Bartow County is located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,901, up from 100,157 in 2010.[1] The county seat is Cartersville.[2]
Traditionally considered part of northwest Georgia, Bartow County is now included in the Atlanta metropolitan area, mainly in the southeastern part near Cartersville, which has become an exurb more than 40 miles (64 km) from downtown Atlanta on I-75. It has a sole commissioner government, and is the largest county by population of the few remaining in Georgia with a sole commissioner.
Bartow County was created from the Cherokee lands of the Cherokee County territory on December 3, 1832, and named Cass County, after General Lewis Cass (1782–1866), Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, Minister to France and Secretary of State under President James Buchanan,[3] who was instrumental in the removal of Native Americans from the area. However, the county was renamed on December 6, 1861, in honor of Francis S. Bartow, because of Cass's support of the Union,[4] even though Bartow never visited in the county, living 200 miles (320 km) away near Savannah all of his life. Cass had supported the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the right of each state to determine its own laws independently of the Federal government, the platform of conservative Southerners who removed his name.
The American Civil War first entered Bartow County on April 12, 1862, in the form of "The Great Locomotive Chase": As a result of the Western & Atlantic Railroad’s (W&A RR) strategic war time value, Union soldiers boarded boarded and stole a train named "The General". Their plan was to take the stolen train north toward Chattanooga, Tennessee, destroying bridges, parts of the railroad, and telegraph lines along the way.[5]
The Raiders were unable to cause sufficient destruction to the railroad to make pursuit impossible, and William Fuller, the conductor of the stolen train, eventually caught up with the raiders just north of Ringgold Georgia.[5]
The first county seat was at Cassville, but after the burning of the county courthouse and the Sherman Occupation, the seat moved to Cartersville, where it remains.
Bartow County was profoundly affected by the Civil War: an estimated one out of three Bartow County soldiers died during the war as a result of wounds received, diseases caught, and, in one case, as a result of a train accident. At the end of the Civil War, many residents were financially insolvent, the county seat was "in ruins", the transportation networks were severely damaged, and the citizens were starving due to several consecutive years of crop failures.[6]
Prior to the Civil War, Bartow County's social order, and that of the South as a whole, was dominated by "a sense of white intra-class unity that rested upon a shared notion of racial supremacy."[7] Post-Civil War, during Reconstruction, that world-view was challenged, creating a period of racial tension. When the state of Georgia allocated $200,000 to purchase and transport corn into North Georgia, local officials solely distributed the corn to white families.[6] And when black families petitioned Bartow County for better educational and vocational opportunities, some local whites responded with violence, including but not limited to Ku Klux Klan activity.[8]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,217 km2), of which 460 square miles (1,191 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) or 2.2% is water.[9]
The bulk of Bartow County is located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin). The northeastern portion of the county around Rydal is located in the Coosawattee River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin, while an even smaller northwestern section around Adairsville is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin of the larger ACT River Basin.[10]
The Etowah is mostly part of Lake Allatoona in southeast Bartow and southwest Cherokee counties, with the Allatoona Dam near Cartersville also impounding Allatoona Creek into northwest Cobb county. The peninsula between the two major arms of the lake is home to Red Top Mountain State Park, east-southeast of Cartersville and just southeast of the dam.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 108,901 people, 39,742 households, and 28,529 families residing in the county.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 100,157 people, 35,782 households, and 26,529 families living in the county.[22] The population density was 217.9 inhabitants per square mile (84.1/km2). There were 39,823 housing units at an average density of 86.7 per square mile (33.5/km2).[23] The racial makeup of the county was 82.7% white, 10.2% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7.7% of the population.[22] In terms of ancestry, 13.9% were American, 10.0% were Irish, 9.3% were English, and 7.8% were German.[24]
Of the 35,782 households, 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.9% were non-families, and 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.20. The median age was 36.2 years.[22]
The median income for a household in the county was $49,216 and the median income for a family was $56,281. Males had a median income of $42,835 versus $31,225 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,241. About 10.8% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.[25]
As of 2000, there were 76,019 people, 27,176 households, and 21,034 families living in the county. The population density was 64/km2 (170/sq mi). There were 28,751 housing units at an average density of 24 persons per square kilometre (62 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 87.79% White, 8.68% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.62% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 3.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 27,176 households, out of which 38.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 22.60% were non-families. 18.70% 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 2.76 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 33.00% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,660, and the median income for a family was $49,198. Males had a median income of $35,136 versus $24,906 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,989. 8.60% of the population and 6.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.60% were under the age of 18 and 12.20% were 65 or older.
Public education in Bartow County is administered by Bartow County School District and Cartersville City Schools.
Excel Christian Academy and the Trinity School are private institutions.
Bartow County has voted Republican consistently since 1984.[26] Mitt Romney carried the county in 2012 with 75.11 percent of the vote. Barack Obama won a small minority of votes in the county, at 23.5 percent, that same year.[27]
[35]
34°14′N 84°50′W / 34.24°N 84.84°W / 34.24; -84.84
