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{{Short description|County in Georgia, United States}}
{{Infobox U.S. County|
{{About||the community in Georgia|Cobb, Georgia|other uses|Cobb (disambiguation)}}
county = Cobb County|
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
state = Georgia |
{{Infobox U.S. county
seal = Cobb County ga seal.gif |
map = Cobb County Georgia.png |
| county = Cobb County
| state = Georgia
map size = 200 |
| type = [[County (United States)|County]]
founded = [[1832]] |
| ex image = {{Photomontage
seat = [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]] |
| photo1a = Blackjack Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia) from Kennesaw Mtn Drive, April 2017.jpg
area = 892 [[km²]] (345 [[square mile|mi²]]) |
| spacing = 2
area land = 881 km² (340 mi²) |
| position = center
area water = 11 km² (4 mi²) |
| color_border = white
area percentage = 1.27% |
| color = white
census yr = 2000|
| size = 280
pop = 607,751 |
| foot_montage = From top: Blackjack Mountain }}
density = 390 |
| ex image cap =
web = www.cobbcounty.org |
| seal = SealofCobbCountyGA.png
|}}
| seal size = 85px
'''Cobb County''' is a [[county]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. It was created December 3, 1832. As of the [[2000]] [[census]], the [[population]] is 607,751. The county's population continues to grow, having reached 663,818 according to the [[2005]] estimate from the [[U.S. Census Bureau]]. Its [[county seat]] is [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]][[Geographic references|<sup>6</sup>]], located in the center of the county.
| founded year = {{Start date and age|1832}}
| founded date = December 2
| seat wl = Marietta
| largest city wl = Mableton
| area_total_sq_mi = 345
| area_land_sq_mi = 340
| area_water_sq_mi = 5.0
| area percentage = 1.4
| census yr = 2020
| pop = 766149
| pop_est_as_of = 2023
| population_est = 776743 {{increase}}
| density_sq_mi = auto
| time zone = Eastern
| website = {{URL|www.cobbcounty.org|cobbcounty.org}}
| leader_title = County manager
|leader_name = Jackie McMorris
| district = 6th
| district2 = 11th
| district3 = 13th
| named for = [[Thomas W. Cobb]]
| district4 = 14th }}


'''Cobb County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and is a core county of the [[Atlanta metropolitan area]] in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. It is the state's third most populous county, after [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton]] and [[Gwinnett County, Georgia|Gwinnett]] counties.<ref>US 2020 Census Bureau report, Cobb County, Georgia</ref> Its [[county seat]] is [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]]; its largest city is [[Mableton, Georgia|Mableton]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web |title=Find a County |url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 |access-date=June 7, 2011 |publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>
The county is part of the core [[Atlanta metropolitan area]], which is included in the [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]]-[[Sandy Springs, Georgia|Sandy Springs]]-[[Marietta, Georgia]] [[Metropolitan Statistical Area]].

Along with several adjoining counties, Cobb County was established on December 3, 1832, by the [[Georgia General Assembly]] from the large [[Cherokee County, Georgia|Cherokee County]] territory—land northwest of the [[Chattahoochee River]] which the state acquired from the [[Cherokee Nation]] and redistributed to [[settler]]s via [[lottery]], following the passage of the federal [[Indian Removal Act]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/ogh/Cobb_County,_Georgia|title=Cobb County, Georgia|access-date=January 7, 2008|archive-date=June 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604145954/http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/ogh/Cobb_County,_Georgia|url-status=dead}}</ref> The county was named for [[Thomas W. Cobb|Thomas Willis Cobb]], a [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] and [[United States Senate|senator]] from Georgia. It is believed that Marietta was named for his wife, Mary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-765 |title=New Georgia Encyclopedia: Marietta |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |date=September 3, 2003 |access-date=July 22, 2010 |archive-date=October 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091005171248/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-765 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Cobb County is included in the [[Atlanta metropolitan area]] and is situated immediately to the northwest of Atlanta's city limits. Its [[Cumberland, Georgia|Cumberland District]], an [[edge city]], has over {{convert|24|e6sqft|m2}} of office space. [[Major League Baseball]]'s [[Atlanta Braves]] have played home games at [[Truist Park]] in Cumberland since 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/14/sport/atlanta-braves-suntrust-park-first-regular-season-game/index.html|title=Braves begin new chapter at SunTrust Park|first=Jill |last=Martin |publisher=CNN|access-date=September 13, 2017}}</ref>

In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Cobb County as the most educated in the state of Georgia and 12th-most in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2002/R02T050.htm|title=ACS: Ranking Table – Percent of People With a Bachelor's Degree or More|date=October 4, 2003 |access-date=September 13, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031004161233/http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2002/R02T050.htm|archive-date=October 4, 2003}}</ref> It has ranked among the top 100 highest-income counties in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 1, 2011|title=Census 2000 Demographic Profiles|url=http://censtats.census.gov/pub/Profiles.shtml|access-date=July 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715122522/http://censtats.census.gov/pub/Profiles.shtml|archive-date=July 15, 2011}}</ref> In October 2017, Cobb was ranked as the "Least Obese County in Georgia." Cobb County is one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia according to the 2020 US Census.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/least-obese-county-in-every-state/ss-AArwpvf?ocid=spartanntp_edu#image=11 |title=Least Obese County in Every State |date=September 8, 2017 |publisher=MSN |access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref>

==History==
Cobb County was one of nine Georgia counties carved out of the disputed territory of the Cherokee Nation in 1832.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1275|title=New Georgia Encyclopedia: Cobb County|publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org|date=November 1, 2011|access-date=December 22, 2012|archive-date=January 17, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117023510/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1275|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was the 81st county in Georgia and named for Judge [[Thomas Willis Cobb]], who served as a U.S. Senator, state representative, and superior court judge. It is believed that the county seat of Marietta was named for Judge Cobb's wife, Mary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marietta.georgia.gov/05/home/0,2230,8314860,00.html;jsessionid=11A989FE8AB66C272BEDDE386D2CEB51|title=Marietta &#124; Georgia.gov|publisher=Marietta.georgia.gov|access-date=June 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425120018/http://marietta.georgia.gov/05/home/0,2230,8314860,00.html;jsessionid=11A989FE8AB66C272BEDDE386D2CEB51|archive-date=April 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The state started acquiring [[Right-of-way (property access)|right-of-way]] for the [[Western & Atlantic Railroad]] in 1836. A train began running between Marietta and [[Marthasville, Georgia|Marthasville]] (modern-day Atlanta) in 1845.<ref name="cc">{{cite web|url=http://roadsidegeorgia.com/county/cobb.html|title=Cobb County, Georgia, History, Resources, Links, and Events|publisher=roadsidegeorgia.com|access-date=March 7, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Battle of Kenesaw Mountian.png|thumb|right|An 1891 lithograph of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain by Kurz & Allison]]
During the [[American Civil War]], some [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] troops were trained at a camp in Big Shanty (now Kennesaw), where the [[Great Locomotive Chase|Andrews Raid]] occurred, starting the [[Great Locomotive Chase]].<ref name="cc"/> There were battles of [[Battle of New Hope Church|New Hope Church]] May 25, 1864, [[Battle of Pickett's Mill|Pickett's Mill]] May 27, and [[Battle of Dallas|Dallas]] May 28. These were followed by the prolonged series of battles through most of June 1864 until very early July: the [[Battle of Marietta]] and the [[Battle of Noonday Creek]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Research OnLine – 4th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment|url=http://www.researchonline.net/micw/unit14.htm|access-date=July 13, 2020|website=www.researchonline.net}}</ref> The [[Battle of Allatoona Pass]] on October 5, 1864, occurred as Sherman was starting his [[Sherman's March to the Sea|march through Georgia]]. Union forces burnt most houses and confiscated or burnt crops.<ref>{{cite book|title=Images of Acworth Society for Historic Preservation|publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]]|year=2006 |location=Charleston, SC|page=7|isbn=0-7385-1479-9}}</ref> The [[Battle of Kennesaw Mountain]] on June 27, 1864, was the site of the only major Confederate victory in General [[William T. Sherman]]'s invasion of Georgia. Despite the victory, Union forces outflanked the Confederates.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}} In 1915, [[Leo Frank]], the Jewish supervisor of an Atlanta pencil factory who was convicted of murdering one of his workers, thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan, was kidnapped from his jail cell and brought to Frey's Gin, {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} east of Marietta, where he was lynched.
[[File:Cotton Workers in Mableton, around 1900.jpg|thumb|Cotton workers in Mableton, around 1900]]
Cotton farming in the area peaked from the 1890s through the 1920s. Low prices during the [[Great Depression]] resulted in the cessation of cotton farming throughout Cobb County.<ref>{{cite book|title=Images of Acworth Society for Historic Preservation |publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]] |year=2006 |location=Charleston, SC |pages=56 |isbn=0-7385-1479-9}}</ref> The price of cotton went from 16¢ per pound (35¢/kg) in 1920 to 9½¢ (21¢/kg) in 1930. This resulted in a cotton bust for the county, which had stopped growing the product but was milling it. This bust was followed by the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="cc"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.textileworld.com/Textile_Resources/History/1920-1930/The_Roaring_Twenties-Recession-Boom-Depression |title=Textile World - the Roaring Twenties: Recession, Boom, Depression |access-date=September 16, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917091103/http://www.textileworld.com/Textile_Resources/History/1920-1930/The_Roaring_Twenties-Recession-Boom-Depression |archive-date=September 17, 2014 }}</ref>{{clarify|needs work|date=September 2014}} To help combat the bust, the state started work on a road in 1922 that would later become [[U.S. Route 41 in Georgia|U.S. 41]], later replaced by [[Cobb Parkway]] in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

[[File:128th Fighter Squadron P-47 Thunderbolt Marietta GA May 1946.jpg|thumb|[[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt|F-47 Thunderbolt]] – [[128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron|128th Fighter Squadron]] – [[Dobbins Air Reserve Base|Marietta Army Airfield]], 1946]]
In 1942, Bell Aircraft opened a Marietta plant to manufacture [[B-29 bombers]] and [[Dobbins Air Force Base|Marietta Army Airfield]] was founded. Both were closed after World War II but reopened during the [[Korean War]] when the Air Force acquired the airfield, renamed Dobbins AFB, and the plant by [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]. During the Korean and [[Vietnam War]]s, Lockheed Marietta was the leading manufacturer of military transport planes, including the [[C-130 Hercules]] and the [[C-5 Galaxy]]. "In Cobb County and other sprawling Cold War suburbs from [[Orange County, California|Orange County]] to [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]]/[[Hampton Roads]], the direct link between federal defense spending and local economic prosperity structured a bipartisan political culture of hawkish conservatism and material self-interest on issues of national security."<ref>Matthew Lassiter, "Big Government and Family Values: Political Culture in the Metropolitan Sunbelt", ''Sunbelt Rising: The Politics of Place, Space and Region'' (eds. Michelle Nickerson, Darren Dochuck), pg. 90.<!-- ISSN/ISBN needed --></ref>
[[File:Kennesaw State Spaceship Earth and Social Science.JPG|thumb|left|[[Kennesaw State University]]]]
When county [[home rule]] was enacted statewide by [[constitutional amendment|amendment]] to the [[Georgia (U.S. state) Constitution|Georgia state constitution]] in the early 1960s, [[Ernest W. Barrett]] became the first chairman of the new [[county commission]]. The county [[courthouse]], built in 1888, was demolished, spurring a law that now prevents counties from doing so without a [[referendum]]. In the 1960s and 1970s, Cobb [[suburban sprawl|transformed from rural to suburban]], as integration spurred [[white flight]] from the city of Atlanta, which by 1970 was majority-African-American. Real-estate booms drew rural white southerners and [[Rust Belt]] transplants, both groups mostly first-generation [[white-collar worker]]s. Cobb County was the home of former segregationist and Georgia governor [[Lester Maddox]] (1966–71). In 1975, Cobb voters elected [[John Birch Society]] leader [[Larry McDonald]] to Congress, running in opposition to [[desegregation busing in the United States|desegregation busing]]. A [[conservative Democrat]], McDonald called for investigations into alleged plots by the [[Rockefellers]] and the [[Soviet Union]] to impose "socialist-one-world-government" and co-founded the [[Western Goals Foundation]]. In 1983, McDonald died aboard [[Korean Air Lines Flight 007]], shot down by a Soviet fighter jet over restricted airspace. I-75 through the county is now named for him.

[[File:Glover Park Bell.JPG|thumb|Glover Park Bell, on the square in Marietta]]
In 1990, Republican Congressmen [[Newt Gingrich]] became Representative of a new district centered around Cobb County. In 1994, as Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in almost fifty years, Gingrich became [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]], thrusting Cobb County into the national spotlight.

In 1993, county commissioners passed a resolution condemning homosexuality and cutting off funding for the arts after complaints about a community theater.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/29/us/county-s-anti-gay-move-catches-few-by-surprise.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |work=The New York Times |first=Peter |last=Applebome |title=County's Anti-Gay Move Catches Few by Surprise |date=August 2, 1993}}</ref> After protests from gay rights organizations, organizers of the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] pulled events out of Cobb County, including the [[Olympic Torch Relay]].<!---just volleyball, I think--> The county's inns were nevertheless filled at 100% of capacity for two months during the event.<ref name="cc"/>

In the 1990s and 2000s, Cobb's demographics changed. As Atlanta's [[gentrification]] reversed decades of white flight, middle-class African-Americans and Russian, Bosnian, Chinese, Indian, Brazilian, Mexican, and Central American immigrants moved to older suburbs in south and southwest Cobb. In 2010, African-American Democrat [[David Scott (Georgia)|David Scott]] was elected to [[Georgia's 13th congressional district]], which included many of those suburbs. Cobb became the first Georgia county to participate in the [[Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g)]] enabling local law officers to enforce immigration law.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}


==Geography==
==Geography==
[[File:UnionTrenchesKennesawMtn1864.jpg|thumb|[[Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park|Union Trenches at Kennesaw Mountain]], 1864]]
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of 892 [[km²]] (345 [[square mile|mi²]]). 881 km² (340 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it (1.27%) is water.
[[File:East Palisades.JPG|thumb|[[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]]]]


According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|345|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|340|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|4.0|sqmi}} (1.4%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 1, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> The county is located in the upper [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] region of the state, with a few mountains located within the county, considered to be part of the southernmost extensions of the [[Appalachian Mountains]].
The county is divided along two major [[drainage basin|watershed]]s. Most [[runoff (water)|runoff]] flows into the [[Chattahoochee River]] (along the southeastern border), via [[Sope Creek]], [[Willeo Creek]], [[Rottenwood Creek]], and [[Sweetwater Creek]]. A [[ridge]] from [[Lost Mountain (Cobb County)|Lost Mountain]] in the west, to [[Kennesaw Mountain]] in the north, to [[Sweat Mountain]] in the extreme northeast, divides the far north-northwest of the county into the [[Lake Allatoona]] area, including the northward-flowing [[Noonday Creek]]. Cobb County is famous for being the home of the Band: Five More Dead.


The county is divided between two major [[drainage basin|basins]]. Most [[runoff (water)|runoff]] flows into the Middle [[Chattahoochee River|Chattahoochee]]-[[Lake Harding]] and Upper [[Chattahoochee River]] sub-basins of the [[ACF River Basin]] (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin) along the southeastern border, directly via [[Willeo Creek]], [[Sope Creek]] (Sewell Creek), [[Rottenwood Creek]] (Powers Creek, Poorhouse Creek, Poplar Creek), [[Nickajack Creek]] and others.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} The large [[Sweetwater Creek (west of Atlanta)|Sweetwater Creek]] is the other major stream, carrying the waters of [[Noses Creek]] (Ward Creek, Olley Creek, Mud Creek), [[Powder Springs Creek]] (Rakestraw Creek, Mill Creek) and others into the Chattahoochee. A [[ridge]] from [[Lost Mountain (Cobb County)|Lost Mountain]] in the west, to [[Kennesaw Mountain]] in the north-central, to [[Sweat Mountain]] in the extreme northeast, divides the far north-northwest of the county into the [[Etowah River]] sub-basin of the [[ACT River Basin]] (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin), which includes [[Lake Allatoona]]. [[Noonday Creek]] (Little Noonday Creek) flows northward into the lake, as does [[Allatoona Creek]], which forms a major arm of the lake. Proctor Creek forms the much older [[Lake Acworth]], which in turn empties directly into Lake Allatoona under the Lake Acworth Drive ([[Georgia 92]]) bridge.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} North Cobb is in the [[Coosa River]] basin.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
===Major Highways===
*[[Image:I-20.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 20]]
*[[Image:I-75.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 75]]
*[[Image:I-285.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 285 (Georgia)|Interstate 285]]
*[[Image:I-575.svg|25px]] [[Interstate 575 (Georgia)|Interstate 575]]
*[[Image:US 41.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 41]]
*[[Image:US 78.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 78]]
*[[Image:US 278.svg|25px]] [[U.S. Route 278]]
*[[Image:Georgia 5.svg|20px]] [[State Route 5 (Georgia)|State Route 5]]
*[[Image:Georgia 120.svg|25px]] [[State Route 120 (Georgia)|State Route 120]]
*[[Image:Georgia 280.svg|25px]] [[State Route 280 (Georgia)|State Route 280]]


There are several high points in Cobb County.
=== Adjacent Counties ===
* [[Sweat Mountain]]: in the extreme northeast portion, runs along the border with [[Cherokee County, Georgia|Cherokee County]], and is the metro area's major [[antenna farm]]{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
*[[Cherokee County, Georgia]] - north
* [[Blackjack Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Blackjack Mountain]]: a low ridge between central and [[east Cobb]]{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
*[[Fulton County, Georgia]] - east, southeast
* [[Kennesaw Mountain]]: the highest point in the county and the entire suburban area of metro Atlanta, located in the north-northwest between Kennesaw and Marietta{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
*[[Douglas County, Georgia]] - south
* [[Little Kennesaw Mountain]]: an offshoot of Kennesaw{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
*[[Paulding County, Georgia]] - west
* [[Lost Mountain, Georgia|Lost Mountain]]: in western Cobb{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
*[[Bartow County, Georgia]] - northwest
* [[Pine Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Pine Mountain]]: west-northwest of Kennesaw Mountain, between Kennesaw and [[Due West, Georgia|Due West]]{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
* [[Brushy Mountain (Cobb County, Georgia)|Brushy Mountain]]: near Kennesaw Mountain, just southeast of [[Barrett Parkway]] at [[Cobb Parkway]]{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
* [[Vinings Mountain]] or [[Mount Wilkinson]]: overlooks the town of Vinings{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

===Adjacent counties===
[[File:Metro atlanta.jpg|thumb|[[Metro Atlanta]]]]
* [[Cherokee County, Georgia|Cherokee County]] – north
* [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]] – east
* [[Douglas County, Georgia|Douglas County]] – southwest
* [[Paulding County, Georgia|Paulding County]] – west
* [[Bartow County, Georgia|Bartow County]] – northwest

===Addressing===
Despite the lack of a grid system of [[city block]]s though the county, all [[street address]]es have their numeric [[origin (mathematics)|origin]] at the southwest corner of the [[town square]] in Marietta.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}

===Geocodes and the world's largest toll-free calling area===
[[File:CobbEnergyPerformingArtsCentre.jpg|thumb|Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center]]

Originally in [[area code 404]], the county was moved into [[area code 770]] in 1995, and overlaid by [[area code 678]] in 1998. Before 1995, those with phones tied to the Woodstock [[telephone exchange]] (prefixes 924, 926, 928, later 516 and 591) could also call the [[Canton, Georgia|Canton]] exchange (479, later 445, then 704) as a local call. This became moot, along with other dual-zone exchanges in metro Atlanta, when the [[exurb]]an exchanges (including Canton) were fully made a part of what was already the world's largest toll-free calling zone. It is a zone spanning {{convert|7162|sqmi|km2|0}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/alookatatlanta.pdf |title=A Look at Atlanta |date=May 2006 |publisher=Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce |pages=11 |access-date=July 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625032708/http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/macoc/business/img/alookatatlanta.pdf |archive-date=June 25, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> with four active telephone [[telephone numbering plan|area codes]], and local calling extending into portions of two others.

Cobb's [[FIPS county code]] is 13067. Because the [[National Weather Service]] has not subdivided the county, its [[WRSAME]] code is 013067, for receiving targeted [[weather warning]]s from [[NOAA Weather Radio]]. The county is primarily within the [[broadcast range]] of one weather radio station: KEC80, on 162.550&nbsp;MHz,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/Maps/PHP/site.php?State=GA&Site=KEC80 |title=NOAA Weather Radio KEC80 |publisher=Nws.noaa.gov |date=May 1, 2009|access-date=July 22, 2010}}</ref> transmitted to all of metro Atlanta and broadcast from [[Atlanta Regional Airport|NWSFO Peachtree City]]. The secondary station is the much newer WWH23 on 162.425 from [[Buchanan, Georgia|Buchanan]], which also transmits warnings for Cobb but has reception mainly in the western part of the county.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/Maps/PHP/site.php?State=GA&Site=WWH23 |title=NOAA Weather Radio WWH23 |publisher=Nws.noaa.gov |date=May 1, 2009|access-date=July 22, 2010}}</ref>


==Demographics==
==Demographics==
{{US Census population
As of 2005, there were 663,818 people (2005), 241,847 households (2004), and 170,167 families (2004) residing in the county. The [[population density]] was 763/km² (1,952/mi²). There were 261,659 housing units at an average density of 301/km² (770/mi²). The racial makeup of the county in 2005 was 64.3% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 21.2% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.5% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 3.8% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 8.8% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.4% from two or more races. 10.0% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.
| 1840 = 7539
| 1850 = 13843
| 1860 = 14242
| 1870 = 13814
| 1880 = 20748
| 1890 = 22286
| 1900 = 24664
| 1910 = 28397
| 1920 = 30437
| 1930 = 35408
| 1940 = 38272
| 1950 = 61830
| 1960 = 114174
| 1970 = 196793
| 1980 = 297718
| 1990 = 447745
| 2000 = 607751
| 2010 = 688078
| 2020 = 766149
| estyear = 2023
| estimate = 776743
| estref = <ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2023/counties/totals/co-est2023-pop.xlsx| title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher= United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 14, 2024}}</ref>
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=}}</ref><br>1790-1880<ref name=1880CensusGACty>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800 |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-08.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1890-1910<ref name=1910CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1910|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref><br> 1920-1930<ref name=1930CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1930-1940<ref name=1940CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1940-1950<ref name=1950CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia - |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1950|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1960-1980<ref name=1980CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1980-2000<ref name=2000CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia |website=United States Census Bureau|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2010CensusP2/>
}}


===2020 census===
There were 241,847 (2004) households out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.14.
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Cobb County, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br> (''NH = Non-Hispanic'')<br><small>{{nobold|''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.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Cobb County, Georgia|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=050XX00US13067|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Cobb County, Georgia |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2010.P2?q=p2&g=050XX00US13067&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Cobb County, Georgia |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALPL2020.P2?q=p2&g=050XX00US13067&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|417,947
|387,438
|style='background: #ffffe6; |369,182
|68.77%
|56.31%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|48.19%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|112,924
|168,053
|style='background: #ffffe6;|200,072
|18.58%
|24.42%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|26.11%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,156
|1,332
|style='background: #ffffe6;|1,289
|0.19%
|0.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|0.17%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|18,417
|30,432
|style='background: #ffffe6;|42,533
|3.03%
|4.42%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|5.55%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|192
|267
|style='background: #ffffe6;|293
|0.03%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|0.04%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|1,706
|2,961
|style='background: #ffffe6;|7,382
|0.28%
|0.43%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|0.96%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|8,445
|13,265
|style='background: #ffffe6;|34,158
|1.39%
|1.93%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|4.46%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|46,964
|84,330
|style='background: #ffffe6;|111,240
|7.73%
|12.26%
|style='background: #ffffe6;|14.52%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''607,751'''
|'''688,078'''
|style='background: #ffffe6;|'''766,149'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6;|'''100.00%'''
|}


As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 766,149 people, 286,952 households, and 191,533 families residing in the county.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 6.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males.


===2010 Census===
As of 2003, the median income for a household in the county was $60,565, and the median income for a family was $72,398. Males had a median income of $50,460 versus $38,555 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $30,620. About 6.3% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.10% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.
As of the [[2010 United States census]], there were 688,078&nbsp;people, 260,056&nbsp;households, and 175,357&nbsp;families residing in the county.<ref name="census-dp1">{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US13067
|title=DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data
|access-date=December 27, 2015
|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213024734/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US13067
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> The population density was {{convert|2026.4|PD/sqmi}}. There were 286,490 housing units at an average density of {{convert|843.7|/sqmi}}.<ref name="census-density">{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US13067
|access-date=December 27, 2015
|title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County
|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213190514/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US13067
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> The racial makeup of the county was 62.21% white, 24.96% black or African American, 4.46% Asian, 0.34% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.28% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.26% of the population.<ref name="census-dp1"/> Regarding specific ethnic origins, 10.4% cited German, 10.0% English, 9.3% Irish, and 8.6% American ancestry.<ref name="census-dp2">{{cite web
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US13067
|title=DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
|access-date=December 27, 2015
|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213030350/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US13067
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>


Of the 260,056&nbsp;households, 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 35.4 years.<ref name="census-dp1"/>
== Government and elections ==
[[Image:CobbCountyCourthouse.jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|Cobb County Courthouse]]
Under Georgia's [[home rule]] provision, county governments have free rein to legislate on all matters within the county, provided that such [[legislation]] does not conflict with state or federal [[law]]s or [[constitution]]s. When this home rule was enacted for Cobb by the [[Georgia General Assembly]] in the early [[1960s]], [[Ernest W. Barrett]] became the first [[chairman]] of the new [[county commission]].


The median income for a household in the county was $65,522 and the median income for a family was $78,920. Males had a median income of $55,200 versus $43,367 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,110. About 7.6% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="census-dp3">{{cite web
Cobb County is currently governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, which has both [[legislative branch|legislative]] and [[executive branch|executive]] [[authority]] within the county. The chairman of the Board is elected county-wide. The other four commissioners are elected from single-member [[district]]s; though during [[2004]], the commission has discussed adding at least one member, to keep up with the county's growing population. The Board hires a county [[manager]] who oversees day-to-day operations of the county's executive [[Ministry (government department)|departments]].
|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US13067
|title=DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006–2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
|access-date=December 27, 2015
|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213023552/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US13067
|archive-date=February 13, 2020
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>


===2000 Census===
County residents also elect a [[sheriff]], [[district attorney]], [[probate]] [[court]] [[judge]], [[clerk]] of [[superior court]], state court [[solicitor]], chief [[magistrate]] [[judge]] (who then appoints other magistrate court judges), superior court judges, state court judges, [[tax]] commissioner, [[Surveyor (surveying)|surveyor]], and a seven-member [[board of education]].
As of 2000, there were 697,553 people, 248,303 households, and 169,178 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|1,998|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 261,659 housing units at an average density of {{convert|770|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the county in 2000 was 72.4% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 18.8% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://censusviewer.com/county/GA/Cobb |title=Cobb County Census Viewer |publisher= United States Census}}</ref> 0.3% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 3.06% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 5.3% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.87% from two or more races. 7.73% of the population was [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website|author=Data Access and Dissemination Systems}}</ref>


There were 248,303 households, out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.
In addition to the county sheriff, the constitutional chief [[law enforcement]] officer of the county, Cobb County has a separate [[police]] department under the authority of the Board of Commissioners. The sheriff oversees the [[County jail|jail]], to which everyone arrested under state law is taken, regardless of the city or other area of the county where it happens, or what police department makes the arrest.


In the county, 26.10% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 6.90% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males.
==Taxes==
In addition to the 4% statewide [[sales tax]], Cobb County levies an additional 2% for special projects, each 1% subject to separate [[renewal]] every few years by countywide [[referendum]] (including within its cities). This funds mainly [[transport]]ation and [[park]]s. Cobb levies a 1% tax to lower [[property tax]]es, but only for the public school budget, and not the additional 1% [[HOST]] [[homestead exemption]] for general funds. It has also voted not to pay the extra 1% to join [[MARTA]], which has made operating and expanding that [[rapid transit]] system difficult even in the two counties it does operate.


As of 2007, the median income was $70,472. The per capita income for the county was $32,740. About 6.0% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://censusviewer.com/county/GA/Cobb|title = Population of Cobb County, Georgia|website = censusviewer|access-date = November 17, 2018}}</ref>
At the beginning of [[2006]] it became the last county in the state to raise the tax to 6%, which also doubled the tax on [[food]] to 2%. The [[SPLOST]] barely passed by a 114 [[vote]] margin, or less than one-quarter of a percent, in a [[September 2005]] [[referendum]]. The [[revenue]] will go to a new county [[courthouse]] and expanded jail, and toward various [[road]] projects [http://www.cobbcip.org]


==Education==
== Cities and communities ==
===Public schools===
<table width=80% ><tr><td valign=top>
School districts include:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13067_cobb/DC20SD_C13067.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Cobb County, GA|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-09-25}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st13_ga/schooldistrict_maps/c13067_cobb/DC20SD_C13067_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>
*[[Acworth, Georgia|Acworth]]
* [[Cobb County School District]] (serves all county locations except the city of Marietta)
*[[Austell, Georgia|Austell]]
* [[Marietta City Schools (Georgia)|Marietta City Schools]] (serves the city of Marietta locations)
*[[Kennesaw, Georgia|Kennesaw]]
*[[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]]
*[[Powder Springs, Georgia|Powder Springs]]
*[[Smyrna, Georgia|Smyrna]]


===Private schools===
Unincorporated:
* [[Cumberland Christian Academy]], Austell (K–12)<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.cumberlandschool.org/|title = Cumberland School|website = Cumberland School|access-date = November 17, 2018}}</ref>
*[[Mableton, Georgia|Mableton]]
* Dominion Christian School, Marietta (middle school–12)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dominionschool.com/|title=Dominion Christian School – Reston, Virginia|first=Dominion Christian|last=School|website=www.dominionschool.com}}</ref>
*[[Vinings, Georgia|Vinings]]
* [[Midway Covenant Christian School]], Powder Springs (preK–12)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.midwayschool.org/|title=Midway Covenant Christian School|website=Midway Covenant Christian School}}</ref>
*[[Fair Oaks, Georgia|Fair Oaks]]
* [[Mount Paran Christian School]], Kennesaw (preK–12)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtparanschool.com/|title=Home|website=www.mtparanschool.com}}</ref>
* [[North Cobb Christian School]], Kennesaw (K–12)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncchristian.org/admissions/visit-us|title=North Cobb Christian School – Private School Open House – North Cobb Christian School|website=www.ncchristian.org|access-date=November 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117233739/https://www.ncchristian.org/admissions/visit-us|archive-date=November 17, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[The Walker School]], Marietta (preK–12)<ref>{{cite web|title=GNIS Detail – The Walker School|url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:3:0::NO:3:P3_FID,P3_TITLE:326865,The%20Walker%20School|website=geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=September 23, 2017|language=en-us}}</ref>
* [[Whitefield Academy (Georgia)|Whitefield Academy]], Mableton (preK–12)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.whitefieldacademy.com/aboutus/our-campus|title=Our Campus – Whitefield Academy|website=www.whitefieldacademy.com}}</ref>
* East Cobb Christian School, Marietta (K–8)


===Colleges and universities===
Formerly incorporated:
*[[Chattahoochee Plantation, Georgia|Chattahoochee Plantation]]
* [[Chattahoochee Technical College]]
* [[Kennesaw State University]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kennesaw.com/kennesaw-state-and-southern-poly-to-merge/|title=Kennesaw State, Southern Poly to Merge|last=Kennesaw.com|website=www.kennesaw.com|access-date=March 11, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Elizabeth, Georgia|Elizabeth]]
* [[Life University]]


===Libraries===
</td><td valign=top>
Cobb County maintains the [[Cobb County Public Library System]].<ref>[http://www.cobbcat.org/default.html Cobb County Public Library System] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517020636/http://www.cobbcat.org/default.html |date=May 17, 2011 }}</ref> The libraries provide resources such as books, videos, internet access, printing, and computer classes. The libraries in the CCPLS are:
Existing communities:
*East Cobb - (E)
*Sandy Plains - (NE)
*Blackwell - (N)
*Clarkdale - (S)
*Noonday - (N)
*Mt. Bethel - (NE)
*Powers Park - (SE)
*Due West - (W)
*Lost Mountain - (W)
*Mars Hill - (WNW)
*Macland - (WSW)
*Westoak - (NE)


{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
Modern communities:
* East Cobb Library
*[[Cumberland Galleria|Cumberland]]
* Gritters Library
*[[Town Center at Cobb|Town Center]]
* Kemp Memorial Library
* Lewis A. Ray Library
* Mountain View Regional Library
* North Cobb Regional Library
* Powder Springs Library
* Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center
* Sibley Library
* South Cobb Regional Library
* Joanne P. Stratton Library
* Sweetwater Valley Library
* Charles D. Switzer Library
* Vinings Library
* West Cobb Regional Library
* Bookmobile
{{div col end}}


The [[Smyrna Public Library]] is a city-owned library in Smyrna and is not part of the county system.
</td></table>
Part of northeastern Cobb is considered unincorporated [[Roswell, Georgia|Roswell]] and unincorporated [[Sandy Springs, Georgia|Sandy Springs]]; and part of southeastern Cobb (mainly Vinings) is considered unincorporated [[Atlanta]]. All three cities are in neighboring Fulton County. Portions of far northeastern Cobb are considered to be unincorporated [[Woodstock, Georgia|Woodstock]], which is actually in Cherokee County. Those areas carry a Woodstock zip code.


==Government and elections==
== Major businesses ==
{{More citations needed section|date=December 2020}}
*[[The Weather Channel]], [[headquarter]]ed in Marietta
Under Georgia's [[home rule]] provision, county governments have free rein to legislate on all matters within the county, provided that such legislation does not conflict with state or federal laws or constitutions.
*[[Home Depot]], headquartered in Vinings
*[[Lockheed Martin]], next to Dobbins in Marietta
*[[Georgia Northeastern Railroad]], in Marietta
*[[Genuine Parts Company]], headquartered in Unincorporated Cobb


Cobb County is governed by a five-member [[county commission|board of commissioners]], which has both [[legislative branch|legislative]] and [[executive branch|executive]] [[authority]] within the county. The chairman of the board is elected county-wide. The other four commissioners are elected from single-member districts. The board hires a county [[city manager|manager]] who oversees the day-to-day operations of the county's [[executive department]]s.
== [[Transport]]ation ==
*[[Interstate 75]]
*[[Interstate 285]]
*[[Interstate 20]]
*[[Interstate 575]]
*[[Cobb County Airport]] at [[McCollum Field]]
*[[Dobbins Air Reserve Base]] (where the [[U.S. President]] usually arrives when visiting Atlanta)
*[[Norfolk Southern]] [[railyard]] at Austell
*[[CSX Transportation]] through Smyrna, Marietta, and Kennesaw
*[[Cobb Community Transit]] (CCT)


===Cobb County Board of Commissioners===
== [[Recreation]] ==
{| class="wikitable"
*[[American Adventures]] (Marietta)
|-
*[[Six Flags White Water]] (Marietta)
! colspan="2" | District !! Name !! Party !! First elected !! Region Represented<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cobbcounty.org/board/district-commissioners/find-your-commissioner|title = Find Your Commissioner &#124; Cobb County Georgia}}</ref>
*[[Six Flags Over Georgia]] (Austell)
|-
*[[Sun Valley Beach]] (near Powder Springs)
| style="background:blue;"|&nbsp;
*[[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]]
| At-Large (chair)
*[[Lake Allatoona]] (near Acworth)
| Lisa Cupid
*[[Lake Acworth]]/[[Acworth Beach]](Acworth)
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
*[[Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park]] (Kennesaw to Marietta)
| 2020
*[[Marietta National Cemetery]] (Marietta)
| All
*[[Marietta Confederate Cemetery]] (Marietta)
|-
*[[Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art]] (Marietta)
| style="background:red;"|&nbsp;
*[[Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History]] (Kennesaw)
| 1
*[[Mable House]] (Mableton)
| Keli Gambrill
*[[Silver Comet Trail]] (westward from Smyrna)
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| 2018
| Northwest Cobb
|-
| style="background:blue;"|&nbsp;
| 2
| Jerica Richardson
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| 2020
| Southeast Cobb
|-
| style="background:red;"|&nbsp;
| 3
| JoAnn Birrell
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| 2010
| Northeast Cobb
|-
| style="background:blue;"|&nbsp;
| 4
| Monique Sheffield
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| 2020
| Southwest Cobb
|}


[[File:Cobb County, Georgia Government Building.jpg|thumb|Cobb County Government Building]]
== [[School]]s ==
*[[Cobb County School District]] (all except Marietta)
*[[Marietta City Schools]]
*[[Southern Polytechnic State University]]
*[[Kennesaw State University]]
*[[Life University]]
*[[Chattahoochee Technical College]]


County residents also elect a sheriff, district attorney, probate court judge, clerk of the superior court, clerk of the state court, state court solicitor, chief magistrate judge (who then appoints other magistrate court judges), superior court judges, state court judges, tax commissioner, surveyor, and a seven-member board of education. In addition to the county sheriff, the constitutional chief [[Police|law enforcement]] officer of the county, Cobb County has a separate police department under the authority of the Board of Commissioners. The sheriff oversees the [[County jail|jail]], to which everyone arrested under state law is taken, regardless of the city or other area of the county where it happens, or which police department makes the arrest.
See also: [[Cobb County Public Library System]] (CCPLS)

Each city has a separate police department, answerable to its governing council. Marietta, Smyrna, and Austell have separate [[fire department]]s, with the Cobb County Fire Department being the authority having jurisdiction over Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs, and unincorporated areas. Cobb [[9-1-1|911]] covers unincorporated areas and the city of Marietta. Kennesaw and Acworth jointly operate a small 911 [[call center]] ([[Public Safety Answering Point|PSAP]]) upstairs in Kennesaw [[city hall]], [[dispatch (logistics)|dispatching]] the police departments in both cities, and [[call forwarding|forwarding]] fire calls to Cobb. Smyrna operates a separate PSAP while offering dispatch services to the city of Powder Springs. Austell operates its own separate 911 system.

The county retails potable water to much of the county and wholesales it to various cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://water.cobbcountyga.gov/Files/WhatWeDo.html|title=Cobb County Government|publisher=Water.cobbcountyga.gov|access-date=December 22, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231031127/http://water.cobbcountyga.gov/Files/WhatWeDo.html|archive-date=December 31, 2012}}</ref>

The current County Manager is Jackie R. McMorris.<ref>{{Cite web|title=County Manager|url=http://www.cobbcounty.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=848&Itemid=1118|website=cobbcounty.org|access-date=February 3, 2016|first=Kristina|last=Abernathy}}</ref>

==Politics==
From [[1964 United States presidential election in Georgia|1964]] until [[2012 United States presidential election in Georgia|2012]], the county was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. The only time during this period that the county supported a Democrat was in [[1976 United States presidential election in Georgia|1976]] when native son [[Jimmy Carter]] swept every county in the state. Before [[1960 United States presidential election in Georgia|1960]], it was a "[[Solid South]]" Democratic county, except when [[Warren G. Harding]] came close to carrying it in [[1920 United States presidential election in Georgia|1920]], and when [[Herbert Hoover]] won it by nine points due to anti-Catholic voting against [[Al Smith]] in [[1928 United States presidential election in Georgia|1928]].

In the late 20th century, the county developed a reputation as a [[conservatism in the United States|conservative]] stronghold.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Applebome |first1=Peter |title=A Suburban Eden Where the Right Rules |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/01/us/a-suburban-eden-where-the-right-rules.html |access-date=March 7, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 1, 1994}}</ref> However, due to rapid racial and ethnic demographic changes since the 1990s, along with population growth coming from blue northern states, the county has increasingly supported the Democratic Party. In [[2016 United States presidential election in Georgia|2016]], when [[Hillary Clinton]] became the first Democrat to win Cobb County since [[Jimmy Carter]] in [[1976 United States presidential election in Georgia|1976]], and the first non-Georgian Democrat since [[John F. Kennedy]] in 1960. The county then supported [[Joe Biden]] in [[2020 United States presidential election in Georgia|2020]] by 14 points–the best showing for a Democrat since Kennedy in 1960. This was crucial to Biden winning the state for the Democrats for the first time since [[1992 United States presidential election in Georgia|1992]].

In [[2018 Georgia gubernatorial election|2018]], [[Stacey Abrams]] became the first Democrat to win Cobb County<ref>{{Cite news|title=Stacey Abrams won Cobb. But how did your neighbors vote?|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/stacey-abrams-won-cobb-but-how-did-your-neighbors-vote/dkNKIdKl2J952Y3bHWh4ZM/|access-date=October 26, 2021|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|language=English|last1=Brasch|first1=Ben}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Stacey Abrams' resounding win in Georgia vaults her into national spotlight|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/stacey-abrams-resounding-win-georgia-vaults-national-spotlight/story?id=55380266|access-date=October 26, 2021|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> in a gubernatorial election since [[1986 Georgia gubernatorial election|1986]], when [[Joe Frank Harris]] swept every county statewide.

{{PresHead|place=Cobb County, Georgia|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=September 13, 2017}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|168,679|228,404|7,776|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|165,436|221,847|6,739|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|152,912|160,121|21,025|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|171,722|133,124|5,989|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|170,957|141,216|3,951|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|173,467|103,955|2,639|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|140,494|86,676|7,857|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|114,188|73,750|12,635|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|103,734|63,960|29,437|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|106,621|39,297|740|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|97,429|28,414|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|51,977|39,157|4,682|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|34,324|45,002|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|43,977|7,688|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|18,649|8,755|17,805|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|20,863|16,647|1|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|8,240|12,906|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|6,798|11,696|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|4,163|10,182|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|1,524|4,766|808|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|1,349|5,000|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|992|4,447|9|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|707|2,802|6|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|218|3,079|24|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,711|1,426|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|362|1,360|188|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,095|1,208|0|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|434|1,750|137|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|307|1,329|37|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|548|889|193|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|220|1,171|321|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|311|1,156|109|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|758|1,387|93|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|564|1,794|515|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|391|1,143|28|Georgia}}
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|536|1,372|0|Georgia}}
{{PresFoot|1880|Democratic|559|1,980|0|Georgia}}

===2020 voter suppression controversy===
In 2020, in the turmoil surrounding the election defeat of [[Donald Trump]], the chairman of the Cobb County Republicans and another person challenged the election results in an attempt to remove 16,024 Cobb County voters from eligibility to vote in the runoff election for both Georgia senators, scheduled for January 5, 2021. The county Board of Elections held a hearing to decide whether there was probable cause to move forward with hearings for each name on the list. The Board's attorney stated there was no probable cause and gave reasons. After a brief discussion, the board voted unanimously to deny the challenge.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Larry Felton |date=December 17, 2020 |title=Breaking: Cobb Republicans attempt to get 16,024 Cobb County voters declared ineligible for voting in the runoffs |url= https://cobbcountycourier.com/2020/12/breaking-cobb-republicans-attempt-to-get-16024-cobb-county-voters-declared-ineligible/ |work=Cobb County Courier |location=Cobb County, Georgia |access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Larry Felton |date=December 19, 2020 |title=Disenfranchisement of Cobb County voters shot down by election board |url= https://cobbcountycourier.com/2020/12/disenfranchisement-of-cobb-county-voters-shot-down-by-election-board/ |work=Cobb County Courier |location=Cobb County, Georgia |access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref>

===Taxes===
In addition to the 4% statewide [[sales tax]], Cobb County levies an additional 2% for special projects, each 1% subject to separate renewal every few years by countywide [[referendum]] (including within its cities). This funds mainly transportation and parks. Cobb levies a 1% tax to lower [[property tax]]es, but only for the public school budget, and not the additional 1% HOST [[homestead exemption]] for general funds. The county has also voted not to pay the extra 1% to join [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|MARTA]].

At the beginning of 2006, Cobb became the last county in the state to raise the tax to 6%, which also doubled the tax on food to 2%. The [[SPLOST]] barely passed by a 114 [[vote]] margin, or less than one-quarter of a percent, in a September 2005 [[referendum]]. The [[revenue]] was to go to a new county [[courthouse]], expanded jail, various transportation projects, and the purchasing of property for parks and green space.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cobbcip.org |title=Cobb Local Sales Tax for Public Safety and Transportation |publisher=Cobbcip.org |date=September 2, 2005|access-date=July 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107030318/http://www.cobbcip.org/ |archive-date=November 7, 2010 }}</ref> In 2008, the school tax was renewed for a third term, funding the Marietta and Cobb [[school system]]s.

==Economy==
The [[Cobb County School District]] is Cobb County's largest employer, employing over 15,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobbk12.org/aboutccsd/index.htm|title=Index|publisher=[[Cobb County School District]]|access-date=July 28, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530084831/http://www.cobbk12.org/aboutccsd/index.htm|archive-date=May 30, 2009}}</ref>

Private corporations include:
* [[The Home Depot]] Atlanta Store Support Center, world headquarters<ref>[http://corporate.homedepot.com/en_US/Corporate/Public_Relations/Online_Press_Kit/Docs/Corp_Financial_Overview.pdf Corporate and Financial Overview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002023554/https://corporate.homedepot.com/en_US/Corporate/Public_Relations/Online_Press_Kit/Docs/Corp_Financial_Overview.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206041843/http://corporate.homedepot.com/en_US/Corporate/Public_Relations/Online_Press_Kit/Docs/Corp_Financial_Overview.pdf |archive-date=February 6, 2009 |url-status=live|date=October 2, 2011}}. [[The Home Depot]]; retrieved April 24, 2009.</ref>
* [[The Weather Channel]] headquarters<ref>"[http://www.weather.com/multimedia/agreement.html Video Submission Agreement] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019134214/http://www.weather.com/multimedia/agreement.html|date=October 19, 2009}}", [[The Weather Channel]]; retrieved on November 18, 2009.</ref>
* [[InTown Suites]] headquarters<ref>"[http://www.intownsuites.com/WhyInTownSuites.pdf Low Weekly Rates!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713050900/http://www.intownsuites.com/WhyInTownSuites.pdf|date=July 13, 2011}}, [[InTown Suites]]; retrieved November 18, 2009.</ref><!--See the address in the brochure-->
* [[Lockheed Martin]] Aeronautical Plant, located next to [[Dobbins Air Reserve Base]] in unincorporated Cobb<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1337|title=New Georgia Encyclopedia: Lockheed Martin|publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org|access-date=December 26, 2012|archive-date=February 14, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214102146/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1337|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Kool Smiles]] ([[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]])<ref>"[http://www.mykoolsmiles.com/contact/main Kool Smiles Main Contacts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202080236/http://www.mykoolsmiles.com/contact/main |date=February 2, 2012 }}", [[Kool Smiles]]; retrieved January 1, 2011.<br/>"Kool Smiles Patient Support Center 1090 Northchase Pkwy SE, Ste 290 Marietta, GA 30067-6407"</ref>
* [[GE Power]] headquarters<ref>{{cite web |last1=Trubey |first1=Scott |title=Atlanta-based GE Power to cut 12,000 jobs worldwide |url=https://www.ajc.com/business/atlanta-based-power-cut-000-jobs-worldwide/kvFzgl7WPvjeujIvqPmaJK/ |website=AJC |access-date=January 2, 2022}}</ref>
* [[Papa John's|Papa Johns]] "additional" headquarters<ref>{{Cite web |date= November 17, 2020 |title=Papa John's bringing additional headquarters to The Battery Atlanta |url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/papa-johns-new-atlanta-headquarters-at-the-battery-in-cobb-county/85-ff5d9c93-8b63-4a1b-9313-c50207163bfb |access-date=October 27, 2022 |website=11Alive.com |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221027183446/https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/papa-johns-new-atlanta-headquarters-at-the-battery-in-cobb-county/85-ff5d9c93-8b63-4a1b-9313-c50207163bfb |archive-date=October 27, 2022}}</ref>

===Retail===
Shopping centers in the county include:
* [[Cobb Center]]
* Cobb Place - 335,000 sq. ft., originally opened 1987<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rebusinessonline.com/jll-negotiates-sale-of-335190-sf-cobb-place-shopping-center-in-metro-atlanta/|title = JLL Negotiates Sale of 335,190 SF Cobb Place Shopping Center in Metro Atlanta|date = November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cpexecutive.com/post/metro-atlanta-retail-center-changes-ownership/|title = Metro Atlanta Retail Center Changes Ownership|date = November 2019}}</ref>
* [[Cumberland Mall (Georgia)|Cumberland Mall]]
* [[Town Center at Cobb]]

==Diplomatic missions==
The [[Diplomatic missions of Costa Rica|Consulate-General of Costa Rica in Atlanta]] is located in Suite 100 at 1870 The Exchange in an [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated section]] of Cobb County.<ref>"[http://www.costarica-embassy.org/consular/consulates/default.htm Consulates in the United States] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081022125135/http://www.costarica-embassy.org/consular/consulates/default.htm|date=October 22, 2008}}", ''Embassy of Costa Rica''; retrieved October 26, 2008.</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:Kennesaw Mountian Cannon.jpg|thumb|[[Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park]]]]

===Major highways===
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[File:I-20.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 20 in Georgia|Interstate 20]]
* [[File:I-75.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 75 in Georgia|Interstate 75]]
* [[File:I-285.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 285 (Georgia)|Interstate 285]]
* [[File:I-575.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 575 (Georgia)|Interstate 575]]
* [[File:US 41.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 41 in Georgia|U.S. Route 41]]
* [[File:US 78.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 78 in Georgia|U.S. Route 78]]
* [[File:US 278.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 278 in Georgia|U.S. Route 278]]
* [[File:Georgia 3.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 3|State Route 3]]
* [[File:Georgia 5.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 5|State Route 5]]
* [[File:Georgia 5 Connector.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 5 Connector (Kennesaw)|State Route 5 Connector]]
* [[File:Georgia 6.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 6|State Route 6]]
* [[File:Georgia 6 Business.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 6 Business (Powder Springs)|State Route 6 Business]]
* [[File:Georgia 6 Spur.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 6 Spur (Austell)|State Route 6 Spur]]
* [[File:Georgia 8.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 8|State Route 8]]
* [[File:Georgia 92.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 92|State Route 92]]
* [[File:Georgia 120.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 120|State Route 120]]
* [[File:Georgia 120 Loop.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 120 Alternate (Marietta)|State Route 120 Alternate]]
* [[File:Georgia 139.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 139|State Route 139]]
* [[File:Georgia 280.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 280|State Route 280]]
* [[File:Georgia 360.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 360|State Route 360]]
* [[File:Georgia 401.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 401|State Route 401]] (unsigned designation for I-75)
* [[File:Georgia 402.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 402|State Route 402]] (unsigned designation for I-20)
* [[File:Georgia 407.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 407|State Route 407]] (unsigned designation for I-285)
* [[File:Georgia 417.svg|20px]] [[Georgia State Route 417|State Route 417]] (unsigned designation for I-575)
{{div col end}}

===Airports===
* [[Cobb County International Airport]] at [[McCollum Field]]
* [[Dobbins Air Reserve Base]] (where the U.S. president usually arrives when visiting Atlanta)

===Rail===
* [[Norfolk Southern]] through Mableton, Austell, Powder Springs
* [[CSX Transportation]] through Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta, Smyrna, and Vinings
* [[Georgia Northeastern Railroad]] [[A Shortline Line]] north from Marietta
Until 1971, the [[Louisville & Nashville Railroad]], running on tracks now owned by CSX, operated passenger trains through [[Marietta depot]].

Cobb County is not part of the [[MARTA]] Rail network, because its voters rejected MARTA development in a 1965 referendum which led to its creation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Nicholas Dagen |title=The Great American Transit Disaster: A century of austerity, auto-centric planning, and White Flight. |date=2023}}</ref>

===Mass transit===
* [[Xpress GA]]/RTA commuter buses and [[CobbLinc]] Marietta/Cobb Counties Transit System serve the county. [[MARTA]] also has a connecting bus service to the [[Cumberland, Georgia]] business district in the southeastern part of the county.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://itsmarta.com/12.aspx|title = MARTA}}</ref>

==Recreation==
{{See also|Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department}}
[[File:Sope Creek pulp mill retaining wall ruin.jpg|thumb|[[Sope Creek Ruins]]]]
[[File:SilverCometTrail.jpg|thumb|[[Silver Comet Trail]] and bike path]]
* [[American Adventures]] (Marietta)
* [[Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/chat/index.htm |title=Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area – Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area |publisher=Nps.gov |date=December 1, 2012|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park]] (Kennesaw to Marietta)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/kemo/index.htm|title=Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park – Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park|publisher=Nps.gov|date=August 7, 2012|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Lake Acworth]]/[[Acworth Beach]] (Acworth)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allatoonalake.org/parks/acworth_beach.html|title=Acworth Beach &#124; Cauble Park, Acworth, Georgia|publisher=Allatoonalake.org|date=January 2, 2008|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Lake Allatoona]] (near Acworth)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.recreation.gov/recAreaDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&recAreaId=440&agencyCode=70902|title=recreation area details – Allatoona Lake|publisher=Recreation.gov|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Robert Mable House and Cemetery|Mable House]] (Mableton)<ref name="mablehouse1">{{cite web|url=http://www.mablehouse.org/arts-center.html|title=Arts Center|publisher=The Mable House|access-date=December 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106102834/http://www.mablehouse.org/arts-center.html|archive-date=January 6, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Marietta Confederate Cemetery]] (Marietta)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/marietta_confederate_cemetery.html|title=Confederate Cemetery, Marietta, Georgia|publisher=Roadsidegeorgia.com|access-date=December 26, 2012|archive-date=January 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107124029/http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/marietta_confederate_cemetery.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Marietta Museum of History]] (Marietta)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mariettahistory.org|title=Marietta Museum of History » Preserving the history of Marietta and Cobb County|publisher=Mariettahistory.org|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art]] (Marietta)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mariettacobbartmuseum.org|title=MariettaCobb Museum of Art – Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art|publisher=Mariettacobbartmuseum.org|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Marietta National Cemetery]] (Marietta)<ref>{{cite web|author=National Cemetery Administration|url=http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/marietta.asp|title=Cemeteries – Marietta National Cemetery – Burial and Memorial Benefits|publisher=Cem.va.gov|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Silver Comet Trail]] (Smyrna, Mableton, Powder Springs)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prca.cobbcountyga.gov/silvercomet.htm|title=Cobb County Parks, Recreation, Cultural Affairs|publisher=Prca.cobbcountyga.gov|access-date=December 26, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302020958/http://prca.cobbcountyga.gov/silvercomet.htm|archive-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Six Flags Over Georgia]] (Austell)
* [[Six Flags White Water]] (Marietta)
* [[Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History]] (Kennesaw)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southernmuseum.org|title=The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History|publisher=Southernmuseum.org|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>

===Venues===
* [[Cobb County Civic Center]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prca.cobbcountyga.gov/civiccenter.htm|title=civic center|publisher=Prca.cobbcountyga.gov|access-date=December 26, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215011243/http://prca.cobbcountyga.gov/civiccenter.htm|archive-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cobbenergycentre.com|title=Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre website|publisher=Cobbenergycentre.com|access-date=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Coca-Cola Roxy]]
* [[Mableton, Georgia|Mable House Amphitheater]]<ref name="mablehouse1"/>
* [[Truist Park]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/braves/2013/11/11/atlanta-braves-moving-new-stadium-cobb-county-turner-field/3494835|work=USA Today|title=Atlanta Braves announce plans to move to new stadium}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.11alive.com/mobile/article/sports/local-sports/truist-park-officially-becomes-the-home-of-the-braves/85-54929762-1ce7-496b-ac28-fa416cbb15bc|work=11alive|title=Braves stadium officially renamed Truist Park}}</ref>

==Communities==
[[File:Thebigchicken.jpg|thumb|Cobb County landmark and reference point [[Big Chicken|"The Big Chicken"]]]]
[[File:MariettaGeorgia.jpg|thumb|Historic Downtown [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]]]]

===Cities===
* [[Acworth, Georgia|Acworth]]
* [[Austell, Georgia|Austell]]
* [[Kennesaw, Georgia|Kennesaw]]
* [[Mableton, Georgia|Mableton]]
* [[Marietta, Georgia|Marietta]]
* [[Powder Springs, Georgia|Powder Springs]]
* [[Smyrna, Georgia|Smyrna]]

===Census-designated places===
* [[Fair Oaks, Georgia|Fair Oaks]]
* [[Kennesaw State University, Georgia (CDP)|Kennesaw State University]]
* [[Vinings, Georgia|Vinings]]

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Chattahoochee Plantation, Georgia|Chattahoochee Plantation]]
* [[Clarkdale, Georgia|Clarkdale]]
* [[Cumberland, Georgia|Cumberland]]
* [[East Cobb, Georgia|East Cobb]]
* [[Lost Mountain, Georgia|Lost Mountain]]
* [[Mars Hill, Georgia|Mars Hill]]
* [[Mountain Ridge, Georgia|Mountain Ridge]]
* [[Noonday, Georgia|Noonday]]
* [[Powers Park, Georgia|Powers Park]]
* [[Sandy Plains, Georgia|Sandy Plains]]
* [[Spring Hill, Georgia|Spring Hill]]
* [[Town Center Area Community Improvement District|Town Center]]
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
<!---person needs to have an article (bluelinked).
--person also needs a link to demonstrate affinity to Cobb County per [[WP:NLIST]]--->
* [[Roy Barnes]] – Governor of Georgia, 1999–2003; born in Cobb County and worked there as a prosecutor<ref name="Governors">Cook, James F. (2005). ''The Governors of Georgia, 1754–2004, 3rd Edition, Revised and Expanded.'' Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.</ref><ref name="georgiaencyclopedia1">{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2132&hl=y |title=New Georgia Encyclopedia: Roy Barnes (b. 1948) |publisher=Georgiaencyclopedia.org |access-date=August 29, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Bob Barr]] – politician; United States Representative, [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]; [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] candidate for President of the United States
* [[Big Boss Man (wrestler)|Big Boss Man]] (Ray Traylor) – professional wrestler; corrections officer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/big-boss-mans-theme-lyrics-wrestling.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421104624/http://www.metrolyrics.com/big-boss-mans-theme-lyrics-wrestling.html|archive-date=April 21, 2016|url-status=unfit|title=Wrestling – Big Boss Man's Theme Lyrics – MetroLyrics}}</ref>
* [[James V. Carmichael]] – member of the [[Georgia General Assembly]], 1935–1940; candidate for governor of Georgia, 1946<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/james-v-carmichael-1910-1972|title=James V. Carmichael (1910–1972)|encyclopedia=New Georgia Encyclopedia}}</ref>
* [[Louie Giglio]] – pastor, author, founder of the [[Passion Conferences]], pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, head of [[sixstepsrecords]]
* [[Carter Kieboom]] - professional baseball player for the [[Washington Nationals]]
* [[Lil Yachty]] – rapper
* [[Dansby Swanson]] - professional baseball player for the [[Chicago Cubs]]

==Sister county==
* {{Flag icon|South Korea}} [[Seongdong-gu]], [[Seoul, South Korea]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalatlantaworks.com/html/214.htm |title=Cobb County Delegation Visits South Korea |work=Global Atlanta Works |publisher=Atlanta Regional Commission |access-date=October 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106221334/http://www.globalatlantaworks.com/html/214.htm |archive-date=January 6, 2009 }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|State of Georgia}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Cobb County, Georgia]]
* [[List of counties in Georgia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.cobbtalks.com Cobbtalks.com, Cobb County Discussion Forum]
* [http://www.cobbcounty.org Cobb County government]
*[http://www.scancobb.com/ ScanCobb.com, Listen to Cobb County Police and Fire radio]
* [http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/cobb/cobb-county Cobb County] historical marker
*[http://www.cobbcounty.org Cobb County government]
*[http://www.cobbsheriff.org/ Cobb County Sheriff's Office]
*[http://www.cobbpolice.com/ Cobb County Police Department]
*[http://www.cobbelections.org/ Cobb County Board of Elections & Registration]


{{Geographic location
|Centre = Cobb County, Georgia
|North = [[Cherokee County, Georgia|Cherokee County]]
|Northeast =
|East = [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]]
|Southeast = [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]]
|South =
|Southwest = [[Douglas County, Georgia|Douglas County]]
|West = [[Paulding County, Georgia|Paulding County]]
|Northwest = [[Bartow County, Georgia|Bartow County]]
}}

{{Cobb County, Georgia}}
{{Atlanta Metro}}
{{Atlanta Metro}}
{{Georgia}}
{{Georgia (U.S. state)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|33.94|-84.58|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-GA_source:UScensus1990}}


[[Category:Georgia (U.S. state) counties]]
[[Category:Cobb County, Georgia| ]]
[[Category:Cobb County, Georgia| ]]
[[Category:Counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area|Cobb]]

[[Category:1832 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[de:Cobb County]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1832]]
[[pt:Condado de Cobb]]
[[Category:Majority-minority counties in Georgia]]

Latest revision as of 23:45, 14 December 2024

Cobb County
From top: Blackjack Mountain
Official seal of Cobb County
Map of Georgia highlighting Cobb County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°56′N 84°35′W / 33.94°N 84.58°W / 33.94; -84.58
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 2, 1832; 192 years ago (1832)
Named forThomas W. Cobb
SeatMarietta
Largest cityMableton
Government
 • County managerJackie McMorris
Area
 • Total
345 sq mi (890 km2)
 • Land340 sq mi (900 km2)
 • Water5.0 sq mi (13 km2)  1.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
766,149
 • Estimate 
(2023)
776,743 Increase
 • Density2,200/sq mi (860/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts6th, 11th, 13th, 14th
Websitecobbcounty.org

Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, and is a core county of the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north-central portion of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. It is the state's third most populous county, after Fulton and Gwinnett counties.[1] Its county seat is Marietta; its largest city is Mableton.[2]

Along with several adjoining counties, Cobb County was established on December 3, 1832, by the Georgia General Assembly from the large Cherokee County territory—land northwest of the Chattahoochee River which the state acquired from the Cherokee Nation and redistributed to settlers via lottery, following the passage of the federal Indian Removal Act.[3] The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, a U.S. representative and senator from Georgia. It is believed that Marietta was named for his wife, Mary.[4] Cobb County is included in the Atlanta metropolitan area and is situated immediately to the northwest of Atlanta's city limits. Its Cumberland District, an edge city, has over 24 million square feet (2,200,000 m2) of office space. Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves have played home games at Truist Park in Cumberland since 2017.[5]

In 2003, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked Cobb County as the most educated in the state of Georgia and 12th-most in the United States.[6] It has ranked among the top 100 highest-income counties in the United States.[7] In October 2017, Cobb was ranked as the "Least Obese County in Georgia." Cobb County is one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia according to the 2020 US Census.[8]

History

[edit]

Cobb County was one of nine Georgia counties carved out of the disputed territory of the Cherokee Nation in 1832.[9] It was the 81st county in Georgia and named for Judge Thomas Willis Cobb, who served as a U.S. Senator, state representative, and superior court judge. It is believed that the county seat of Marietta was named for Judge Cobb's wife, Mary.[10] The state started acquiring right-of-way for the Western & Atlantic Railroad in 1836. A train began running between Marietta and Marthasville (modern-day Atlanta) in 1845.[11]

An 1891 lithograph of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain by Kurz & Allison

During the American Civil War, some Confederate troops were trained at a camp in Big Shanty (now Kennesaw), where the Andrews Raid occurred, starting the Great Locomotive Chase.[11] There were battles of New Hope Church May 25, 1864, Pickett's Mill May 27, and Dallas May 28. These were followed by the prolonged series of battles through most of June 1864 until very early July: the Battle of Marietta and the Battle of Noonday Creek.[12] The Battle of Allatoona Pass on October 5, 1864, occurred as Sherman was starting his march through Georgia. Union forces burnt most houses and confiscated or burnt crops.[13] The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain on June 27, 1864, was the site of the only major Confederate victory in General William T. Sherman's invasion of Georgia. Despite the victory, Union forces outflanked the Confederates.[citation needed] In 1915, Leo Frank, the Jewish supervisor of an Atlanta pencil factory who was convicted of murdering one of his workers, thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan, was kidnapped from his jail cell and brought to Frey's Gin, two miles (3.2 km) east of Marietta, where he was lynched.

Cotton workers in Mableton, around 1900

Cotton farming in the area peaked from the 1890s through the 1920s. Low prices during the Great Depression resulted in the cessation of cotton farming throughout Cobb County.[14] The price of cotton went from 16¢ per pound (35¢/kg) in 1920 to 9½¢ (21¢/kg) in 1930. This resulted in a cotton bust for the county, which had stopped growing the product but was milling it. This bust was followed by the Great Depression.[11][15][clarification needed] To help combat the bust, the state started work on a road in 1922 that would later become U.S. 41, later replaced by Cobb Parkway in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

F-47 Thunderbolt128th Fighter SquadronMarietta Army Airfield, 1946

In 1942, Bell Aircraft opened a Marietta plant to manufacture B-29 bombers and Marietta Army Airfield was founded. Both were closed after World War II but reopened during the Korean War when the Air Force acquired the airfield, renamed Dobbins AFB, and the plant by Lockheed. During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Lockheed Marietta was the leading manufacturer of military transport planes, including the C-130 Hercules and the C-5 Galaxy. "In Cobb County and other sprawling Cold War suburbs from Orange County to Norfolk/Hampton Roads, the direct link between federal defense spending and local economic prosperity structured a bipartisan political culture of hawkish conservatism and material self-interest on issues of national security."[16]

Kennesaw State University

When county home rule was enacted statewide by amendment to the Georgia state constitution in the early 1960s, Ernest W. Barrett became the first chairman of the new county commission. The county courthouse, built in 1888, was demolished, spurring a law that now prevents counties from doing so without a referendum. In the 1960s and 1970s, Cobb transformed from rural to suburban, as integration spurred white flight from the city of Atlanta, which by 1970 was majority-African-American. Real-estate booms drew rural white southerners and Rust Belt transplants, both groups mostly first-generation white-collar workers. Cobb County was the home of former segregationist and Georgia governor Lester Maddox (1966–71). In 1975, Cobb voters elected John Birch Society leader Larry McDonald to Congress, running in opposition to desegregation busing. A conservative Democrat, McDonald called for investigations into alleged plots by the Rockefellers and the Soviet Union to impose "socialist-one-world-government" and co-founded the Western Goals Foundation. In 1983, McDonald died aboard Korean Air Lines Flight 007, shot down by a Soviet fighter jet over restricted airspace. I-75 through the county is now named for him.

Glover Park Bell, on the square in Marietta

In 1990, Republican Congressmen Newt Gingrich became Representative of a new district centered around Cobb County. In 1994, as Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in almost fifty years, Gingrich became Speaker of the House, thrusting Cobb County into the national spotlight.

In 1993, county commissioners passed a resolution condemning homosexuality and cutting off funding for the arts after complaints about a community theater.[17] After protests from gay rights organizations, organizers of the 1996 Summer Olympics pulled events out of Cobb County, including the Olympic Torch Relay. The county's inns were nevertheless filled at 100% of capacity for two months during the event.[11]

In the 1990s and 2000s, Cobb's demographics changed. As Atlanta's gentrification reversed decades of white flight, middle-class African-Americans and Russian, Bosnian, Chinese, Indian, Brazilian, Mexican, and Central American immigrants moved to older suburbs in south and southwest Cobb. In 2010, African-American Democrat David Scott was elected to Georgia's 13th congressional district, which included many of those suburbs. Cobb became the first Georgia county to participate in the Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(g) enabling local law officers to enforce immigration law.[citation needed]

Geography

[edit]
Union Trenches at Kennesaw Mountain, 1864
Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (890 km2), of which 340 square miles (880 km2) is land and 4.0 square miles (10 km2) (1.4%) is water.[18] The county is located in the upper Piedmont region of the state, with a few mountains located within the county, considered to be part of the southernmost extensions of the Appalachian Mountains.

The county is divided between two major basins. Most runoff flows into the Middle Chattahoochee-Lake Harding and Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basins of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin) along the southeastern border, directly via Willeo Creek, Sope Creek (Sewell Creek), Rottenwood Creek (Powers Creek, Poorhouse Creek, Poplar Creek), Nickajack Creek and others.[citation needed] The large Sweetwater Creek is the other major stream, carrying the waters of Noses Creek (Ward Creek, Olley Creek, Mud Creek), Powder Springs Creek (Rakestraw Creek, Mill Creek) and others into the Chattahoochee. A ridge from Lost Mountain in the west, to Kennesaw Mountain in the north-central, to Sweat Mountain in the extreme northeast, divides the far north-northwest of the county into the Etowah River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin), which includes Lake Allatoona. Noonday Creek (Little Noonday Creek) flows northward into the lake, as does Allatoona Creek, which forms a major arm of the lake. Proctor Creek forms the much older Lake Acworth, which in turn empties directly into Lake Allatoona under the Lake Acworth Drive (Georgia 92) bridge.[citation needed] North Cobb is in the Coosa River basin.[citation needed]

There are several high points in Cobb County.

Adjacent counties

[edit]
Metro Atlanta

Addressing

[edit]

Despite the lack of a grid system of city blocks though the county, all street addresses have their numeric origin at the southwest corner of the town square in Marietta.[citation needed]

Geocodes and the world's largest toll-free calling area

[edit]
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center

Originally in area code 404, the county was moved into area code 770 in 1995, and overlaid by area code 678 in 1998. Before 1995, those with phones tied to the Woodstock telephone exchange (prefixes 924, 926, 928, later 516 and 591) could also call the Canton exchange (479, later 445, then 704) as a local call. This became moot, along with other dual-zone exchanges in metro Atlanta, when the exurban exchanges (including Canton) were fully made a part of what was already the world's largest toll-free calling zone. It is a zone spanning 7,162 square miles (18,549 km2),[19] with four active telephone area codes, and local calling extending into portions of two others.

Cobb's FIPS county code is 13067. Because the National Weather Service has not subdivided the county, its WRSAME code is 013067, for receiving targeted weather warnings from NOAA Weather Radio. The county is primarily within the broadcast range of one weather radio station: KEC80, on 162.550 MHz,[20] transmitted to all of metro Atlanta and broadcast from NWSFO Peachtree City. The secondary station is the much newer WWH23 on 162.425 from Buchanan, which also transmits warnings for Cobb but has reception mainly in the western part of the county.[21]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18407,539
185013,84383.6%
186014,2422.9%
187013,814−3.0%
188020,74850.2%
189022,2867.4%
190024,66410.7%
191028,39715.1%
192030,4377.2%
193035,40816.3%
194038,2728.1%
195061,83061.6%
1960114,17484.7%
1970196,79372.4%
1980297,71851.3%
1990447,74550.4%
2000607,75135.7%
2010688,07813.2%
2020766,14911.3%
2023 (est.)776,743[22]1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[23]
1790-1880[24] 1890-1910[25]
1920-1930[26] 1930-1940[27]
1940-1950[28] 1960-1980[29]
1980-2000[30] 2010[31] 2020[31]

2020 census

[edit]
Cobb 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[32] Pop 2010[31] Pop 2020[33] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 417,947 387,438 369,182 68.77% 56.31% 48.19%
Black or African American alone (NH) 112,924 168,053 200,072 18.58% 24.42% 26.11%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 1,156 1,332 1,289 0.19% 0.19% 0.17%
Asian alone (NH) 18,417 30,432 42,533 3.03% 4.42% 5.55%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 192 267 293 0.03% 0.04% 0.04%
Other race alone (NH) 1,706 2,961 7,382 0.28% 0.43% 0.96%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 8,445 13,265 34,158 1.39% 1.93% 4.46%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 46,964 84,330 111,240 7.73% 12.26% 14.52%
Total 607,751 688,078 766,149 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 766,149 people, 286,952 households, and 191,533 families residing in the county.

2010 Census

[edit]

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 688,078 people, 260,056 households, and 175,357 families residing in the county.[34] The population density was 2,026.4 inhabitants per square mile (782.4/km2). There were 286,490 housing units at an average density of 843.7 per square mile (325.8/km2).[35] The racial makeup of the county was 62.21% white, 24.96% black or African American, 4.46% Asian, 0.34% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.28% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.26% of the population.[34] Regarding specific ethnic origins, 10.4% cited German, 10.0% English, 9.3% Irish, and 8.6% American ancestry.[36]

Of the 260,056 households, 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.6% were non-families, and 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age was 35.4 years.[34]

The median income for a household in the county was $65,522 and the median income for a family was $78,920. Males had a median income of $55,200 versus $43,367 for females. The per capita income for the county was $33,110. About 7.6% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.[37]

2000 Census

[edit]

As of 2000, there were 697,553 people, 248,303 households, and 169,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,998 inhabitants per square mile (771/km2). There were 261,659 housing units at an average density of 770 per square mile (300/km2). The racial makeup of the county in 2000 was 72.4% White, 18.8% Black,[38] 0.3% Native American, 3.06% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 5.3% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. 7.73% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.[39]

There were 248,303 households, out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the county, 26.10% of the population was under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 6.90% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males.

As of 2007, the median income was $70,472. The per capita income for the county was $32,740. About 6.0% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.[40]

Education

[edit]

Public schools

[edit]

School districts include:[41]

Private schools

[edit]

Colleges and universities

[edit]

Libraries

[edit]

Cobb County maintains the Cobb County Public Library System.[50] The libraries provide resources such as books, videos, internet access, printing, and computer classes. The libraries in the CCPLS are:

  • East Cobb Library
  • Gritters Library
  • Kemp Memorial Library
  • Lewis A. Ray Library
  • Mountain View Regional Library
  • North Cobb Regional Library
  • Powder Springs Library
  • Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center
  • Sibley Library
  • South Cobb Regional Library
  • Joanne P. Stratton Library
  • Sweetwater Valley Library
  • Charles D. Switzer Library
  • Vinings Library
  • West Cobb Regional Library
  • Bookmobile

The Smyrna Public Library is a city-owned library in Smyrna and is not part of the county system.

Government and elections

[edit]

Under Georgia's home rule provision, county governments have free rein to legislate on all matters within the county, provided that such legislation does not conflict with state or federal laws or constitutions.

Cobb County is governed by a five-member board of commissioners, which has both legislative and executive authority within the county. The chairman of the board is elected county-wide. The other four commissioners are elected from single-member districts. The board hires a county manager who oversees the day-to-day operations of the county's executive departments.

Cobb County Board of Commissioners

[edit]
District Name Party First elected Region Represented[51]
  At-Large (chair) Lisa Cupid Democratic 2020 All
  1 Keli Gambrill Republican 2018 Northwest Cobb
  2 Jerica Richardson Democratic 2020 Southeast Cobb
  3 JoAnn Birrell Republican 2010 Northeast Cobb
  4 Monique Sheffield Democratic 2020 Southwest Cobb
Cobb County Government Building

County residents also elect a sheriff, district attorney, probate court judge, clerk of the superior court, clerk of the state court, state court solicitor, chief magistrate judge (who then appoints other magistrate court judges), superior court judges, state court judges, tax commissioner, surveyor, and a seven-member board of education. In addition to the county sheriff, the constitutional chief law enforcement officer of the county, Cobb County has a separate police department under the authority of the Board of Commissioners. The sheriff oversees the jail, to which everyone arrested under state law is taken, regardless of the city or other area of the county where it happens, or which police department makes the arrest.

Each city has a separate police department, answerable to its governing council. Marietta, Smyrna, and Austell have separate fire departments, with the Cobb County Fire Department being the authority having jurisdiction over Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs, and unincorporated areas. Cobb 911 covers unincorporated areas and the city of Marietta. Kennesaw and Acworth jointly operate a small 911 call center (PSAP) upstairs in Kennesaw city hall, dispatching the police departments in both cities, and forwarding fire calls to Cobb. Smyrna operates a separate PSAP while offering dispatch services to the city of Powder Springs. Austell operates its own separate 911 system.

The county retails potable water to much of the county and wholesales it to various cities.[52]

The current County Manager is Jackie R. McMorris.[53]

Politics

[edit]

From 1964 until 2012, the county was a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. The only time during this period that the county supported a Democrat was in 1976 when native son Jimmy Carter swept every county in the state. Before 1960, it was a "Solid South" Democratic county, except when Warren G. Harding came close to carrying it in 1920, and when Herbert Hoover won it by nine points due to anti-Catholic voting against Al Smith in 1928.

In the late 20th century, the county developed a reputation as a conservative stronghold.[54] However, due to rapid racial and ethnic demographic changes since the 1990s, along with population growth coming from blue northern states, the county has increasingly supported the Democratic Party. In 2016, when Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat to win Cobb County since Jimmy Carter in 1976, and the first non-Georgian Democrat since John F. Kennedy in 1960. The county then supported Joe Biden in 2020 by 14 points–the best showing for a Democrat since Kennedy in 1960. This was crucial to Biden winning the state for the Democrats for the first time since 1992.

In 2018, Stacey Abrams became the first Democrat to win Cobb County[55][56] in a gubernatorial election since 1986, when Joe Frank Harris swept every county statewide.

United States presidential election results for Cobb County, Georgia[57]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 168,679 41.66% 228,404 56.42% 7,776 1.92%
2020 165,436 41.99% 221,847 56.30% 6,739 1.71%
2016 152,912 45.77% 160,121 47.93% 21,025 6.29%
2012 171,722 55.25% 133,124 42.83% 5,989 1.93%
2008 170,957 54.08% 141,216 44.67% 3,951 1.25%
2004 173,467 61.94% 103,955 37.12% 2,639 0.94%
2000 140,494 59.78% 86,676 36.88% 7,857 3.34%
1996 114,188 56.93% 73,750 36.77% 12,635 6.30%
1992 103,734 52.62% 63,960 32.45% 29,437 14.93%
1988 106,621 72.70% 39,297 26.79% 740 0.50%
1984 97,429 77.42% 28,414 22.58% 0 0.00%
1980 51,977 54.25% 39,157 40.87% 4,682 4.89%
1976 34,324 43.27% 45,002 56.73% 0 0.00%
1972 43,977 85.12% 7,688 14.88% 0 0.00%
1968 18,649 41.25% 8,755 19.37% 17,805 39.38%
1964 20,863 55.62% 16,647 44.38% 1 0.00%
1960 8,240 38.97% 12,906 61.03% 0 0.00%
1956 6,798 36.76% 11,696 63.24% 0 0.00%
1952 4,163 29.02% 10,182 70.98% 0 0.00%
1948 1,524 21.47% 4,766 67.15% 808 11.38%
1944 1,349 21.25% 5,000 78.75% 0 0.00%
1940 992 18.21% 4,447 81.63% 9 0.17%
1936 707 20.11% 2,802 79.72% 6 0.17%
1932 218 6.56% 3,079 92.71% 24 0.72%
1928 1,711 54.54% 1,426 45.46% 0 0.00%
1924 362 18.95% 1,360 71.20% 188 9.84%
1920 1,095 47.55% 1,208 52.45% 0 0.00%
1916 434 18.70% 1,750 75.40% 137 5.90%
1912 307 18.35% 1,329 79.44% 37 2.21%
1908 548 33.62% 889 54.54% 193 11.84%
1904 220 12.85% 1,171 68.40% 321 18.75%
1900 311 19.73% 1,156 73.35% 109 6.92%
1896 758 33.87% 1,387 61.97% 93 4.16%
1892 564 19.63% 1,794 62.44% 515 17.93%
1888 391 25.03% 1,143 73.18% 28 1.79%
1884 536 28.09% 1,372 71.91% 0 0.00%
1880 559 22.02% 1,980 77.98% 0 0.00%

2020 voter suppression controversy

[edit]

In 2020, in the turmoil surrounding the election defeat of Donald Trump, the chairman of the Cobb County Republicans and another person challenged the election results in an attempt to remove 16,024 Cobb County voters from eligibility to vote in the runoff election for both Georgia senators, scheduled for January 5, 2021. The county Board of Elections held a hearing to decide whether there was probable cause to move forward with hearings for each name on the list. The Board's attorney stated there was no probable cause and gave reasons. After a brief discussion, the board voted unanimously to deny the challenge.[58][59]

Taxes

[edit]

In addition to the 4% statewide sales tax, Cobb County levies an additional 2% for special projects, each 1% subject to separate renewal every few years by countywide referendum (including within its cities). This funds mainly transportation and parks. Cobb levies a 1% tax to lower property taxes, but only for the public school budget, and not the additional 1% HOST homestead exemption for general funds. The county has also voted not to pay the extra 1% to join MARTA.

At the beginning of 2006, Cobb became the last county in the state to raise the tax to 6%, which also doubled the tax on food to 2%. The SPLOST barely passed by a 114 vote margin, or less than one-quarter of a percent, in a September 2005 referendum. The revenue was to go to a new county courthouse, expanded jail, various transportation projects, and the purchasing of property for parks and green space.[60] In 2008, the school tax was renewed for a third term, funding the Marietta and Cobb school systems.

Economy

[edit]

The Cobb County School District is Cobb County's largest employer, employing over 15,000 people.[61]

Private corporations include:

Retail

[edit]

Shopping centers in the county include:

Diplomatic missions

[edit]

The Consulate-General of Costa Rica in Atlanta is located in Suite 100 at 1870 The Exchange in an unincorporated section of Cobb County.[71]

Transportation

[edit]
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

Major highways

[edit]

Airports

[edit]

Rail

[edit]

Until 1971, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, running on tracks now owned by CSX, operated passenger trains through Marietta depot.

Cobb County is not part of the MARTA Rail network, because its voters rejected MARTA development in a 1965 referendum which led to its creation.[72]

Mass transit

[edit]
  • Xpress GA/RTA commuter buses and CobbLinc Marietta/Cobb Counties Transit System serve the county. MARTA also has a connecting bus service to the Cumberland, Georgia business district in the southeastern part of the county.[73]

Recreation

[edit]
Sope Creek Ruins
Silver Comet Trail and bike path

Venues

[edit]

Communities

[edit]
Cobb County landmark and reference point "The Big Chicken"
Historic Downtown Marietta

Cities

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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Notable people

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Sister county

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ US 2020 Census Bureau report, Cobb County, Georgia
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Cobb County, Georgia". Archived from the original on June 4, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  4. ^ "New Georgia Encyclopedia: Marietta". Georgiaencyclopedia.org. September 3, 2003. Archived from the original on October 5, 2009. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  5. ^ Martin, Jill. "Braves begin new chapter at SunTrust Park". CNN. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "ACS: Ranking Table – Percent of People With a Bachelor's Degree or More". October 4, 2003. Archived from the original on October 4, 2003. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
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  8. ^ "Least Obese County in Every State". MSN. September 8, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
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  10. ^ "Marietta | Georgia.gov". Marietta.georgia.gov. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
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  12. ^ "Research OnLine – 4th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment". www.researchonline.net. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  13. ^ Images of Acworth Society for Historic Preservation. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. 2006. p. 7. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  14. ^ Images of Acworth Society for Historic Preservation. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. 2006. p. 56. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  15. ^ "Textile World - the Roaring Twenties: Recession, Boom, Depression". Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
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  17. ^ Applebome, Peter (August 2, 1993). "County's Anti-Gay Move Catches Few by Surprise". The New York Times.
  18. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 1, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
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  23. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
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  35. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
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  39. ^ Data Access and Dissemination Systems. "U.S. Census website".
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  41. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Cobb County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved September 25, 2024. - Text list
  42. ^ "Cumberland School". Cumberland School. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  43. ^ School, Dominion Christian. "Dominion Christian School – Reston, Virginia". www.dominionschool.com.
  44. ^ "Midway Covenant Christian School". Midway Covenant Christian School.
  45. ^ "Home". www.mtparanschool.com.
  46. ^ "North Cobb Christian School – Private School Open House – North Cobb Christian School". www.ncchristian.org. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  47. ^ "GNIS Detail – The Walker School". geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
  48. ^ "Our Campus – Whitefield Academy". www.whitefieldacademy.com.
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  55. ^ Brasch, Ben. "Stacey Abrams won Cobb. But how did your neighbors vote?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
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  58. ^ Johnson, Larry Felton (December 17, 2020). "Breaking: Cobb Republicans attempt to get 16,024 Cobb County voters declared ineligible for voting in the runoffs". Cobb County Courier. Cobb County, Georgia. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
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  78. ^ a b "Arts Center". The Mable House. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
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  93. ^ "Cobb County Delegation Visits South Korea". Global Atlanta Works. Atlanta Regional Commission. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
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33°56′N 84°35′W / 33.94°N 84.58°W / 33.94; -84.58