Carrollton, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| City of Carrollton | |
 Businesses in Adamson Square | |
 Flag  Logo | |
| Motto: "Altogether Original" | |
 Location inCarroll County and the state ofGeorgia | |
| Coordinates:33°34′51″N85°4′36″W / 33.58083°N 85.07667°W /33.58083; -85.07667 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Carroll |
| Incorporated | 1829 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Betty Cason |
| • City Manager | David Brooks |
| • City Council | Stacie Gibbs Brett Ledbetter Bob Uglum Jacqulene Bridges |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.05 sq mi (59.70 km2) |
| • Land | 22.49 sq mi (58.25 km2) |
| • Water | 0.56 sq mi (1.45 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,102 ft (336 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 26,738 |
| • Density | 1,189.0/sq mi (459.06/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 30112, 30116, 30117, 30118, 30119 |
| Area codes | 470,678,770 |
| FIPS code | 13-13492[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0325833[3] |
| Website | carrolltonga |
Carrollton is a city in and thecounty seat ofCarroll County, Georgia, United States.[4] It is within westernGeorgia, about 45 miles (72 km) west ofAtlanta near theAlabama state line, and is included in theAtlanta metropolitan area. It is the home of theUniversity of West Georgia andWest Georgia Technical College. In2020, the city had a population of 26,738.
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.[5]
The original intention was to call the new county seat "Troupville", in honor of former governorGeorge Troup, but Troup was not popular with the state government of the time, so theGeorgia General Assembly incorporated the town as Carrollton, in December 1829. The name was in honor ofCharles Carroll of Carrollton, the last living signer of theDeclaration of Independence.[5][6]
In 1830, the town was surveyed and lots were laid out, with the central feature being the town square,[5] which was later named Adamson Square, for local judge and congressmanWilliam 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 theCivil War.[5]
The coming of the railroad brought new prosperity to Carrollton. Farmers were able to bring their crops, mostlycotton, 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.[5]
The railroad also encouraged the growth of the fledgling industrial ventures, especially in thetextile industry, in and around Carrollton. These early textile mills, mostlywater 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.[5]
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 a 12,834-student university, theUniversity of West Georgia. In May 1964Robert F. Kennedy visited Carrollton for the dedication of Kennedy Chapel on the university campus.[7]
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.[5] 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.[8]
This diversification of industry has continued into the 21st century, aided in part by Carrollton's ready access toInterstate 20 and theNorfolk Southern Railway. The city's major employers presently include companies in the airline, construction, power distribution, poultry, software, home entertainment, and healthcare industries, among others.[9]
Carrollton also remains an important market town, with a wide variety ofnational retail chains and restaurants, serving Carroll County and the surrounding region.
Carrollton was mentioned inMargaret Mitchell's 1936 novelGone with the Wind and in the 1939movie of the same name. Carrollton featured in the 1983 TV movieMurder in Coweta County, although the Carrollton scenes were not actually filmed there. Other films shot in the Carrollton area includeConjurer withJohn Schneider,The Way Home withDean Cain, andBetween Love and a Hard Place withBern Nadette Stanis. Carrollton was the home of actressSusan Hayward.[7]
On August 21, 1995,Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 crashed near Carrollton. Nine of the 29 passengers and crew on board were killed as a result of the accident.
The city attracted news media attention amidst allegations ofcensorship in September 2011 when the then mayor, Wayne Garner, overruled the board of the city-owned Carrollton Cultural Arts Center in order to ban as "very offensive" the live stage musicalThe 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 personalFacebook page.[10] 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 theUniversity of West Georgia, also in Carrollton.[11] The Virginia-based anti-censorshipThomas 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 ofThe Rocky Horror Show at a city-owned theater."[12][13]
Carrollton is located near the center of Carroll County at33°34′51″N85°4′36″W / 33.58083°N 85.07667°W /33.58083; -85.07667 (33.580912, -85.076704).[14] TheLittle 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) toInterstate 20 inBremen and south 42 miles (68 km) toLaGrange.U.S. Route 27 Alternate leads southeast from the city 23 mi (37 km) toNewnan. Other more local roads that pass through the city include Georgia State Routes16,113, and166.
According to theUnited 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.[15]
Carrollton has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa), with mild winters and hot, humid summers.
Severe winter conditions are infrequent. The record for snowfall is 10-11", which fell on December 8 and 9, 2017.[16] The previous record for biggest snow was in March 1993 during theBlizzard of 1993 with 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150 mm) of snow. During the stormthundersnow was reported. On Christmas Day 2010 Carrollton had its firstwhite 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 fromlightning strikes. Anytornadoes produced by these storms tend to be small and highly localized. AnEF3 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 onMay 11, 2008.[17] The Mother's Day Tornadoes did extensive damage to many homes and businesses. In April 2017, a tornado hit Carrollton, destroying a fire station and damaging numerous homes and vehicles. The tornado also hit on the campus of the University of West Georgia.
Possibly the most significant severe weather risk comes fromhurricanes that strike theFlorida 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 1995Hurricane Opal slammed the Florida panhandle then moved north into Alabama and then east 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 fromHurricane 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.[18]
| Climate data for Carrollton, Georgia (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1904–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) | 81 (27) | 93 (34) | 92 (33) | 97 (36) | 102 (39) | 103 (39) | 102 (39) | 100 (38) | 97 (36) | 86 (30) | 81 (27) | 103 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 53.6 (12.0) | 58.1 (14.5) | 65.8 (18.8) | 74.0 (23.3) | 81.1 (27.3) | 87.2 (30.7) | 89.6 (32.0) | 88.4 (31.3) | 83.1 (28.4) | 73.5 (23.1) | 63.6 (17.6) | 55.7 (13.2) | 72.8 (22.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 34.5 (1.4) | 40.5 (4.7) | 47.9 (8.8) | 56.8 (13.8) | 65.3 (18.5) | 69.0 (20.6) | 68.3 (20.2) | 61.9 (16.6) | 49.7 (9.8) | 38.9 (3.8) | 34.2 (1.2) | 49.9 (9.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) | 2 (−17) | 8 (−13) | 24 (−4) | 30 (−1) | 40 (4) | 50 (10) | 48 (9) | 32 (0) | 23 (−5) | 2 (−17) | 0 (−18) | −9 (−23) |
| Average rainfall inches (mm) | 5.0 (130) | 5.30 (135) | 5.59 (142) | 4.59 (117) | 3.77 (96) | 4.13 (105) | 4.45 (113) | 3.68 (93) | 3.83 (97) | 3.66 (93) | 4.39 (112) | 5.09 (129) | 53.48 (1,362) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.6 (1.51) |
| Source:NOAA[19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 926 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,451 | 56.7% | |
| 1900 | 1,998 | 37.7% | |
| 1910 | 3,297 | 65.0% | |
| 1920 | 4,363 | 32.3% | |
| 1930 | 5,052 | 15.8% | |
| 1940 | 6,214 | 23.0% | |
| 1950 | 7,753 | 24.8% | |
| 1960 | 10,973 | 41.5% | |
| 1970 | 13,520 | 23.2% | |
| 1980 | 14,078 | 4.1% | |
| 1990 | 16,029 | 13.9% | |
| 2000 | 19,843 | 23.8% | |
| 2010 | 24,388 | 22.9% | |
| 2020 | 26,738 | 9.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[20] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 12,931 | 48.36% |
| Black or African American | 8,381 | 31.34% |
| Native American | 58 | 0.22% |
| Asian | 452 | 1.69% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mmxed | 1,082 | 4.05% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 3,829 | 14.32% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 26,738 people, 9,024 households, and 5,206 families residing in the city, up from 24,388 in 2010.
Several parks are located in Carrollton such as Longview Park, Knox Park and Castle Playground.[22]John Tanner Park, which is 6 miles (10 km) west of the city, has a lake with a beach and swimming area, walking or running track, and camp grounds.[23]
The Carrollton Greenbelt[24] is the largest paved loop in the state of Georgia. It is 18 miles long and is used for walking and bicycling. The trail goes all around Carrollton and has "trailheads" at Laura's Park at Hays Mill, Old-Newnan Road, Lakeshore Park, and more.
East Carrollton Park is located near Lake Carroll.
Carrollton's downtown area is named Adamson Square after CongressmanWilliam C. Adamson. The area is the host to many of Carrollton's events, such as the annual Mayfest which takes place in the first week of May.[25] Right off the Square is the Carrollton Center for the Arts, the site of Carrollton Festival of the Arts, an arts and crafts festival held in October.
In 2012 The AMP at Adamson Square debuted; this outdoor covered amphitheater can seat 800–1,000 people and shows a variety of free music and movie performances.[26] Carrollton is well known for its diverse live music tradition. Many restaurants offer live music performances as well the Lowell Opry House where staged concerts are held.
One block south of the Square is theSoutheastern Quilt & Textile Museum, which opened in September 2012.[27] Exhibits 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 about 100 places of worship.[28] The Sacred Harp Publishing Company, a non-profit organization supportingSacred Harp singing, publishes the most widely used edition of theSacred Harp songbook.[29] Carrollton is the birthplace of Baptist pastorJerry Vines. It is also the home of a small denomination: theNational Association of Wesleyan Evangelicals.[30]
Carrollton is home to a vibrant local radio scene, anchored by Gradick Communications, locally and independently owned. The stations include B92.1 Country (WBTR), playing today's country hits;WKNG King Country 93.7 FM, offering a mix of traditional and contemporary country music; Great Classics 98.9 (WWGA), featuring oldies from the '70s through early 2000s; and Kiss 102.7WCKS, a top adult contemporary station with a playlist spanning the 1980s to today;WLBB 1330 AM, which provides local news, talk, and community programming; and Rejoice 89.1 FM(WKNG FM), offering uplifting Contemporary Christian. These stations are a key source of news, entertainment, and community information for Carrollton and the surrounding areas.
TheCarroll County School District provides education from pre-school through grade twelve and consists of twelve elementary schools, six middle schools, and five high schools.[32]Schools located in Carrollton include:
TheCarrollton City School District serves grades pre-school through twelve and consists of one lower elementary school, an upper elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.[33][34][35]
George Washington Carver High School served as the onlyblack high school in Carrollton duringracial segregation in the South. The school was closed in 1969.
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.
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."[permanent dead link]
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 musicalThe 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. TheCharlottesville center bestows the Muzzles annually to mark the April 13 birthday of its inspiration, a free-speech advocate and the nation's third president.
Mayor Wayne Garner determined, absent due process and prior to any actual expression, thatThe 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, Carrollton, Georgia Mayor Wayne Garner is awarded a 2012 Jefferson Muzzle.
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Municipalities and communities ofCarroll County, Georgia,United States | ||
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| CDP | ||
| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
