Cherokee County, Georgia

History

Original territory

Cherokee County was created by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 26, 1831, covering a vast area northwest of the Chattahoochee River and Chestatee River (except for Carroll County). It was named after the Cherokee people who lived in the area at that time.

The discovery of gold in local streams accelerated the push of European Americans to expel the Cherokee from their land.

In 1832, the State of Georgia implemented the Cherokee Land Lottery, which gave deeds of land that had previously belonged to the Cherokee people to white male citizens. The forcible removal of the Cherokee people to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River began during this year.

Partition

Etowah was declared the county seat in 1833. Its name was later changed to Canton, which is still the county seat today.

In 1857, part of the southeastern corner of the county was ceded by the General Assembly to form Milton County (now the cities of Milton, Alpharetta, Roswell, and parts of Sandy Springs, within north Fulton County).

Development

In the 1890s, The Atlanta & Knoxville Railroad (later renamed the Marietta & North Georgia Railroad when it could not be completed to Knoxville) built a branch line through the middle of the county. When this line was bought by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in the following decade, the L&N Railroad built stations at Woodstock and Holly Springs.

Cherokee County began to see rapid population growth following the construction of Interstate 575, the first phase of which opened in 1979. The freeway bisects the county and serves as its primary thoroughfare, running from Kennesaw north through Woodstock, Holly Springs, Canton, and Ball Ground. Today, the county is most densely populated in its southern areas, which are closest to the City of Atlanta.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 434 sqmi, of which 422 sqmi are land and 13 sqmi (2.9%) are covered by water. Much of the water is in Lake Allatoona in the southwest. The lake is fed by the Etowah and Little Rivers (the county's primary waterways), and other large streams such as Noonday Creek. Much of the northern part of the county begins to rise toward the foothills of the north Georgia mountains.

The vast majority of Cherokee County is located in the [Etowah River] sub-basin of the Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin, with only a small northwesterly corner of the county located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same basin.

Mountains

Nine summits are listed by the United States Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System as being in the county. From tallest to lowest, they are:

• Bear Mountain – 2297 ft
• Pine Log Mountain – 2260 ft
• Oakey Mountain – 1686 ft
• Dry Pond Mountain – 1644 ft
• Hickory Log Mountain – 1545 ft
• Polecat Mountain – 1503 ft
• Byrd Mountain – 1358 ft
• Garland Mountain – 1348 ft
• Posey Mountain – 1306 ft

Adjacent counties

• Pickens – north
• Dawson – northeast
• Forsyth – east
• Fulton – southeast
• Cobb – south
• Bartow – west
• Gordon – northwest

Government, politics, and policing

An exurban county of Metro Atlanta, Cherokee County strongly supports the Republican Party. Having consistently followed a Solid South voting pattern for the bulk of the late 19th century and again from the Great Depression through the civil rights movement, the most recent Democratic presidential candidate to win Cherokee County is Georgian Jimmy Carter, who carried it in both of his bids.

The county had voted Republican even during the Jim Crow era, voting Republican in 1900, 1908, 1920, and 1928. It voted for a third-party candidate in 1912 and 1968.

In addition, it has not voted Democratic at the state level since the 1994 elections, when it supported Democratic candidates for Secretary of State and Agriculture Commissioner.

The GOP margin of victory has decreased in recent presidential cycles as population growth has led Metro Atlanta and, in turn, the state as a whole to shift politically leftward. The county remains a Republican stronghold, but less than it used to be. In 2024, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris won 30% of the vote in the county, the highest percentage since 1980.

For state politics, Cherokee County is part of districts 44, 46 and 47 for elections to the Georgia House of Representatives and districts 21, 32 and 56 for the Georgia State Senate.

Government

The five-member board of commissioners is elected from four districts, with an at-large county commission chair. Thus, members are elected as residents of geographic districts, but the commission chair must receive the majority vote of the county in total. Each is elected to a four-year term.

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and city police agencies

The county is under the jurisdiction of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, which is currently headed by Sheriff Frank Reynolds. Unlike some other metro Atlanta counties in Georgia, the Cherokee Sheriff's Office is a full-service Sheriff's Office meaning they manage the Adult Detention Center (jail), and handle law enforcement for unincorporated areas of Cherokee County. The incorporated cities within Cherokee County, Woodstock, Canton, Holly Springs, and Ball Ground, have independent municipal police departments.

Cherokee County Marshal's Office

Originally formed by the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners as the Cherokee County Police, the Marshal's office is composed of Sworn Deputies and civilian Animal Control Officers. The Deputies primarily handle code enforcement (in unincorporated areas), commercial vehicle traffic enforcement, park ordinance enforcement, business and liquor licenses, Cherokee Probation arrests and transports, as well as enforcing State Laws (including traffic laws) and assisting the Sheriff's Office and City Police. The civilian Animal Control Officers enforce all animal related ordinances within the county, including cities.

Politics

As of 2021, all state, county, and municipal elected officials representing Cherokee County are members of the Republican Party, with the exception of officials who hold officially non-partisan offices.

Cherokee County had voting patterns similar to most Solid South and Georgia counties prior to 1964 in presidential elections, though Democratic Party candidates did not win by as wide margins as they did in the rest of the state and the Deep South. In fact, the county backed Republican candidates four times between 1900 and 1960. From 1964 onward, the county has swung strongly toward the Republicans, only failing to vote for the Republican in presidential elections since then in 1968 when segregationist George Wallace appealed to anti-Civil Rights Act sentiment and in the two times Georgian Jimmy Carter was on the ballot in 1976 and 1980. In addition, unlike the inner suburban counties of the Atlanta metropolitan area, Cherokee County has continued to vote for Republicans by landslide margins, although the margins have decreased slightly in the most recent elections with the growth of the metropolitan area. In 2020, the majority of votes from all of the 42 county election precincts were cast for incumbent President Donald Trump.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1880 1890–1910 1920–1930 1930–1940 1940–1950 1960–1980 1980–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 266,620; the census recorded 95,916 households, including 69,257 families, within the county. Of the residents, 23.9% were under the age of 18 and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.3 males. 81.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 18.3% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 76.8% White, 6.7% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.7% from some other race, and 9.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.0% of the population.

Of the 95,916 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 100,813 housing units, of which 4.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.2% were owner-occupied and 22.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, 214,346 people, 75,936 households, and 57,876 families were living in the county. The population density was 508.3 PD/sqmi. The 82,360 housing units averaged 195.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 86.6% White, 5.65% Black or African American, 1.65% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.6% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin of any race made up 9.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.2% were Irish, 16.1% were German, 14.1% were English, 10.7% were American, and 5.7% were Italian.

Of the 75,936 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.8% were not families, and 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $66,320 and for a family was $77,190. Males had a median income of $53,773 versus $40,153 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,217. About 5.5% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 141,903 people, 49,495 households, and 39,200 families resided in the county. The population density was 335 PD/sqmi.

Of the 49,495 households, 41.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.20% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.80% were not families. About 16.00% 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 2.85 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the county, the population was distributed as 28.30% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 35.80% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 6.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $60,896, and for a family was $66,419. Males had a median income of $44,374 versus $31,036 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,871. About 3.50% of families and 5.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Main article: Cherokee County School District (Georgia)

Public schools

There is one school district in the county, Cherokee County School District. All areas of the county are in this school district.

Charter schools:

• Cherokee Charter Academy - Unincorporated area

Private schools

Private schools in Cherokee County include:

• Lyndon Academy (Holly Springs)
• Cherokee Christian Schools (Woodstock)
• Cherokee Christian Academy (Woodstock)
• Community Christian School (Canton)
• Crossroads Christian School (Canton)
• Omega Learning Academy (Woodstock)
• The King's Academy (Woodstock)

Higher education

• Reinhardt University is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Waleska, Georgia.

Chattahoochee Technical College has campuses in Woodstock and Canton in Cherokee County.

Transportation

Major highways

• Bells Ferry Road (Old SR 205)

• East Cherokee Drive

• Towne Lake Parkway

• Woodstock Road

• Victory Drive

• Arnold Mill Road

• Yellow Creek Road

• Upper Burris Road

• Lower Burris Road

• Wade Green Road

• Kellogg Creek Road (Old SR 92)

• Canton Highway (Old SR 5)

• Marietta Highway (Old SR 5)

• Ball Ground Highway (Old SR 5)

• Old Marietta Road (Old SR 20) --

Airport

The Cherokee County Airport (FAA LOC ID: CNI) is located adjacent to I-575 about 6 mi northeast of downtown Canton.

A redevelopment project recently completed a 10000 sqft terminal, the lengthening of the runway from 3414 to, a new parallel taxiway, instrument landing equipment, and new hangars. The new facilities will accommodate 200 corporate aircraft in hangars and provide 100 tie-downs for smaller aircraft.

Public transportation

The Cherokee Area Transit Service serves all of the Cherokee County area, rural and suburban.

Communities

Cities

• Ball Ground
• Canton (county seat)
• Holly Springs
• Mountain Park (partially in Fulton County)
• Nelson (partially in Pickens County)
• Waleska
• Woodstock

Unincorporated communities

• Batesville
• Buffington
• Free Home
• Gold Ridge
• Hickory Flat
• Keithsburg
• Lake Arrowhead
• Lebanon
• Toonigh (neighborhood of Holly Springs)
• Macedonia
• Mica
• Oak Grove
• Orange
• Salacoa
• Sixes
• Sutallee
• Towne Lake
• Univeter
• Victoria

Notable residents

• Joseph E. Brown was elected governor of Georgia in 1857 and later served as U.S. Senator from Georgia. Brown's primary residence and law practice were in Canton, and he owned a farm believed to be near the Sutallee community.
• Ira Roe Foster was Quartermaster General of Georgia, a brigadier general in the Georgia Militia (1845), attorney, medical doctor, Cherokee County State Representative, first mayor of Eastman, Georgia, and Alabama state senator.
• Josh Holloway, actor and model, is most famous for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on Lost. He attended Free Home Elementary in Free Home and Cherokee High School in Canton.
• Johnny Hunt was president of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2008–2010.
• Chris Kirk, a PGA Tour golfer, attended Etowah High School.
• Nick Markakis, MLB outfielder for the Atlanta Braves, attended Woodstock High School.
• Bruce Miller, NFL fullback, formerly played for the San Francisco 49ers, attended Woodstock High School.
• Robert Rechsteiner, better known as Rick Steiner, ex-professional wrestler, is now a part of the school board for the county.
• Blair Redford, an actor best known for his roles as Scotty Grainger on The Young and the Restless and Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on Passions, grew up in Canton.
• Dean Rusk, U.S. Secretary of State, was born in Cherokee County. Dean Rusk Middle School was named after him.
• Buster Skrine, NFL cornerback for the New York Jets, attended Etowah High School.
• Drew Waters, professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, attended Etowah High School.

References

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