Acworth, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,425. Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains
North Georgia mountains
The Georgia Mountains Region or North Georgia mountains or Northeast Georgia is an area that starts in the northeast corner of Georgia, United States, and spreads in a westerly direction. The mountains in this region are in the Blue Ridge mountain chain that ends in Georgia...
along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth
Lake Acworth
Lake Acworth is a man-made lake located southwest of the city of Acworth, Georgia. It is located in the extreme northwestern part of Cobb County. The lake impounds Proctor Creek , and outflows into Lake Allatoona. The low dam is at the point where State Route 92 crosses...
and Lake Allatoona
Lake Allatoona
Lake Allatoona is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir in Georgia, located in northwestern metro Atlanta. The lake is mostly in southwestern Cherokee County, but a significant part is in southeastern Bartow County, and a small part in Cobb County near Acworth. Cartersville is the nearest...
on the Etowah River
Etowah River
The Etowah River is a waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, north of Atlanta. Its name is the Cherokee version of the original Muskogee word Etalwa, which means a "trail crossing". On Matthew Carey's 1795 map the river was labeled "High Town River"...
.
Acworth's nickname is "The Lake City." Acworth Beach is located on nearby Lake Allatoona
Lake Allatoona
Lake Allatoona is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir in Georgia, located in northwestern metro Atlanta. The lake is mostly in southwestern Cherokee County, but a significant part is in southeastern Bartow County, and a small part in Cobb County near Acworth. Cartersville is the nearest...
and Lake Acworth
Lake Acworth
Lake Acworth is a man-made lake located southwest of the city of Acworth, Georgia. It is located in the extreme northwestern part of Cobb County. The lake impounds Proctor Creek , and outflows into Lake Allatoona. The low dam is at the point where State Route 92 crosses...
. The city is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
History
Prior to 1840, the town was known as "Andersonville". From 1840 to 1843, it was known as "Northcutt Station", after the first railroad station masterStation master
The station master was the person in charge of railway stations, in the United Kingdom and some other countries, before the modern age. He would manage the other station employees and would have responsibility for safety and the efficient running of the station...
Alfred Northcutt.
The town received its current name in 1843 from Western & Atlantic Railroad engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
Joseph L. Gregg, who named it for his hometown of Acworth, New Hampshire
Acworth, New Hampshire
Acworth is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 891.-History:Originally chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1752, it was called Burnet after William Burnet, a former governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay...
, which was in turn named for English nobleman Lord Acworth. It was incorporated on December 1, 1860.
In November 1864, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the city was burned down by the army of General W. T. Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
, sparing only a few homes. The city was called "Little Shanty" by the Union troops, to contrast it with the next town south, "Big Shanty", since renamed Kennesaw
Kennesaw, Georgia
Kennesaw is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It had a population of 29,783 according to the 2010 census. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Founded in 1887, Kennesaw has a past surrounded with railroad history...
.
In 2011, the filming of several scenes for the Footloose remake
Footloose (2011 film)
Footloose is a 2011 American dance film directed by Craig Brewer. It is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name and stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and Andie MacDowell. The film follows a young man who moves from Boston to a small southern town and protests the town's ban...
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
Julianne Hough
Julianne Alexandra Hough is an American professional ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress. She is most widely known for being a two-time champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She earned a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nomination in 2007 for choreography...
's character's home.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²), of which 7.1 square miles (18.4 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), or 6.97%, is water.
Unincorporated areas considered Acworth for mailing purposes extend into southeast Bartow County, northeast Paulding County
Paulding County, Georgia
Paulding County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 142,324. The county seat is Dallas....
, and southwest Cherokee County
Cherokee County, Georgia
As of the census of 2000, there were 141,903 people, 49,495 households, and 39,200 families residing in the county. The population density was 335 people per square mile . There were 51,937 housing units at an average density of 123 per square mile...
. Some of the incorporated portions of Acworth east of Nance Road and Acworth Due West Road have a Kennesaw mailing address.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,422 people, 5,194 households, and 3,589 families residing in the city. The population densityPopulation density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,896.9 people per square mile (732.0/km²). There were 5,453 housing units at an average density of 770.7 per square mile (297.4/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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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.
Population in July 2008: 19,476. Population change since 2000: +45.1%
Males: 9,508 (48.8%)
Females: 9,968 (51.2%)
Median resident age: 30.7 years
Georgia median age: 33.4 years
Personal income
The median income for a household in the city was $50,918, and the median income for a family was $55,163. Males had a median income of $40,516 versus $30,649 for females. The per capita incomePer capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $21,956. About 6.2% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.
Estimated median household income in 2008: $61,560 (it was $50,918 in 2000)
Acworth: $61,560
Georgia: $50,861
Estimated per capita income in 2008: $27,184
Estimated median house or condo value in 2008: $196,886 (it was $128,400 in 2000)
Acworth: $196,886
Georgia: $169,100
Tourism
Nearby Lake Allatoona is used for fishing, boating, water skiing, camping and hiking.Government
The city is governed by a 5-member Board of Aldermen, who serve staggered four-year terms. The mayor is elected to four-year terms.The city provides electrical and garbage collection services for all of its residents. Water service is provided by Cobb County. While the city provides police protection, fire protection is provided by Cobb County.
From 2001-03 the city owned Acworth CableNET, which provided cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
and internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
services to city residents. The service competed with Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
. The system was leased to United Telesystems, Inc. in 2003, but the company defaulted on the lease. In 2005, Klip Interactive purchased the system for $5 million. In 2007, Klip sold the system to Comcast, and CableNET was shut down.
An unusual ordinance once required all citizens to own a rake
Rake
Rake may refer to:* Rake , a horticultural implement, a long-handled tool with tines* Rake or hay rake, a farm implement* Rake or castor angle – various fork offset angles in bicycle and motorcycle geometry...
. This ordinance was enacted shortly after the neighboring city of Kennesaw ordered every homeowner to own a gun in 1982. The requirement to own a rake is no longer in effect.
Roads
The major highway is a two lane road which is "Main Street" though the city. It is known as "Old 41" as it was formerly the route for US 41. State Route 92Georgia State Route 92
State Route 92 is a highway in the U.S. state of Georgia. The road runs for from Griffin to Roswell. Primarily signed from south to north, Route 92 is a rural route that passes through three county seats.- Route description :...
and the new highway 41 pass through the city.
Famous/notable natives and residents
- Jason BohnJason BohnJason Duehn Bohn is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.Bohn was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1995 with a degree in Finance. In 1992, while a sophomore on the Alabama golf team, Bohn was playing in a charity...
, professional golfer - Robby GinepriRobby GinepriRobert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....
, professional tennis player - Bobby ReynoldsBobby Reynolds----Robert "Bobby" Thomas Reynolds in Cape Cod, Massachusetts) is an American professional tennis player who resides in Acworth, Georgia.-Professional career:...
, professional tennis player - Ralph TresvantRalph TresvantRalph Tresvant , aka Rizz, is an American tenor singer, best known as one of the lead singers in New Edition.-New Edition:Tresvant sang lead on many of the New Edition lead singles including "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "If It Isn't Love"...
, lead singer of R&B group New EditionNew EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
External links
- City of Acworth official website
- Acworth.Net - All about Acworth