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Acworth, Georgia

Coordinates: 34°03′46″N 84°40′12″W / 34.06278°N 84.67000°W / 34.06278; -84.67000
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Acworth, Georgia
City
Downtown Acworth (2020)
Downtown Acworth (2020)
Flag of Acworth, Georgia
Flag
Official logo of Acworth, Georgia
Logo
Motto: 
The Lake City
Map
Map
Map
Map
Coordinates: 34°03′46″N 84°40′12″W / 34.06278°N 84.67000°W / 34.06278; -84.67000
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyCobb
Incorporated1840
Government
 • MayorTommy Allegood
Area
[1]
 • Total
9.79 sq mi (25.36 km2)
 • Land9.09 sq mi (23.54 km2)
 • Water0.70 sq mi (1.81 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
22,440
 • Density2,468.65/sq mi (953.11/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code
30101, 30102
Area code
FIPS code13-00408
Websitewww.acworth-ga.gov

Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, this city had a population of 22,440, up from 20,425 in 2010. Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River. Unincorporated areas known as Acworth extend into Bartow, Cherokee, and Paulding counties.

Acworth is often referred to as "the Lake City" because of its proximity to Lake Allatoona and Lake Acworth.[2]

History

Like the rest of Cobb County, the area now containing Acworth was carved out of the former Cherokee Nation in 1831 after the natives were expelled.[3]

The Western and Atlantic Railroad was completed through town in 1840. A watering station for the locomotives was established there.[4]

The town received its current name in 1843 from Western & Atlantic Railroad engineer Joseph L. Gregg, who named it for his hometown of Acworth, New Hampshire, which was named for the former Royal Navy Surveyor Sir Jacob Acworth.[5]

Telegraph lines reached the town in 1851.

A private school was opened for white students in 1852. A newer private school operated from 1899 to 1935, when they integrated with the Cobb County School District. Until 1935, high school students from Acworth paid tuition to attend. Students outside the town were subsidized by the Cobb County School Board. Black students were educated separately in a grammar school. The closest Black high school was in Atlanta. Later, students were bused by the county to a segregated school in Marietta.[6]

Acworth was incorporated on December 1, 1860.

Volunteers to fight in the Civil War enlisted in what became Company A ("Acworth Infantry") in the 18th Georgia Volunteer Infantry and Company C ("Invincibles") in the 41st Georgia Volunteer Infantry.[7]

The town was captured by the Union on June 6, 1864. The city was called "Little Shanty" by the Union troops, to contrast it with the next town south, "Big Shanty", since renamed Kennesaw. The town was under martial law during the six months of occupation. On November 13, 1864, the town was burned down by the army of General W. T. Sherman, sparing 12 homes and one church; its citizens were left destitute.

The town had nearly recovered by the 1880s. Cotton farming in the area peaked from the 1890s through the 1920s. Low prices during the Great Depression resulted in a cessation of cotton farming in the area and throughout Cobb County.[8]

During segregation, the railroad tracks served as a racial divide, with African Americans living to the northeast of the tracks and the whites to the southwest. There were few common public events. When a movie theater was erected in the 1930s, Blacks were allowed to access the balcony from a separate entrance. Whites sat on the main floor.[9]

Volunteers formed a fire department in 1907.[10]

There were eventually three textile mills in town from 1905 through the 1980s. They employed about 800 workers at their peak.[11]

In 1926, Main Street was paved. When the entire Dixie Highway (old U.S. Route 41 and part of the Cherokee Peachtree Trail) was paved in 1929, over 800 tourist vehicles entered the city daily.[12]

When the Etowah River was dammed, forming Lake Allatoona, citizens feared that land near the town would become a swamp. They successfully petitioned for a second dam, resulting in Lake Acworth in the 1950s. This became a tourist attraction.[13]

The town made a major improvement in its water and sewage lines in the late 1940s.[14]

The city elected its first woman mayor, Mary McCall, in 1956 and 1961–66.[15]

African-American students were schooled separately from white children until 1967.[6]

Acworth was recognized as a 2010 All-America City Award winner by the National Civic League.[16][17]

In 2011, the filming of several scenes for the Footloose remake took place in downtown Acworth. The Acworth Presbyterian Church was used as the primary church, and the house of Mayor Tommy Allegood was used as Julianne Hough's character's home.[citation needed][18]

In 2017, the city was the site of the WWA Wakeboarding National Championship.[15]

Geography

Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River. It is bordered by the city of Kennesaw to the southeast and by Bartow and Cherokee counties to the north.

Interstate 75 runs through the northern part of the city in Cherokee and Bartow counties, with access from exits 277 and 278. Via I-75, downtown Atlanta is 34 mi (55 km) southeast, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, is 88 mi (142 km) northwest. U.S. Route 41 and Georgia State Route 92 also run through the city, with GA-92 leading east 12 mi (19 km) to Woodstock, and south 18 mi (29 km) to Hiram. US-41 runs to the west of the city, leading southeast 6 mi (9.7 km) to Kennesaw, Georgia and northwest 12 mi (19 km) to Cartersville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.8 square miles (22.7 km2), of which 8.3 square miles (21.4 km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km2), or 6.05%, is water.[19]

Unincorporated areas considered Acworth for mailing purposes extend into southeast Bartow County, southwest Cherokee County, and northeast Paulding County. Some of the incorporated portions of Acworth east of Nance Road and Acworth Due West Road have a Kennesaw mailing address.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880633—
189081528.8%
190093715.0%
19101,04311.3%
19201,1177.1%
19301,1634.1%
19401,2678.9%
19501,46615.7%
19602,35960.9%
19703,92966.6%
19803,648−7.2%
19904,51923.9%
200013,422197.0%
201020,42552.2%
202022,4409.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]
1850-1870[21] 1880[22]
1890-1910[23] 1920-1930[24]
1930-1940[25] 1940-1950[26]
1960-1980[27]1980-2000[28]

2020 census

Acworth racial composition[29]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 11,260 50.18%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 5,803 25.86%
Native American 39 0.17%
Asian 920 4.1%
Pacific Islander 5 0.02%
Other/mixed 1,168 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3,245 14.46%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,440 people, 8,337 households, and 5,470 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census[30] of 2000, there were 13,422 people, 5,194 households, and 3,589 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,896.9 inhabitants per square mile (732.4/km2). There were 5,453 housing units at an average density of 770.7 per square mile (297.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 79.7% White, 12.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.05% of the population.

There were 5,194 households, out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 41.0% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

Government

City Hall

The city is governed by a five-member Board of Aldermen, who serve staggered four-year terms. The mayor is elected to four-year terms.[31]

An unusual ordinance once required all citizens to own a rake.[32] This ordinance was enacted shortly after the neighboring city of Kennesaw, Georgia ordered every homeowner to own a gun in 1982. The requirement to own a rake is no longer in effect.[33]

The city maintains ten public parks: Acworth Sports Complex, Baker Plantation, Dallas Landing, East Lakeshore, Frana Brown, Logan Farm, Newberry, Overlook, Proctor Landing, and South Shore.

Education

Public education in Acworth is handled by the Cobb County School District.[34]

Public schools include:

Private schools include:

Transportation

A CSX train passing through downtown Acworth

Major roads

The main route through the center of Acworth is Main Street, a two-lane road. It is known as "Old 41" as it was formerly the route for US 41. State Route 92 and the new Highway 41 pass through the southern part of the city. The newly built Seven Hills Connector connects South Acworth to Paulding County. Bells Ferry Road goes through Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta, and Woodstock.

Pedestrians and cycling

  • Acworth Trail
  • Graves Path

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Geocities.com Retrieved on February 10, 2008 Archived 2009-10-24.
  3. ^ "New Georgia Encyclopedia: Cobb County". Georgiaencyclopedia.org. November 15, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  4. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  5. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  6. ^ a b Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  7. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  8. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 56. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  9. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  10. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 73. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  11. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 77, 78. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  12. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 2. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  13. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 111. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  14. ^ Acworth Society for Historic Preservation (2006). Images of Acworth. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 0-7385-1479-9.
  15. ^ a b Caldwell, Carla (August 2017). "From the Editor". Around Acworth. p. 4. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ "National Civic League selects All-America cities". The Denver Post. June 18, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Stevens, Alexis (August 11, 2012). "Georgia has an All-America City". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  18. ^ "The Marietta Daily Journal - '80s remake has Cobb ties". Mdjonline.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  19. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Acworth city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  20. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". US Census Bureau.
  21. ^ "1870 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1870.
  22. ^ "1880 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  23. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  24. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930. p. 251-256.
  25. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  26. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  27. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  28. ^ "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  29. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  30. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  31. ^ [1] Archived October 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  32. ^ "Funtrivia.com". Retrieved February 10, 2008.
  33. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  34. ^ "Cobb County School District". www.cobbk12.org.
  35. ^ "Acworth Elementary School". www.cobbk12.org.
  36. ^ "Baker Elementary School". www.cobbk12.org.
  37. ^ "Ford Elementary School". www.cobbk12.org.
  38. ^ "Frey Elementary School". www.cobbk12.org. June 8, 2023.
  39. ^ "McCall Primary School". www.cobbk12.org.
  40. ^ "Pickett's Mill Elementary School". www.cobbk12.org.
  41. ^ "Pitner Elementary School". www.cobbk12.org.
  42. ^ "Barber Middle School". www.cobbk12.org.
  43. ^ "Durham Middle School Home Page". www.cobbk12.org.
  44. ^ "Allatoona High School". www.cobbk12.org.
  45. ^ "North Cobb High School". www.cobbk12.org.
  46. ^ North Cobb Christian School
  47. ^ Smith, Suzanne (June 21, 2014). "Johnny Archer: The Scorpion, The Man". sneakypetemafia.com. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  48. ^ "Acworth golfer Jason Bohn had 99 percent blockage of major artery". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. February 27, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  49. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (January 11, 2016). "David Bowie's ex-wife, Angie, still maintains Georgia ties". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  50. ^ Roberson, Doug (March 20, 2016). "Acworth's Creavalle notches first assist in MLS this season". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
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