Acworth, Georgia

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement

Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, this city had a population of 22,440, up from 20,425 in 2010. Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River. Unincorporated areas known as Acworth extend into Bartow, Cherokee, and Paulding counties.

Acworth is often referred to as "the Lake City" because of its proximity to Lake Allatoona and Lake Acworth.<ref>Geocities.com Retrieved on February 10, 2008 Archived 2009-10-24.</ref>

History

Like the rest of Cobb County, the area now containing Acworth was carved out of the former Cherokee Nation in 1831 after the natives were expelled.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Western and Atlantic Railroad was completed through town in 1840. A watering station for the locomotives was established there.<ref name="ASHP p7">Template:Cite book</ref>

The town received its current name in 1843 from Western & Atlantic Railroad engineer Joseph L. Gregg, who named it for his hometown of Acworth, New Hampshire, which was named for the former Royal Navy Surveyor Sir Jacob Acworth.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Telegraph lines reached the town in 1851.

A private school was opened for white students in 1852. A newer private school operated from 1899 to 1935, when they integrated with the Cobb County School District. Until 1935, high school students from Acworth paid tuition to attend. Students outside the town were subsidized by the Cobb County School Board. Black students were educated separately in a grammar school. The closest Black high school was in Atlanta. Later, students were bused by the county to a segregated school in Marietta.<ref name="ASHP p85">Template:Cite book</ref>

Acworth was incorporated on December 1, 1860.

Volunteers to fight in the Civil War enlisted in what became Company A ("Acworth Infantry") in the 18th Georgia Volunteer Infantry and Company C ("Invincibles") in the 41st Georgia Volunteer Infantry.<ref name="ASHP p41">Template:Cite book</ref>

The town was captured by the Union on June 6, 1864. The city was called "Little Shanty" by the Union troops, to contrast it with the next town south, "Big Shanty", since renamed Kennesaw. The town was under martial law during the six months of occupation. On November 13, 1864, the town was burned down by the army of General W. T. Sherman, sparing 12 homes and one church; its citizens were left destitute.

The town had nearly recovered by the 1880s. Cotton farming in the area peaked from the 1890s through the 1920s. Low prices during the Great Depression resulted in a cessation of cotton farming in the area and throughout Cobb County.<ref name="ASHP p56">Template:Cite book</ref>

During segregation, the railroad tracks served as a racial divide, with African Americans living to the northeast of the tracks and the whites to the southwest. There were few common public events. When a movie theater was erected in the 1930s, Blacks were allowed to access the balcony from a separate entrance. Whites sat on the main floor.<ref name="ASHP p59">Template:Cite book</ref>

Volunteers formed a fire department in 1907.<ref name="ASHP p73">Template:Cite book</ref>

There were eventually three textile mills in town from 1905 through the 1980s. They employed about 800 workers at their peak.<ref name="ASHP p77-8">Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1926, Main Street was paved. When the entire Dixie Highway (old U.S. Route 41 and part of the Cherokee Peachtree Trail) was paved in 1929, over 800 tourist vehicles entered the city daily.<ref name="ASHP p2">Template:Cite book</ref>

When the Etowah River was dammed, forming Lake Allatoona, citizens feared that land near the town would become a swamp. They successfully petitioned for a second dam, resulting in Lake Acworth in the 1950s. This became a tourist attraction.<ref name="ASHP p111">Template:Cite book</ref>

The town made a major improvement in its water and sewage lines in the late 1940s.<ref name="ASHP p72">Template:Cite book</ref>

The city elected its first woman mayor, Mary McCall, in 1956 and 1961–66.<ref name=arounda/>

African-American students were schooled separately from white children until 1967.<ref name="ASHP p85" />

Acworth was recognized as a 2010 All-America City Award winner by the National Civic League.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2011, the filming of several scenes for the Footloose remake 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's character's home.Template:Citation needed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2017, the city was the site of the WWA Wakeboarding National Championship.<ref name=arounda>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Geography

Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains along the southeastern banks of Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona on the Etowah River. It is bordered by the city of Kennesaw to the southeast and by Bartow and Cherokee counties to the north.

Interstate 75 runs through the northern part of the city in Cherokee and Bartow counties, with access from exits 277 and 278. Via I-75, downtown Atlanta is Template:Convert southeast, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, is Template:Convert northwest. U.S. Route 41 and Georgia State Route 92 also run through the city, with GA-92 leading east Template:Convert to Woodstock, and south Template:Convert to Hiram. US-41 runs to the west of the city, leading southeast Template:Convert to Kennesaw, Georgia and northwest Template:Convert to Cartersville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, or 6.05%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref>

Unincorporated areas considered Acworth for mailing purposes extend into southeast Bartow County, southwest Cherokee County, and northeast Paulding County. Some of the incorporated portions of Acworth east of Nance Road and Acworth Due West Road have a Kennesaw mailing address.

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

**Acworth city, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition**
Template:Nobold
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	10,377	11,503	11,260	77.31%	56.32%	50.18%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,662	5,093	5,803	12.38%	24.94%	25.86%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	25	43	39	0.19%	0.21%	0.17%
Asian alone (NH)	307	694	920	2.29%	3.40%	4.10%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	9	5	0.02%	0.04%	0.02%
Other race alone (NH)	40	91	131	0.30%	0.45%	0.58%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	196	450	1,037	1.46%	2.20%	4.62%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	812	2,542	3,245	6.05%	12.45%	14.46%
Total	13,422	20,425	22,440	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 22,440 people, 8,337 households, and 5,470 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 13,422 people, 5,194 households, and 3,589 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 5,453 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people 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.

Government

File:Acworth Georgia City Hall.jpg

City Hall

The city is governed by a five-member Board of Aldermen, who serve staggered four-year terms. The mayor is elected to four-year terms.<ref>[1] Template:Webarchive</ref>

An unusual ordinance once required all citizens to own a rake.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This ordinance was enacted shortly after the neighboring city of Kennesaw, Georgia ordered every homeowner to own a gun in 1982. The requirement to own a rake is no longer in effect.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The city maintains ten public parks: Acworth Sports Complex, Baker Plantation, Dallas Landing, East Lakeshore, Frana Brown, Logan Farm, Newberry, Overlook, Proctor Landing, and South Shore.

Education

Public education in Acworth is handled by the Cobb County School District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Public schools include:

Acworth Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Baker Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ford Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Frey Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
McCall Primary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pickett's Mill Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pitner Elementary School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Barber Middle School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Durham Middle School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Allatoona High School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
North Cobb High School<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Private schools include:

North Cobb Christian School<ref>North Cobb Christian School</ref>

Transportation

File:CSX Train in Acworth, GA Feb 2020 2.jpg

A CSX train passing through downtown Acworth

Major roads

The main route through the center of Acworth is Main Street, a two-lane road. It is known as "Old 41" as it was formerly the route for US 41. State Route 92 and the new Highway 41 pass through the southern part of the city. The newly built Seven Hills Connector connects South Acworth to Paulding County. Bells Ferry Road goes through Acworth, Kennesaw, Marietta, and Woodstock.