Fulton County, Georgia

Fulton County is a located in the  of. Its is, the  (since 1868) and principal city of the. As of the, the  was 816,006. The Census Estimate placed the population at 960,009.

Fulton County is the most populous county in Georgia, and is the center of metro Atlanta and the --.

History
Fulton County was created from the western half of in. This occurred when, during the, that county's seat of would not allow a  to be built due to  concerns. A new point was selected a few s west, and was later incorporated as Terminus. The town was renamed twice, first as Marthasville, and finally as Atlanta.

During 's during the  of the, Sherman spared  because he had a cousin who lived there. As a result, Roswell has more pre-Civil War historical buildings than anywhere else in north Georgia.

The name is often assumed to be in honor of inventor, who, among many other inventions, built a in. This assumption is likely because this was the predecessor to the  which built Atlanta. Some now indicates that the name may have been in honor of, a  for the. Nonetheless, the County itself claims to be named after Robert Fulton.

At the beginning of, to the north and  to the southwest became part of Fulton County, to save money during the. This gave the county its current long shape along 70 miles (113 kilometers) of the. On th of that year, neighboring  to Fulton the city of Roswell and lands lying east of, in order that the latter county be more contiguous with the lands ceded from Milton.

Governance
Fulton County is governed by a seven-member, whose members serve concurrent four year terms. The most recent election was held in November 2006. Fulton County has a system of government, in which day-to-day operation of the county is handled by a manager appointed by the board.

Services
Fulton County's budget of $1.2 billion funds an array of resident services.

With 34 branches, the is one of the largest library systems in Georgia.

s programs include one of the strongest networks in metro Atlanta, including four multipurpose senior facilities. The county also provides funding to s with FRESH and Human Services s.

Politics
Atlanta is the dominant city of Fulton County, occupying the county's narrow center section and thus geographically dividing the county's northern and southern portions. Atlanta's last major annexation in 1952 brought over 118 square miles into the city, including the affluent suburb of Buckhead, and was motivated in part to maintain a majority of white voters in the city. The movement to create a city of, launched in the early 1970s and reaching fruition in 2005, was largely an effort to prevent additional annexations by the city of Atlanta, and later to wrest from the.

Taxation
Geographically remote from each other because of Atlanta's annexations, the northern and southern sections of the county have grown increasingly at odds over the collection of taxes and distribution of services. Residents of the areas of North Fulton have increasingly complained that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners has ignored their needs, taking taxes collected in North Fulton and spending them on programs and services in South Fulton. In, the directed Fulton County, alone among all the counties in the state, to limit the expenditure of funds to the geographic region of the county where they were collected. Fulton County contested this law, known as the "Shafer Amendment" after Sen. ( from ), in a that went to the. On June 19, 2006, the Court handed down a decision upholding the legality of the Shafer Amendment.

The creation of the city of Sandy Springs prompted a move to create two additional cities that would completely "" North Fulton. In a, the residents of South Fulton then moved for a referendum to potentially create additional cities. The last of these referendums was defeated soundly on September 18, 2007.

Municipalization
Since the, residents of Sandy Springs had waged a long-running battle to incorporate their own city. They were repeatedly blocked by Atlanta Democrats, but when control of state government switched to suburban Republicans after the 2002 and 2004 election, the movement to create the city picked up steam.

The General Assembly approved creation of the city in 2005, and a suspension of existing state law that prohibited new cities (the only type of municipality in the state) from being within three miles or 4.8km of an existing one. The citizens of Sandy Springs voted 94% in favor of ratifying the in a  held on, 2005. The new city was officially incorporated later that year at on.

Creation of Sandy Springs spurried a movement toward of the entire county, which would incorporate every area into a city. This would essentially eliminate the county's powers (granted statewide by a  to the  in the ) to act as a  in unincorporated areas, and return it to being entirely the local extension of state government.

In 2006, the General Assembly approved creation of two new cities, and, that would completely municipalize North Fulton. The charters of these two new cities were ratified overwhelmingly in a held July 18, 2006.

The General Assembly also approved a proposal to form a new city called South Fulton. Its proposed boundaries were to include those areas still unincorporated on July 1, 2007. As a direct result of possbly being permanently ed, many of the existing cities proposed s, while some communities drew-up plans.

Voters in the community of southwest Fulton (west of Cascade Palmetto Road) voted overwhelmingly to incorporate in. The city will be officially incorporated as of December 1.

Voters in the area defined as the proposed city of South Fulton overwhelmingly rejected cityhood in.

Secession
Some residents of suburban north Fulton have advocated that they be allowed to and re-form, after the nearly bankrupt county that was absorbed into Fulton County in 1932 during the. For the next 50 years the rural and poor former Milton County benefitted a tax flow from the wealthier south with new schools, roads and bridges and much improved services.

Today, the demographic make-up of Fulton County has changed dramatically. The northern portion of the county, a suburban, predominantly area that is majority, is among the most  areas in the nation. The central and southern portion of the county, which includes the city of and its core  to the south on the other hand, is predominantly /, more urban, majority, and one of the poorest areas in the metropolitan area. However, two exceptions to this are the neighborhoods of and  located in the southwest region of Fulton County which are made up of predominantly affluent African-Americans.

The major reasoning behind the push for the secession from Fulton County and the recreation of the former Milton County is that Fulton County, in comparison to the state's other counties, is physically large. Its population is greater than that of each of the six smallest s. The new government could be more responsive to the needs of the proposed Milton County area. Even though northern Fulton County residents represent only 29% of the county's total population, they pay 42% of all es. A division of the county would ensure that tax revenues would be spent closer to where they are collected, but it would lead to the loss of $193 million in property taxes alone for the rest of Fulton County.

The main opposition to the separation comes from the residents of south Fulton County, who say that the proposed separation is ly based. The county's white residents are quite separated by distance from the black residents. State Senator, an Atlanta Democrat and a member of the , very strongly opposes the plan to split the county. "If it gets to the floor, there will be blood on the walls", Fort stated. "As much as you would like to think it's not racial, it's difficult to draw any other conclusion", he later added.

A political broke out in Atlanta in 2006 when State Senator  (Democrat from Atlanta) suggested that the cities in North Fulton be allowed to secede and form Milton County in exchange for Atlanta and Fulton County consolidating their governments into a new "Atlanta County". South Fulton residents were strongly opposed to Fulton County's possible future separation.

North Fulton is home to many of the owners of the businesses located in the city of Atlanta. Its economic strength, like many major American city suburbs, is due to the racially-motivated of the late '60s and '70s. Milton County was originally annexed into Fulton County during the depression of the late 1920s and early 30s because it was economically unable to exist on its own. Now that times have changed and the new generation of wealthy, predominantly white north Fulton county residents have experienced economic and social growth, many want to be defined as separate from the perceived difficulties faced by south Fulton county residents today.

Taxes
Fulton County has a 7% total, including 4% state, 1% , 1% , and 1% MARTA. Sales taxes apply through the entire county and its cities, except for Atlanta's additional 1% Municipal Option Sales Tax to fund capital improvements to its combined s (laying new pipes to separate s from s), and to its  system. Fulton County has lowered its General Fund millage rate by 26% over an eight-year period.

Transportation
Almost every major highway, and every major, in metro Atlanta passes through Fulton County. Outside Atlanta proper, is the major highway through north Fulton, and  to the southwest.

serves most of the county, and along with Dekalb County, Fulton pays a 1% sales tax to fund it. MARTA service in Fulton is currently limited to the cities of Atlanta, Sandy Springs, East Point, and College Park, as well as the. service covers most of the remainder, except the rural areas in the far southwest. North Fulton residents have been asking for service, to extend the North Line ten miles or 16 kilometers up the Georgia 400, from to the fellow  of Alpharetta. However, as the only major transit system in the country that its state government will not fund, there is no money to expand the system. Sales taxes now go entirely to operating, ing, and the system.

straddles the border with to the south. The, often called after   or, informally, West Atlanta airport, is located just west-southwest of Atlanta's. It is run by the county as a municipal or airport, serving s and private aircraft.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,385 (535 ). 1,369 km² (529 sq mi) of it is land and 15 km² (6 sq mi) of it (1.11%) is water.

Major highways

 * [[Image:I-20.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:I-75.svg|20px]]
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 * [[Image:Georgia 154.svg|25px]]
 * [[Image:Georgia 400.svg|25px]]

Secondary highways

 * Abernathy Road
 * East Wesley Road
 * Freedom Parkway
 * Glenridge Drive
 * Hammond Drive
 * Road
 * Lindbergh Drive
 * Memorial Drive
 * Moreland Avenue (/)
 * Mount Vernon Highway
 * Peachtree Road
 * Peachtree-Dunwoody Road
 * Piedmont Road
 * Ponce de Leon Avenue (/////)
 * Powers Ferry Road
 * Roswell Road (/)
 * Windsor Parkway

Adjacent counties
Fulton County, Georgia, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as ten counties. Listed, they are:
 * - northwest
 * - northeast
 * - east
 * - east
 * - south
 * - south
 * - southwest
 * - west
 * - west
 * - west

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 816,006 people, 321,242 households, and 185,677 families residing in the county. The was 596/km² (1,544/sq mi). There were 348,632 housing units at an average density of 255/km² (660/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 48.11%, 44.57% , 0.19% , 3.04% , 0.04% , 2.60% from , and 1.45% from two or more races. 5.89% of the population were of any race.

There were 321,242 households out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.30% were living together, 16.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.20% were non-families. 32.20% 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 2.44 and the average family size was 3.15.

The age distribution was 24.40% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 35.50% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,321, and the median income for a family was $58,143. Males had a median income of $43,495 versus $32,122 for females. The for the county was $30,003. About 12.40% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the, including 22.60% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated cities and towns

 * (as of 2007 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)
 * (as of 2006 December 1)

Unincorporated communities

 * (now within Milton)
 * (now within Milton)
 * (entirety of remaining unincorporated land, voted against cityhood in 2007)
 * (originally New York, then Mazeppa, now within Johns Creek)
 * (now within Milton)
 * (entirety of remaining unincorporated land, voted against cityhood in 2007)
 * (originally New York, then Mazeppa, now within Johns Creek)
 * (entirety of remaining unincorporated land, voted against cityhood in 2007)
 * (originally New York, then Mazeppa, now within Johns Creek)

Education
All portions of Fulton County outside of the city limits of Atlanta are served by the.

All portions within Atlanta are served by.