia and Georgia State University, said that it could be financially successful.
However, there's a big challenge. Georgia's state constitution says there can be no more than 159 counties. This number has been set since the mergers in 1932. To create a new county, the state constitution would need to be changed. This is called a constitutional amendment.
Changing the constitution is difficult. It would need approval from two-thirds of the lawmakers in both houses of the Georgia General Assembly. Then, more than half of all voters across the entire state would have to approve it in a special vote called a referendum.
Recent Attempts to Bring Back the County
Since 2005, lawmakers have tried to pass bills to allow the re-creation of Milton County. In 2007, State Representative Jan Jones proposed a change to the state constitution. This change would allow old counties to be re-created, even if it meant going over the 159-county limit.
Her proposal also suggested that only voters in the area of the proposed new county would get to vote on it. People in the rest of Fulton County would not vote on the issue. This bill was brought up again in 2009. Lawmakers like Jan Jones and Mark Burkhalter supported it. However, some groups, like Fulton County and the City of Atlanta, spoke against it.
As of 2010, Jan Jones was a powerful leader in the Georgia House of Representatives. She continued to push for the new county. However, as of October 2021, no plans to re-create Milton County or Campbell County have moved forward.
Milton County's Original Borders
Milton County originally shared borders with several other counties. To the southeast was Gwinnett. To the northeast was Forsyth. Cherokee was to the northwest. Cobb was to the southwest. And DeKalb (including parts of what are now Chamblee and Dunwoody) was to the south.
Before 1932, Fulton County and Milton County did not share a border. This is because the Roswell area, which now connects them, was part of Cobb County back then. Today, a narrow strip of land, known as the "panhandle" of Sandy Springs, connects the northern and southern parts of Fulton County.
