Waleska, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Waleska, Georgia
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Waleska city hall
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Location in Cherokee County and the state of Georgia
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| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Cherokee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.59 sq mi (4.11 km2) |
| • Land | 1.58 sq mi (4.09 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,109 ft (338 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 921 |
| • Density | 583.28/sq mi (225.16/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
30183
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| Area code(s) | 770/678/470 |
| FIPS code | 13-79948 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0333342 |
Waleska ( waw-LES-kə) is a city in Cherokee County, Georgia, United States. The population was 644 at the 2010 census.
History
The first white settlement in the Waleska area began in the early 1830s. Among these first pioneer settlers were the Reinhardt, Heard and Rhyne families, who moved into the region looking for fresh, fertile farm land. At first, these settlers lived among the Cherokee population already established in the area, but by 1838 all of the Cherokee had been forced westward to Oklahoma in the U.S. government relocation movement known as the Trail of Tears.
Early settler Lewis W. Reinhardt established a church in 1834 in the settlement known as Reinhardt Chapel and befriended many of the native Cherokee population. When the Trail of Tears forced the movement of Warluskee, the daughter of a local Cherokee chief and friend of Reinhardt's, westward, he named this settlement in her honor (see Funk Heritage Center below).
In 1883, Augustus M. Reinhardt, an Atlanta lawyer, former Confederate captain, and son of one of the founders of Waleska, along with his brother-in-law, former Civil War Lieutenant-Colonel John J. A. Sharp, founded Reinhardt Academy in Waleska for the impoverished children of Cherokee County. This school eventually became Reinhardt University.
The city was officially incorporated in 1889, over 50 years after the establishment of the original farming settlement.
While industry in Waleska's past has included tobacco farming, manufacturing, some mineral development, lumbering, and agriculture, which are both still active in the area, the chief "industry" of the town is and has always been Reinhardt University.
Geography
Waleska is located in northwestern Cherokee County at 34°19′5″N 84°33′11″W / 34.31806°N 84.55306°W (34.317968, -84.552951). State Routes 140 and 108 intersect in the center of town. SR 140 leads southeast 7 miles (11 km) to Canton, the county seat, and west 25 miles (40 km) to Adairsville. SR 108 leads northeast 13 miles (21 km) to Tate and southwest 23 miles (37 km) to Cartersville.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Waleska has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.8 km2), of which 0.008 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.51%, is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 170 | — | |
| 1910 | 243 | 42.9% | |
| 1920 | 308 | 26.7% | |
| 1930 | 226 | −26.6% | |
| 1940 | 264 | 16.8% | |
| 1950 | 385 | 45.8% | |
| 1960 | 479 | 24.4% | |
| 1970 | 487 | 1.7% | |
| 1980 | 450 | −7.6% | |
| 1990 | 700 | 55.6% | |
| 2000 | 616 | −12.0% | |
| 2010 | 644 | 4.5% | |
| 2020 | 921 | 43.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 674 | 73.18% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 135 | 14.66% |
| Native American | 6 | 0.65% |
| Asian | 9 | 0.98% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.11% |
| Other/Mixed | 23 | 2.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 73 | 7.93% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 921 people, 94 households, and 67 families residing in the city.
Reinhardt University
Waleska, which is 48 miles (77 km) north of Atlanta and 82 miles (132 km) southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the home of Reinhardt University. Founded in 1883, Reinhardt offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. In addition to this main campus, the school has an off-campus site, Reinhardt University's North Fulton Center, located in Alpharetta, and offers select programs of study in Cartersville and Canton, Georgia, as well as online courses.
Reinhardt University is also the home of the Funk Heritage Center, Georgia's Official Frontier and Southeastern Indian Interpretive Center.
Neighboring areas
- Lake Arrowhead, a reservoir with residential development, is 2 miles (3 km) west of Waleska (5 to 7 miles (8 to 11 km) west by car).
See also
In Spanish: Waleska para niños
