Carrollton, Georgia

Carrollton, Georgia
City

Carrollton City Hall
Motto: "A great place to Live, Learn, Work and Play"[1]

Location in Carroll County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 33°34′51″N 85°4′36″W / 33.58083°N 85.07667°W / 33.58083; -85.07667Coordinates: 33°34′51″N 85°4′36″W / 33.58083°N 85.07667°W / 33.58083; -85.07667
Country United States
State Georgia
County Carroll
Incorporated 1829
Government
 • Mayor Walt Hollingsworth
 • City Manager Tim Grizzard
 • City Council Jim Watters
Gerald Byrd
Met Lane
Vacant
Area
 • Total 22.8 sq mi (59.1 km2)
 • Land 22.3 sq mi (57.7 km2)
 • Water 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
Elevation 1,102 ft (336 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 24,388
 • Density 1,094/sq mi (422.5/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 30112, 30116, 30117, 30118, 30119
Area code(s) 470, 678, 770
FIPS code 13-13492[2]
GNIS feature ID 0325833[3]
Website www.carrollton-ga.gov

Carrollton is a city in western Georgia, United States, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,388.[4] The city is the county seat of Carroll County.[5]

Historically, Carrollton has been a commercial center for Carroll County and neighboring counties in Georgia and Alabama. It is the home of the University of West Georgia.

Geography

Carrollton is located near the center of Carroll County at 33°34′51″N 85°4′36″W / 33.58083°N 85.07667°W / 33.58083; -85.07667 (33.580912, -85.076704).[6] The Little Tallapoosa River flows through the northwestern part of the city. U.S. Route 27 passes through the city center, leading north 9 miles (14 km) to Interstate 20 in Bremen and south 42 miles (68 km) to LaGrange. U.S. Route 27 Alternate leads southeast 23 miles (37 km) to Newnan.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Carrollton has a total area of 22.8 square miles (59.1 km2), of which 22.3 square miles (57.7 km2) is land and 0.54 square miles (1.4 km2), or 2.37%, is water.[7]

History

Carroll County, of which Carrollton is the county seat, was chartered in 1826, and was governed at the time by the Carroll Inferior Court, which consisted of five elected justices. In 1829, the justices voted to move the county seat from the site it occupied near the present community of Sandhill, to a new site about 8 miles (13 km) to the southwest.[8]

The original intention was to call the new county seat "Troupville", in honor of former governor George Troup, but Troup was not popular with the state government of the time, so the Georgia General Assembly incorporated the town as Carrollton, in December 1829. The name was in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.[8]

In 1830, the town was surveyed and lots were laid out, with the central feature being the town square,[8] which was later named Adamson Square, for local judge and congressman William C. Adamson.

Although it was the county seat and the main market town for most of Carroll County, transportation of both goods and passengers was difficult until the coming of the railroad in 1874, so Carrollton remained largely a frontier town until well after the Civil War.[8]

The coming of the railroad brought new prosperity to Carrollton. Farmers were able to bring their crops, mostly cotton, to town for shipment to distant markets, and obtain the fertilizers and agricultural supplies they needed. At the same time, consumer goods were more readily available than ever before.[8]

The railroad also encouraged the growth of the fledgling industrial ventures, especially in the textile industry, in and around Carrollton. These early textile mills, mostly water powered, served as the basis for a textile industry that helped ensure the town's prosperity well into the 20th century.

At the start of the 20th century, Carrollton boasted running water and had electric lighting and telephone service. The town began paving its streets in 1918.[8]

In 1906, Carrollton was chosen as the site of the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School, which became West Georgia College in 1934, and is now an 11,000-student university, the University of West Georgia. In May 1964 Robert F. Kennedy visited Carrollton for the dedication of Kennedy Chapel on the university campus.[9]

Panoramic of Carrollton's Adamson Square c. 1912

Carrollton remained an agricultural and textile manufacturing center throughout the first half of the 20th century, but as the local production of cotton declined and the population became more urban, other industries began to take on a greater prominence.[8] Most notable is the Southwire Company. Founded in Carrollton in 1950, Southwire is now one of the world's largest manufacturers of wire and cable and is the largest privately owned wire manufacturer, with more than 1,500 local employees and 5,000 employees worldwide.[10]

This diversification of industry has continued into the 21st century, aided in part by Carrollton's ready access to Interstate 20 and the Norfolk Southern Railway. The city's major employers presently include companies in the airline, construction, power distribution, poultry, software, home entertainment, and health care industries, among others.[11]

Carrollton also remains an important market town, with a wide variety of national retail chains and restaurants, serving Carroll County and the surrounding region.

Carrollton was mentioned in Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the 1939 movie of the same name. Carrollton featured in the 1983 TV movie Murder in Coweta County, although the Carrollton scenes were not actually filmed there. Other films shot in the Carrollton area include Conjurer with John Schneider, The Way Home with Dean Cain, and Between Love and a Hard Place with Bern Nadette Stanis. Carrollton was the home of actress Susan Hayward.[9]

The city attracted news media attention amidst allegations of censorship in September 2011 when the mayor overruled the board of the city-owned Carrollton Cultural Arts Center in order to ban as "very offensive" the live stage musical The Rocky Horror Show that had been scheduled for a run just before Halloween. The theater board had authorized use of the venue and appropriated $2,500 for the show, which was already in rehearsal. News reports attributed the mayor's decision to his being shown by the city manager a video of the rehearsal posted by a cast member to a personal Facebook page.[12] In February 2012, three months later than originally planned, the show was produced and privately funded without city money at the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts at the University of West Georgia, also in Carrollton.[13] The Virginia-based anti-censorship Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression gave one of its national 2012 "Muzzle" awards to the mayor "for appointing himself the arbiter of cultural taste for an entire town, and canceling a pre-approved production of The Rocky Horror Show at a city-owned theater."[14][15]

Severe weather

Severe winter conditions are infrequent. The biggest snow was in March 1993 during the Blizzard of 1993 with 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150 mm) of snow. During the storm thundersnow was reported. On Christmas Day 2010 Carrollton had its first white Christmas in 17 years. Thunderstorms, a few of them severe, can occur during the spring and summer months. The main risk from these storms comes from lightning strikes. Any tornadoes produced by these storms tend to be small and highly localized. An EF3 tornado hit an area about 10 miles (16 km) west of Carrollton on February 26, 2008. Some of the same areas hit by the February 2008 tornadoes were also hit by the Mother's Day Tornadoes on May 11, 2008. The Mother's Day Tornadoes did extensive damage to many homes and businesses.

Possibly the most significant severe weather risk comes from hurricanes that strike the Florida Panhandle. These storms track northward through Alabama as tropical storms, and some have brought high winds, heavy rainfall, and the occasional tornado to the Carrollton area, resulting in significant property damage. In October 1995 Hurricane Opal slammed the Florida panhandle then moved north into Alabama and then northeast into Georgia. The Carrollton area was hit with tropical storm force winds killing one person when a tree came down into a mobile home. Some area residents were without electricity for almost two weeks. In 2005 a feeder band from Hurricane Katrina produced a tornado that killed one person just south of Carrollton. Flooding is also a concern for the area. In September 2009 up to a foot of rain fell in some areas, flooding many homes, washing away roads and bridges, and claiming the lives of ten people in Georgia.[16]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1880926—
18901,45156.7%
19001,99837.7%
19103,29765.0%
19204,36332.3%
19305,05215.8%
19406,21423.0%
19507,75324.8%
196010,97341.5%
197013,52023.2%
198014,0784.1%
199016,02913.9%
200019,84323.8%
201024,38822.9%
Est. 201426,690[17]9.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
Topographic map of Carrollton

Population

Total population (2000) White African American American Indian Asian Pacific Islander Other Mixed Hispanic

(any race)

19,843 62.49% 13.16% 0.22% 1.26% 0.01% 2.88% 1.98% 5.64%

.[19]

Household data

Total households (2000) Family households Nonfamily households Households w/members under 18 Households w/members over 65 Avg. household size Avg. family size
7,121 3,968 3,153 2,178 1,496 2.37 3.01

Source: US Census

Population sex and age

Male Female Median age Under 21 21-65 65 and over 85 and over
9,241 10,602 26.3 6,986 10,617 2,240 389

[19]

Income

Median household income Median family income Median earnings (male) Median earnings (female) Per capita income
33,392 17,923 30,600 23,224 16,803

[19]

Parks and recreation

For outdoor recreation, several parks are located near Carrollton. John Tanner State Park, 6 miles (10 km) west of the city, has a lake with a beach and swimming area, walking or running track, and camp grounds.[20]

Culture

Carrollton has a downtown area named Adamson Square after Congressman William Charles Adamson.[21] Local restaurants include the Corner Cafe, The Alley Cat, Plates on the Square (the upstairs bar is known as Uncorked at Plates), and Gallery Row Coffee Shop; all are within walking distance of one another. Of these, The Alley Cat and Uncorked at Plates frequently schedule bands and other events.[22] Adamson Square is the host to many of Carrollton's events, such as the annual Mayfest which takes place in the first week of May.[23] Another shop located on Adamson Square is Horton's Books & Gifts, certified as the oldest bookstore in Georgia by the American Booksellers Association. Founded in 1892, it is Carrollton and Carroll County's oldest business. Right off the Square is the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center, the site of Mecca Fest, an arts and crafts festival held in October.[24]

One block south of the Square is the Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum which opened in September, 2012.[25] Exhibits at the museum have featured traditional and contemporary quilts by both solo artists and various regional guilds, and a partnership with the Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia has enabled the museum to exhibit highlights of the history of the local textile industry.

Carrollton has a strong religious element, with about 100 places of worship.[26] Carrollton is the location of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company, a non-profit organization supporting Sacred Harp singing, which publishes the most widely used edition of the Sacred Harp songbook.[27] Carrollton is the birthplace of Baptist pastor Jerry Vines. It is also the home of a small denomination: the National Association of Wesleyan Evangelicals.[28]

Education

Carroll County School District

The Carroll County School District provides education to pre-school through grade twelve and consists of eleven elementary schools, six middle schools, and seven high schools.[29] The district has 805 full-time teachers and over 13,403 students.[30]

Carrollton City School District

The Carrollton City School District serves grades pre-school through twelve and consists of one elementary school, two middle schools, a high school, and an alternative school.[31] The district has 208 full-time teachers and over 3,682 students.[32]

Higher education

Private schools

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The City of Carrollton, Georgia". The City of Carrollton, Georgia. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  2. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ↑ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/1313492.html
  5. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  6. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Carrollton city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bonner, James C. (1970). Georgia's Last Frontier: The Development of Carroll County. The University of Georgia Press.
  9. 1 2 Bonner, J.C., Myron W. House, James W. Mathews (1998). From A&M to State University: A History of the State University of West Georgia. State University of West Georgia Foundation.
  10. ↑ Over 50 Years of Quality and Service. Southwire Company. Retrieved 7/30/07.
  11. ↑ Carroll County Location and Land Facts. (PDF) Carroll County Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 7/31/07.
  12. ↑ Shirek, Jon (Sep 15, 2011). "Carrollton Rocky Horror Show shut down, deemed too risque". WXIA-TV "11 Alive" (Atlanta, GA). Retrieved 2011-09-15. Mayor Wayne Garner takes it seriously. He told 11Alive's Jon Shirek, from his City Hall office on Wednesday, that he was not expecting an R-rated show on a city-owned stage. "I found [the video he saw of the rehearsal] very offensive," he said, "not in keeping with the community of Carrollton, if you will." So Garner overruled the community leaders who make up the theater's board; they are the ones who gave the go-ahead for the show and committed $2,500 of city money toward the production.
  13. ↑ Jones, Winston (2012-02-01). "Rocky Horror takes the stage at last". Times-Georgian (Carrollon, Georgia). Retrieved 2013-05-02. The controversial comedy-musical was originally scheduled for a Carroll County Community Theater Halloween production at the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center. But Carrollton Mayor Wayne Garner pulled the plug on the play last September, expressing concern about the R-rated content being performed in a city-owned facility. The ban drew worldwide attention after fans launched a Facebook page and started a fundraising drive to privately stage the show. Carrollton attorney James L. Hopkins came to the show's defense and formed JusticeForRocky, LLC, to privately produce the show. He became the show's executive producer."
  14. ↑ "Citing Rocky Horror, center gives Muzzle award to mayor". Times-Georgian (Carrollon, Georgia). 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2013-05-02. Carrollton Mayor Wayne Garner joined Florida's governor and the U.S. State Department on a list of "winners" of awards that probably won't be going on anyone's mantles. Garner, who last fall determined the musical The Rocky Horror Show to be inappropriate for a city facility, was named a recipient of a Muzzle award by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. The Charlottesville center bestows the Muzzles annually to mark the April 13 birthday of its inspiration, a free-speech advocate and the nation's third president.
  15. ↑ "2012 Jefferson Muzzle Awards". Charlottesville, Virginia: Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. 2012-04-13. Retrieved 2013-05-02. Mayor Wayne Garner determined, absent due process and prior to any actual expression, that The Rocky Horror Show should not — and therefore, would not — be seen at the Carrollton Community Arts Center, a public forum established by the city to provide all of its residents with a broad array of cultural programs expressing a variety of viewpoints. While claiming to act in the best interest of his constituency, Mayor Garner demonstrated a willingness to disregard bedrock constitutional protections and silence those voices with whom he personally disagreed. For this, Carrolton, Georgia Mayor Wayne Garner is awarded a 2012 Jefferson Muzzle.
  16. ↑ /Billion Dollar US Weather Disasters. National Climatic Data Center (NOAA). Retrieved 7/31/07.
  17. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  19. 1 2 3 U.S. Census
  20. ↑ John Tanner State Park
  21. ↑ http://www.carrolltonmainstreet.com/square_history.php
  22. ↑ http://www.platesonthesquare.com/
  23. ↑ http://www.carrolltonmainstreet.com/
  24. ↑ http://www.visitcarrollton.com/attractions.html
  25. ↑ http://southeasternquiltmuseum.com/
  26. ↑ http://www.churchangel.com/WEBGA/carrollton.htm
  27. ↑ "About the Company," Sacred Harp Publishing Company, accessed April 29, 2014, http://originalsacredharp.com/about/.
  28. ↑ http://www.thenawe.com/Contact-Us.html
  29. ↑ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  30. ↑ School Stats, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  31. ↑ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  32. ↑ School Stats, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  33. ↑ West Georgia Technical College, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  34. ↑ University of West Georgia, Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  35. ↑ The Bridge Learning Center
  36. ↑ Oak Mountain Academy
  37. ↑ Oak Grove Montessori School

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