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Bartow County, Georgia

Coordinates: 34°14′N 84°50′W / 34.24°N 84.84°W / 34.24; -84.84
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Not to be confused with Bartow, Georgia.

Bartow County
County
Bartow County Courthouse and Confederate Monument
Bartow County Courthouse and Confederate Monument
Flag of Bartow County
Flag
Official seal of Bartow County
Seal
Map of Georgia highlighting Bartow County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°14′N 84°50′W / 34.24°N 84.84°W / 34.24; -84.84
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedDecember 3, 1832; 192 years ago (1832)
Named forFrancis S. Bartow
SeatCartersville
Largest cityCartersville
Area
 • Total
470 sq mi (1,200 km2)
 • Land460 sq mi (1,200 km2)
 • Water11 sq mi (30 km2)  2.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
108,901
 • Estimate 
(2023)
115,041 Increase
 • Density230/sq mi (89/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district11th
Websitebartowcountyga.gov

Bartow County is in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,901, up from 100,157 in 2010.[1] The county seat is Cartersville.[2] Traditionally considered part of northwest Georgia, Bartow County is now included in the Atlanta metropolitan area, mainly in the southeastern part near Cartersville, which has become an exurb more than 40 miles (64 km) from downtown Atlanta on I-75. It has a sole commissioner government, and is the largest county by population of the few remaining in Georgia with a sole commissioner.

History

[edit]
Further information: Cassville, Georgia § History; Kingston, Georgia § History; and Adairsville, Georgia § History

Bartow County was created from the Cherokee lands of the Cherokee County territory on December 3, 1832, and named Cass County, after General Lewis Cass (1782–1866), Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, Minister to France and Secretary of State under President James Buchanan,[3] who was instrumental in the removal of Native Americans from the area. However, the county was renamed on December 6, 1861, in honor of Francis S. Bartow, because of Cass's support of the Union,[4] even though Bartow never visited in the county, living 200 miles (320 km) away near Savannah all of his life. Cass had supported the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the right of each state to determine its own laws independently of the Federal government, the platform of conservative Southerners who removed his name.

The American Civil War first entered Bartow County on April 12, 1862, in the form of "The Great Locomotive Chase": As a result of the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s (W&A RR) strategic war time value, Union soldiers boarded and stole a train named "The General". Their plan was to take the stolen train north toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, destroying bridges, parts of the railroad, and telegraph lines along the way.[5]

The Raiders were unable to cause sufficient destruction to the railroad to make pursuit impossible, and William Fuller, the conductor of the stolen train, eventually caught up with the raiders just north of Ringgold Georgia.[5]

The first county seat was at Cassville, but after the burning of the county courthouse and the Sherman Occupation, the seat moved to Cartersville, where it remains.

Bartow County was profoundly affected by the Civil War: an estimated one out of three Bartow County soldiers died during the war as a result of wounds received, diseases caught, and, in one case, as a result of a train accident. At the end of the Civil War, many residents were financially insolvent, the county seat was "in ruins", the transportation networks were severely damaged, and the citizens were starving due to several consecutive years of crop failures.[6]

Prior to the Civil War, Bartow County's social order, and that of the South as a whole, was dominated by "a sense of white intra-class unity that rested upon a shared notion of racial supremacy."[7] Post-Civil War, during Reconstruction, that world-view was challenged, creating a period of racial tension. When the state of Georgia allocated $200,000 to purchase and transport corn into North Georgia, local officials solely distributed the corn to white families.[6] And when black families petitioned Bartow County for better educational and vocational opportunities, some local whites responded with violence, including but not limited to Ku Klux Klan activity.[8]

Geography

[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,217 km2), of which 460 square miles (1,191 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) or 2.2% is water.[9]

The bulk of Bartow County is located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The northeastern portion of the county around Rydal is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin, while an even smaller northwestern section around Adairsville is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin of the larger ACT River Basin.[10]

The Etowah is mostly part of Lake Allatoona in southeast Bartow and southwest Cherokee counties, with the Allatoona Dam near Cartersville also impounding Allatoona Creek into northwest Cobb county. The peninsula between the two major arms of the lake is home to Red Top Mountain State Park, east-southeast of Cartersville and just southeast of the dam.

Adjacent counties

[edit]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18409,390—
185013,30041.6%
186015,72418.2%
187016,5665.4%
188018,69012.8%
189020,61610.3%
190020,8231.0%
191025,38821.9%
192024,527−3.4%
193025,3643.4%
194025,283−0.3%
195027,3708.3%
196028,2673.3%
197032,66315.6%
198040,76024.8%
199055,91137.2%
200076,01936.0%
2010100,15731.8%
2020108,9018.7%
2023 (est.)115,041[11]5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
1790-1880[13]1890-1910[14]
1920-1930[15] 1930-1940[16]
1940-1950[17] 1960-1980[18]
1980-2000[19] 2010[1] 2020[20]

2020 census

[edit]
Bartow County racial composition[21]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 80,159 73.61%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 11,309 10.38%
Native American 254 0.23%
Asian 1,169 1.07%
Pacific Islander 40 0.04%
Other/mixed 5,219 4.79%
Hispanic or Latino 10,751 9.87%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 108,901 people, 39,742 households, and 28,529 families residing in the county.

2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 100,157 people, 35,782 households, and 26,529 families living in the county.[22] The population density was 217.9 inhabitants per square mile (84.1/km2). There were 39,823 housing units at an average density of 86.7 per square mile (33.5/km2).[23] The racial makeup of the county was 82.7% white, 10.2% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.7% of the population.[22] In terms of ancestry, 13.9% were American, 10.0% were Irish, 9.3% were English, and 7.8% were German.[24]

Of the 35,782 households, 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, and 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.2 years.[22]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,216 and the median income for a family was $56,281. Males had a median income of $42,835 versus $31,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,241. About 10.8% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.[25]

2000 census

[edit]

As of 2000, there were 76,019 people, 27,176 households, and 21,034 families living in the county. The population density was 64/km2 (170/sq mi). There were 28,751 housing units at an average density of 24 persons per square kilometre (62 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 87.79% White, 8.68% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 3.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 27,176 households, out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 22.60% were non-families. 18.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 33.00% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,660, and the median income for a family was $49,198. Males had a median income of $35,136 versus $24,906 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,989. 8.60% of the population and 6.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.60% were under the age of 18 and 12.20% were 65 or older.

Education

[edit]

Public education in Bartow County is administered by Bartow County School District and Cartersville City Schools.

Excel Christian Academy and the Trinity School are private institutions.

Politics

[edit]

Bartow County has voted Republican consistently since 1984.[26] Mitt Romney carried the county in 2012 with 75.11 percent of the vote. Barack Obama won a small minority of votes in the county, at 23.5 percent, that same year.[27]

United States presidential election results for Bartow County, Georgia[28]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 37,672 74.62% 12,091 23.95% 723 1.43%
2016 29,911 75.28% 8,212 20.67% 1,610 4.05%
2012 26,876 74.87% 8,396 23.39% 625 1.74%
2008 25,976 71.81% 9,662 26.71% 537 1.48%
2004 22,311 73.66% 7,741 25.56% 239 0.79%
2000 14,720 64.62% 7,508 32.96% 553 2.43%
1996 9,250 51.32% 6,853 38.02% 1,922 10.66%
1992 7,742 45.57% 6,675 39.29% 2,573 15.14%
1988 8,039 61.63% 4,884 37.44% 121 0.93%
1984 7,104 59.78% 4,780 40.22% 0 0.00%
1980 3,135 28.89% 7,490 69.01% 228 2.10%
1976 1,876 18.68% 8,166 81.32% 0 0.00%
1972 4,836 75.26% 1,590 24.74% 0 0.00%
1968 2,045 24.78% 2,154 26.11% 4,052 49.11%
1964 2,813 37.77% 4,635 62.23% 0 0.00%
1960 1,292 26.71% 3,545 73.29% 0 0.00%
1956 1,536 29.68% 3,640 70.32% 0 0.00%
1952 1,183 22.94% 3,973 77.06% 0 0.00%
1948 440 14.34% 2,384 77.71% 244 7.95%
1944 506 20.90% 1,915 79.10% 0 0.00%
1940 318 15.44% 1,734 84.17% 8 0.39%
1936 444 16.57% 2,228 83.13% 8 0.30%
1932 121 7.22% 1,546 92.19% 10 0.60%
1928 838 50.24% 830 49.76% 0 0.00%
1924 482 34.60% 846 60.73% 65 4.67%
1920 754 44.99% 922 55.01% 0 0.00%
1916 92 5.28% 1,325 76.02% 326 18.70%
1912 89 5.55% 963 60.00% 553 34.45%
1908 780 48.99% 726 45.60% 86 5.40%
1904 406 30.41% 791 59.25% 138 10.34%
1900 823 46.37% 891 50.20% 61 3.44%
1896 808 42.84% 1,026 54.40% 52 2.76%
1892 445 20.79% 1,327 62.01% 368 17.20%
1888 290 22.48% 916 71.01% 84 6.51%
1884 584 36.07% 1,035 63.93% 0 0.00%
1880 827 30.14% 1,917 69.86% 0 0.00%

Transportation

[edit]

Major highways

[edit]

Secondary highways

[edit]
  • Old S.R. 293. Portion south of Emerson and east of U.S. 41 into Cobb County.

Museums

[edit]
  • Savoy Automobile Museum connects people to the cultural diversity of the automobile. Through changing exhibits, educational programs, and engaging experiences individuals have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty and history of automobiles. Guests visiting this world-class museum will be met with an assortment of automobiles and original works of art.
  • Bartow History Museum[29] opened in 1987 and is located in the historic 1869 Courthouse in downtown Cartersville. Artifacts, photographs, documents and a variety of permanent exhibits focus on the settlement and development of Bartow County, Georgia, beginning with the early nineteenth century when the Cherokee inhabited the area. Early European settler life, the iron ore and bauxite industries, Civil War strife, post-war recovery, the Great Depression era, early textile industries and notable figures are depicted through interactive exhibits in the permanent gallery space. The museum offers a wide variety of educational programs and lectures.
  • Booth Western Art Museum,[30] an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) museum located in Cartersville. Guests are invited to See America's Story through contemporary Western artwork, presidential portraits and letters, Civil War art, more than 200 Native American artifacts, and Sagebrush Ranch children's gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the second largest art museum in the state, and houses the largest permanent exhibition space for Western art in the country.
  • Tellus Science Museum,[31] an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a world-class 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) museum located in Cartersville, just off I-75 at exit 293. The museum features four main galleries: the Weinman Mineral Gallery, the Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and the Collins Family My Big Backyard. There is also a 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory with a state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope located at Tellus.
  • Euharlee History Museum[32] is located adjacent to the Euharlee Covered Bridge in Euharlee, Georgia, about 9 miles west of downtown Cartersville. The museum opened in 1997 and is a cooperation between the Euharlee Historical Society and the City of Euharlee.
  • Adairsville Rail Depot Age of Steam Museum[33] is located in a restored 1847 railroad depot on the Historic Public Square in Adairsville, along with a locally operated welcome center. The museum displays artifacts and pictures covering almost 150 years of life in the area, including the Civil War, the chenille boom, railroad history, early farming implements, and weapons.

Recreation

[edit]

Communities

[edit]

Cities

[edit]

Town

[edit]

Unincorporated communities

[edit]

Historical communities

[edit]
Allatoona Aylmer ATCO Aubrey Bartow
Best's Birmingham Bochee Bolivar Cass Line
Cass Station Cassville (Manassas) Cave Cement Center
Clifford Connaseena Corbin Dewey Etowah
Etowah Valley (see Rowland Springs) Eves Ferrobutte (see Rogers Station) Five Forks Flexatile (see Funkhouser)
Folsom Ford Grassdale Gum Springs Halls Station (see Linwood)
Iron Hill Ironville Junta Ladds Ligon
Linwood (see Hall's Station) Little Prairie Malbone McCallie McGinnis
Mountain House Murchisons Nolans Pine Log (see Rydal) Rogers Station (aka Rogersville)
Rowland Springs (see Etowah Valley) Ruby Rydal (see Pine Log) Sanfordsville Sophia
Stamp Creek Stilesboro Sugar Hill Woolley's Wyvern

[35]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Cass County kenkrakow.com p.36
  4. ^ "Bartow County". Calhoun Times. September 1, 2004. p. 13. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Perceptions of the Great Locomotive Chase – The Etowah Valley Historical Society of Bartow County, Georgia". January 18, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Hébert, Keith S. (2008). "The Bitter Trial of Defeat and Emancipation: Reconstruction in Bartow County, Georgia, 1865-1872". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (1): 73. ISSN 0016-8297. JSTOR 40585039.
  7. ^ Hébert, Keith S. (2008). "The Bitter Trial of Defeat and Emancipation: Reconstruction in Bartow County, Georgia, 1865-1872". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (1): 67. ISSN 0016-8297. JSTOR 40585039.
  8. ^ Hébert, Keith S. (2008). "The Bitter Trial of Defeat and Emancipation: Reconstruction in Bartow County, Georgia, 1865-1872". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 92 (1): 65–92. ISSN 0016-8297. JSTOR 40585039.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  10. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  11. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  12. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  13. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1880.
  14. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1910.
  15. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1930.
  16. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1940.
  17. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1950.
  18. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 1980.
  19. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). US Census Bureau. 2000.
  20. ^ US Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Troup County, Georgia
  21. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  22. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  23. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  24. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  25. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  26. ^ Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
  27. ^ "Bartow - Election Results". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  28. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  29. ^ "Bartow History Museum - Cartersville, Georgia - Bartow History Center". www.bartowhistorymuseum.org.
  30. ^ "The Booth Western Art Museum - Cartersville, GA". www.boothmuseum.org.
  31. ^ Museum, Tellus Science. "Tellus Science Museum - Cartersville, GA". Tellus Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.
  32. ^ "Euharlee Welcome Center and History Museum". www.facebook.com.
  33. ^ "Adairsville Rail Depot Age of Steam Museum". Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  34. ^ "Bartow County Georgia Hiking Trails". www.mountaintravelguide.com.
  35. ^ "The Etowah Valley Historical Society of Bartow County, Georgia – 50 years of preserving human history and culture for Bartow County". Retrieved October 18, 2023.
[edit]

34°14′N 84°50′W / 34.24°N 84.84°W / 34.24; -84.84

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