Rockmart, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The City of Rockmart
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Rockmart Downtown Historic District
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| Motto(s):
"Where Past & Present Stroll Side by Side in the dark of the day or light of the night!!!"
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Location in Polk County in the state of Georgia
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| Country |  United States of America |
| State |  Georgia |
| County | Polk |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.72 sq mi (14.80 km2) |
| • Land | 5.64 sq mi (14.61 km2) |
| • Water | 0.07 sq mi (0.19 km2) |
| Elevation | 781 ft (238 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,732 |
| • Density | 838.71/sq mi (323.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
30153
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| Area code(s) | 770/678/470 |
| FIPS code | 13-66276 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0356502 |
| Website | City of Rockmart, Georgia Official Website: http://www.rockmart-ga.gov/ |
Rockmart is a city in Polk County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,199 according to a 2010 census. Rockmart developed as a railroad depot town when the Southern Railway built a station in the area. The community was incorporated in 1872, and was named from abundant deposits of slate in the area. The Rockmart Downtown Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Geography
Rockmart is located at 34°00′14″N 85°02′57″W / 34.003952°N 85.049202°W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km2), of which 4.3 square miles (11 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.69%) is water. The majority of the city of Rockmart is located in Polk County; however, parts of Rockmart stretch into Paulding County as well.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 450 | — | |
| 1890 | 411 | −8.7% | |
| 1900 | 575 | 39.9% | |
| 1910 | 1,034 | 79.8% | |
| 1920 | 1,400 | 35.4% | |
| 1930 | 3,264 | 133.1% | |
| 1940 | 3,764 | 15.3% | |
| 1950 | 3,821 | 1.5% | |
| 1960 | 3,938 | 3.1% | |
| 1970 | 3,857 | −2.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,623 | −6.1% | |
| 1990 | 3,356 | −7.4% | |
| 2000 | 3,870 | 15.3% | |
| 2010 | 4,199 | 8.5% | |
| 2020 | 4,732 | 12.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,166 | 66.91% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,097 | 23.18% |
| Native American | 14 | 0.3% |
| Asian | 56 | 1.18% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 237 | 5.01% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 161 | 3.4% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,732 people, 1,557 households, and 1,131 families residing in the city.
Culture
Arts and theater
The Drama Department at Rockmart High School is known for its involvement with the community and every spring the advanced acting class performs at a GHSA One-act play competition. When the new Rockmart High School was constructed, performance space was not included. Instead, the Rockmart Thespians use the historic Rockmart Art Center Theatre for their productions. The department has produced many theatrical feats such as "Seussical," "Grease (musical)," and most recently "Hairspray (musical)." In October 2008, the Rockmart High School Thespians placed first at the Region AA One Act Competition with their performance of Godspell, as well as receiving the Best Actor award. The RHS Thespians then took the show to the State AA One Act Competition and placed 3rd out of four schools. As of 2017, RHS Graduate and theatre department alimnus Lucas Camp worked within the New York City Broadway community with productions of Mary Poppins and Newsies which he subsequently toured with in 2016. In 2013, Rockmart Thespians placed first in the State AAA One Act Competition with a riveting production of the thriller When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?.
Music
Another important addition to the performing arts in Rockmart is the Rockmart High Marching Yellow Jackets. The band won a best in show at the 2006 and 2008 Golden River Marching Festival. In those competitions, both band and auxiliary sections (such as the drumline, tubas, colorguard and danceline) were regarded as being among the best in Northwest Georgia.
Parks and recreation
Parks and recreation areas in Rockmart include the Nathan Dean Complex, the Silver Comet Trail & Riverwalk Park,
Economy
Beginning in the mid-1990s, Rockmart experienced a period of economic expansion. Growth in the form of new restaurants and casual dining, as well as retail shopping, came about as residential building increased. A Walmart Supercenter store was opened in the city in 2007.
Education
The city of Rockmart is a part of the Polk County School District. It has one high school, Rockmart High School; one middle school, Rockmart Middle School; and two elementary schools, Eastside Elementary and Van Wert Elementary. Rockmart High School is the only high school in the city of Rockmart and serves the Aragon community as well. As of the 2011/12 school year, the school had an enrollment of 837 students and 50.10 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 16.71.
In 1912, the Georgia Legislature created the public school system in the state of Georgia. That year, the city of Rockmart began the Rockmart School System in the building vacated by the Piedmont Institution (established in 1889 by the Methodist North Georgia Annual Conference). It had closed after a 23-year existence in 1912, after it was purchased by the Rockmart School Board of trustees. Rockmart High School was in the building until it burned down in 1915. The building was later rebuilt until the building burned down again in 1940. The current lot is now the Rockmart Governmental Complex. Prior to the Polk County School System of Georgia, RHS had its own city school system and rival school Cedartown High School also had its own city school system in Cedartown.
The Polk County campus of Georgia Northwestern Technical College is also located in Rockmart.
Racial integration
Prior to the racial integration of the Polk County School System, two high schools existed in Rockmart—Rockmart High School and Elm Street High School—which served the African American community of Rockmart. The integration of the school system began in the year 1964 when some African American students began attending Rockmart High School until total integration was achieved in 1965 with the closing of Elm Street High School.
Transportation
Rail
The Southern Railway had two Mid-West to Florida named trains, Ponce de Leon and Royal Palm that made stops in the town into the 1960s. The Seaboard Air Line Railroad, had the Silver Comet, which made a stop in Rockmart on all trips between Atlanta and Birmingham. The Passenger and Mail #5 and #6 made stops in Rockmart, until it was cancelled in 1968. The Silver Comet continued on the merged Seaboard Coast Line, which discontinued the train on May 30, 1969.
Roads
U.S. Route 278 and Georgia State Route 6 run through the town.
Notable people
- Fred P. Branson (1881 - 1960), native of Rockmart, became Oklahoma attorney, judge and politician, served as Associate Justice of Oklahoma Supreme Court(
- Nathan Dean, former Georgia State Senator from the 31st District
- Danny Ware, former running back for the New York Giants
- Bill Calhoun, former Major League Baseball first baseman for the Boston Braves
See also
In Spanish: Rockmart para niños
