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Whitfield County, Georgia facts for kids

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Whitfield County
Whitfield County Courthouse in October 2013
Whitfield County Courthouse in October 2013
Flag of Whitfield County
Flag
Official seal of Whitfield County
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Whitfield County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Georgia
Founded December 30, 1851; 173 years ago (1851)
Named for George Whitefield
Seat Dalton
Largest city Dalton
Area
 • Total 291 sq mi (750 km2)
 • Land 290. sq mi (751 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 102,864
 • Density 355/sq mi (137/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 14th

Whitfield County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census shows a population of 102,864. The county seat is Dalton. The county was created on December 30, 1851, and named after George Whitefield, Methodist evangelist. The "e" was omitted to reflect the pronunciation of his name.

Whitfield County is part of the Dalton metropolitan area, Georgia, which is also included in the Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton combined statistical area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 291 square miles (750 km2), of which 290 square miles (750 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) (0.2%) is water. The majority of Whitfield County is located in the Conasauga River sub-basin in the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin), with a part of the western edge of the county is located in the Middle Tennessee-Chickamauga sub-basin of the Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee basin. A very small portion of the southern edge of the county is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin in the larger ACT River Basin.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Transportation

Major highways

  • I-75.svg Interstate 75
  • US 41.svg U.S. Route 41
  • US 76.svg U.S. Route 76
  • Georgia 2.svg State Route 2
  • Georgia 3.svg State Route 3
  • Georgia 3 Connector.svg State Route 3 Connector
  • Georgia 52.svg State Route 52
  • Georgia 71.svg State Route 71
  • Georgia 201.svg State Route 201
  • Georgia 286.svg State Route 286
  • Georgia 401.svg State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)

Pedestrians and cycling

  • Pinhoti Trail

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 10,047
1870 10,117 0.7%
1880 11,900 17.6%
1890 12,916 8.5%
1900 14,509 12.3%
1910 15,934 9.8%
1920 16,897 6.0%
1930 20,808 23.1%
1940 26,105 25.5%
1950 34,432 31.9%
1960 42,109 22.3%
1970 55,108 30.9%
1980 65,789 19.4%
1990 72,462 10.1%
2000 83,525 15.3%
2010 102,599 22.8%
2020 102,864 0.3%
2023 (est.) 103,687 1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1880 1890-1910
1920-1930 1930-1940
1940-1950 1960-1980
1980-2000 2010 2020

2020 census

Whitfield County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
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 Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 60,338 63,818 57,875 72.24% 62.20% 56.26%
Black or African American alone (NH) 3,066 3,631 3,553 3.67% 3.54% 3.45%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 181 180 182 0.22% 0.18% 0.18%
Asian alone (NH) 736 1,292 1,394 0.88% 1.26% 1.36%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 25 29 19 0.03% 0.03% 0.02%
Other race alone (NH) 82 96 304 0.10% 0.09% 0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 678 1,082 2,621 0.81% 1.05% 2.55%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18,419 32,471 36,916 22.05% 31.65% 35.89%
Total 83,525 102,599 102,864 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 102,864 people, 34,518 households, and 25,351 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 102,599 people, 35,180 households, and 26,090 families residing in the county. The population density was 353.2 inhabitants per square mile (136.4/km2). There were 39,899 housing units at an average density of 137.4 per square mile (53.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 76.6% white, 3.7% black or African American, 1.3% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 15.0% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 31.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.1% were American, 11.0% were Irish, 8.4% were English, and 7.5% were German.

Of the 35,180 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.36. The median age was 34.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,345 and the median income for a family was $48,991. Males had a median income of $34,150 versus $27,315 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,780. About 15.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Whitfield County Schools

High schools

  • Northwest Whitfield High School
  • Southeast Whitfield High School
  • Coahulla Creek High School

Middle schools

  • Eastbrook Middle School
  • New Hope Middle School
  • North Whitfield Middle School
  • Valley Point Middle School
  • Westside Middle School

Elementary schools

  • Antioch Elementary School
  • Beaverdale Elementary School
  • Cedar Ridge Elementary School
  • Cohutta Elementary School
  • Dawnville Elementary School
  • Dug Gap Elementary School
  • Eastside Elementary School
  • New Hope Elementary School
  • Pleasant Grove Elementary School
  • Tunnel Hill Elementary School
  • Valley Point Elementary School
  • Varnell Elementary School
  • Westside Elementary School

Alternative schools

  • Crossroads Academy
  • Phoenix High School

Dalton Public Schools

High schools

  • Dalton High School
  • Morris Innovative High School

Middle schools

  • Dalton Middle School

Elementary schools

  • Brookwood Elementary
  • Blue Ridge Elementary
  • City Park Elementary
  • Park Creek Elementary
  • Roan Elementary
  • Westwood Elementary

Private schools

  • Cedar Valley Christian Academy
  • Christian Heritage School
  • Learning Tree School

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated community

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Whitfield para niños

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