Carroll County, Georgia

This article is based on the corresponding article in another wiki. For Familypedia purposes, it requires significantly more historical detail on phases of this location's development. The ideal article for a place will give the reader a feel for what it was like to live at that location at the time their relatives were alive there. Also desirable are links to organizations that may be repositories of genealogical information..
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can.

Carroll County, Georgia
Carrollton County Courthouse
Location in the state of Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	June 9, 1826
Named for	Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Seat	Carrollton
Largest city	Carrollton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	504 sq mi (1,305 km²) 499 sq mi (1,292 km²) 4.8 sq mi (12 km²), 0.9%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	110,527 221/sq mi (85/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.carrollcountyga.com

Carroll County is a county located in the State of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, its population was about 110,527. Its county seat is the town of Carrollton.

Carroll County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located just east of the boundary with Alabama.

History

The lands of Lee, Muscogee, Troup, Coweta, and Carroll counties were ceded by the Creek people in the Treaty of Indian Springs (1825). This was a huge amount of land in Georgia and Alabama, the last remaining portion of the Creeks' territory, and it was ceded by William McIntosh, the chief of the Lower Creek and a member of the National Council. This cession violated the Law, the Code of 1818 that protected communal tribal land. The Creek National Council ordered the execution of McIntosh and other signatories to the treaty for what it considered treason.

He was killed at his plantation home, at what has been preserved as the McIntosh Reserve. Menawa and a force of 100-150 Law Defenders from Upper Town lands ceded in this treaty carried out the executions of two other men, including Samuel Hawkins, one of McIntosh's sons-in-law. Benjamin Hawkins, Jr., another son-in-law, was also named for execution but he escaped, and soon moved to East Texas with his wife and family. Both of the Hawkins brothers were sons of Benjamin Hawkins, the longstanding US Indian Supervisor of the Creek.

The boundaries of Carroll County were created by the Georgia General Assembly on June 9, 1826, but the county was not named until December 14, 1826. It was named for Charles Carroll of Baltimore, Maryland, at that time the last surviving signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, as was Carrollton, the county seat.

When the county was first organized, the legislature designated the county seat as Old Carrollton, Georgia but in 1830 it was moved to Carrollton.

This county originally extended from the Chattahoochee River to the Alabama state line on the east and on the west, with its northern boundary at the Cherokee Nation, just north of present-day Interstate 20. As population increased, this land was divided into Carroll, Douglas, and Heard counties, and parts of Haralson and Troup counties. The portion that became Douglas County was once Campbell County which no longer exists (it was divided between Douglas and Fulton counties).

Because the county had few slaves compared to counties developed for cotton plantations, it was called the Free State of Carroll during the 1850s. Even before the cession of territory by the Cherokee in the late 1830s, some white settlers lived in the northern part of the county in the area of Villa Rica.

Carroll County was the site of Georgia's first Gold Rush.

For a time Carroll County was the home of Horace King (architect). King helped build Moore's Bridge over the Chattahoochee River at Whitesburg. Moores Bridge was burned by Union soldiers during the Civil War. During the War between the States, the county provided the Bowdon Volunteers and the Carroll Boys, which were a part of Cobb's Legion.

On Aug. 21 1995, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 crashed in a field near Carrollton, Georgia. Nine of the 29 passengers and crew were killed in the crash.

In February 2008 several tornadoes hit Carroll County, destroying several homes and damaging many more. On May 11, 2008 (Mother's Day) some of the same areas were hit by more tornadoes. The Mother's Day tornadoes destroyed and damaged many homes and businesses.

On September 21, 2009, portions of Carroll County were flooded after eight days of heavy rainfall, resulting in multiple death. The flooding initially closed more than 60 highways and roads, and it destroyed a number of bridges. Early estimates of the damage totaled $22 million.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 504 square miles (1,310 km²), of which 499 square miles (1,290 km²) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 20
• U.S. Route 27
• 
  U.S. Route 27 Alternate
• U.S. Route 27 Business
• U.S. Route 78
• State Route 1
• State Route 1 Business
• State Route 5
• State Route 8
• State Route 16
• State Route 61
• State Route 100
• State Route 101
• State Route 113
• State Route 166
• State Route 166 Connector
• State Route 274
• State Route 402 (unsigned designation for I-20)

Adjacent counties

• Paulding County – north
• Douglas County – east
• Fulton County – east
• Coweta County – southeast
• Heard County – south
• Randolph County, Alabama – southwest (CST)
• Cleburne County, Alabama – west (CST)
• Haralson County – northwest

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	3,419		—
1840	5,252		53.6%
1850	9,357		78.2%
1860	11,991		28.2%
1870	11,782		−1.7%
1880	16,901		43.4%
1890	22,301		32.0%
1900	26,576		19.2%
1910	30,855		16.1%
1920	34,752		12.6%
1930	34,272		−1.4%
1940	34,156		−0.3%
1950	34,112		−0.1%
1960	36,451		6.9%
1970	45,404		24.6%
1980	56,346		24.1%
1990	71,422		26.8%
2000	87,268		22.2%
2010	110,527		26.7%
Est. 2013	112,355		28.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 87,268 people, 31,568 households, and 23,013 families residing in the county. The population density was 175 people per square mile (68/km²). There were 34,067 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile (26/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.5% White, 16.3% Black Race (United States Census), 0.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 31,568 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,799, and the median income for a family was $44,642. Males had a median income of $33,102 versus $22,538 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,656. About 10.0% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Main article: Carrollton, Georgia#Education

Communities

• Bowdon
• Bremen
• Carrollton
• Mount Zion
• Roopville
• Temple
• Villa Rica
• Whitesburg

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Carroll County, Georgia
• 1987 Carroll County Cryptosporidiosis outbreak