Calhoun, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Calhoun is a city
in Gordon County
, Georgia
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,650. The city is the county seat
of Gordon County
.
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 11.7 square miles (30.3 km²), of which 11.6 square miles (30 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.17%) is water.
Calhoun is located along U.S. Interstate 75
, approximately 70 miles (112.7 km) north of Atlanta, and 50 miles (80.5 km) south of Chattanooga, Tennessee
.
(including New Echota
, capital of the Cherokee Nation) until December 29, 1835. When the Cherokees refused to give up their lands, the U.S. Army was sent by President Jackson
to the northern region of Georgia
to force them to move to Oklahoma
(see more information on Trail of Tears
).
After the Cherokees left their lands, Georgia claimed the Cherokee lands that became Gordon County
and other counties. A small town called Dawsonville was created and founded in the Gordon County, named for the owner of an early general store. Dawsonville was later renamed Calhoun to honor U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun
, following his death in 1850.
Gordon County's inferior court called an election to allow the voters to choose between a site on the Western & Atlantic Railroad (involving Adairsville) or a site more centrally located within the county instead of designating the location of the county seat
unlike other counties. Voters chose a site along the railroad, so the inferior court designated Calhoun as county seat in 1851. The legislature incorporated Calhoun in an act approved on January 12, 1852 (See Ga. Laws 1851-52, page 419 as an evidence).
On January 5, 1861, Georgia seceded from the Union. Calhounians joined the Confederacy
during the American Civil War
. On May 16, 1864, Calhoun was near the center of action as Union General William Tecumseh Sherman
and Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston
postured before the outbreak of the Battle of Adairsville during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign
. Oakleigh, home of Dr. Wall, was saved and used by Sherman as the headquarters at that time.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 10,667 people, 4,049 households, and 2,672 families residing in the city. The population density
was 915.4 inhabitants per square mile (353.5/km²). There were 4,298 housing units at an average density of 368.8 per square mile (142.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.91% White, 7.56% African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 11.61% from other races
, and 1.36% from two or more races. 17.07% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,049 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples
living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,618, and the median income for a family was $42,310. Males had a median income of $27,616 versus $25,018 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,887. About 12.5% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The district has 166 full-time teachers and over 2,666 students.
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. The district has 365 full-time teachers and over 6,259 students.
television market, the ninth largest DMA according to Nielsen Media Research
. Cable TV service is offered through Comcast Cable which provides one Public, educational, and government access
(PEG) cable tv channel named WEBS cable 3.
There are three radio stations serving Calhoun.
There is also a semi-weekly newspaper, The Calhoun Times
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Gordon County
Gordon County, Georgia
Gordon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 44,104. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 52,044. The county seat is Calhoun.- History :...
, 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,650. The city is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Gordon County
Gordon County, Georgia
Gordon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 44,104. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 52,044. The county seat is Calhoun.- History :...
.
Geography
Calhoun is located at 34°30′0"N 84°56′33"W (34.499898, -84.942584), along the Oostanaula RiverOostanaula River
The Oostanaula River is a principal tributary of the Coosa River, about long, in northwestern Georgia in the United States. Via the Coosa and Alabama rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mobile River, which flows to the Gulf of Mexico. Its name is said to come from a Cherokee Indian term...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 11.7 square miles (30.3 km²), of which 11.6 square miles (30 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.17%) is water.
Calhoun is located along U.S. Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
, approximately 70 miles (112.7 km) north of Atlanta, and 50 miles (80.5 km) south of Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
.
History
Calhoun was a part of the Cherokee NationCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
(including New Echota
New Echota
New Echota was the capital of the Cherokee Nation prior to their forced removal in the 1830s. New Echota is 3.68 miles north of present-day Calhoun, Georgia, and south of Resaca, Georgia. The site is a state park and an historic site....
, capital of the Cherokee Nation) until December 29, 1835. When the Cherokees refused to give up their lands, the U.S. Army was sent by President Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
to the northern region of 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...
to force them to move to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
(see more information on Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
).
After the Cherokees left their lands, Georgia claimed the Cherokee lands that became Gordon County
Gordon County, Georgia
Gordon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 44,104. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 52,044. The county seat is Calhoun.- History :...
and other counties. A small town called Dawsonville was created and founded in the Gordon County, named for the owner of an early general store. Dawsonville was later renamed Calhoun to honor U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
, following his death in 1850.
Gordon County's inferior court called an election to allow the voters to choose between a site on the Western & Atlantic Railroad (involving Adairsville) or a site more centrally located within the county instead of designating the location of the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
unlike other counties. Voters chose a site along the railroad, so the inferior court designated Calhoun as county seat in 1851. The legislature incorporated Calhoun in an act approved on January 12, 1852 (See Ga. Laws 1851-52, page 419 as an evidence).
On January 5, 1861, Georgia seceded from the Union. Calhounians joined the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
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...
. On May 16, 1864, Calhoun was near the center of action as Union General William Tecumseh 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...
and Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
postured before the outbreak of the Battle of Adairsville during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
. Oakleigh, home of Dr. Wall, was saved and used by Sherman as the headquarters at that time.
Demographics
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,667 people, 4,049 households, and 2,672 families residing in the city. The population density
Population 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 915.4 inhabitants per square mile (353.5/km²). There were 4,298 housing units at an average density of 368.8 per square mile (142.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.91% White, 7.56% African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 11.61% 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 1.36% from two or more races. 17.07% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,049 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,618, and the median income for a family was $42,310. Males had a median income of $27,616 versus $25,018 for females. The per capita income
Per 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 $19,887. About 12.5% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.
Places of interest
- New Echota Historic Site, first Cherokee's capital
- Roland Hayes Museum at the Harris Arts Center
- Oakleigh/Gordon County Historical Society
- Mercer Air Museum
- Prime Outlets of Calhoun, GA (only one in GA)
Notable natives
- Roland HayesRoland HayesRoland Hayes was a lyric tenor and is considered the first African American male concert artist to receive wide international acclaim as well as at home...
(1887–1977), a musician, attended Calhoun school. - Stand WatieStand WatieStand Watie , also known as Standhope Uwatie, Degataga , meaning “stand firm”), and Isaac S. Watie, was a leader of the Cherokee Nation and a brigadier general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
(1806–1871), Cherokee IndianCherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
leader and ConfederateConfederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
generalGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
born. - SequoyahSequoyahSequoyah , named in English George Gist or George Guess, was a Cherokee silversmith. In 1821 he completed his independent creation of a Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible...
(c.1767-1843), Cherokee IndianCherokeeThe Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
, inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary and namesake of California's giant Sequoia sempervirens redwood tree lived. - Dale WillisDale WillisDale Jerome Willis is a former American college and professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for single season in 1963....
(1938-), Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. - Kris DurhamKris DurhamKris Durham is an American football wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia....
Professional football player; Seattle Seahawks-Wide receiver - Colt Chambers Country Music Award Winning Vocalist and Entertainer.
Calhoun City School District
The Calhoun City School DistrictCalhoun City School District
The Calhoun City School District is a public school district in Gordon County, Georgia, USA, based in Calhoun, Georgia. It serves the communities of Calhoun, and Gordon County, Georgia.-Schools:...
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The district has 166 full-time teachers and over 2,666 students.
- Calhoun Primary School Grades K-2
- Calhoun Elementary School Grade 3-5
- Calhoun Middle School Grades 6-8
- Calhoun High School
Gordon County School District
The Gordon County School DistrictGordon County School District
The Gordon County School District is a public school district in Gordon County, Georgia, USA, based in Calhoun, Georgia. It serves the communities of Calhoun, Cash, Damascus, Fairmount, New Town, Plainville, Ranger, Red Bud, Resaca, Sonoraville, and Sugar Valley, Georgia.-Schools:The Gordon County...
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools. The district has 365 full-time teachers and over 6,259 students.
Seventh-day Adventist
- John L. Coble Elementary School - K-8th grades
- Georgia-Cumberland AcademyGeorgia-Cumberland AcademyGeorgia-Cumberland Academy is a private co-educational Seventh-day Adventist high school operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Georgia and Tennessee located in Calhoun, GA. GCA offers an Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools high school diploma program...
- Boarding 9-12 high school
Higher Education
- Northwestern Technical CollegeCoosa Valley Technical CollegeGeorgia Northwestern Technical College is a member of Georgia’s system of technical colleges that operate under the Technical College System of Georgia and an institution of higher learning that provides occupational education, skills training, and workforce development to support the educational,...
. Formerly Coosa Valley Technical College.
Radio and TV
Calhoun, Georgia is located in the AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
television market, the ninth largest DMA according to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. Cable TV service is offered through Comcast Cable which provides one Public, educational, and government access
Public, educational, and government access
Public, educational, and government access television, refers to three different cable television specialty channels...
(PEG) cable tv channel named WEBS cable 3.
There are three radio stations serving Calhoun.
- WEBS 1030am / Cable Channel 3 / Oldies {www.webs1030am.com}
- WJTH 900am / Country
- WJTH 101.7FM / Country
- WLOJ 102.9fm / Religious (owned and operated by the Calhoun Seventh-day Adventist Church)
There is also a semi-weekly newspaper, The Calhoun Times