| Cobb County, Georgia | |
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 Location in the state of Georgia |
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 Georgia's location in the U.S. |
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| Seat | Marietta |
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| Largest city | Marietta |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
345 sq mi (892 km²) 340 sq mi (881 km²) 4 sq mi (11 km²), 1.27% |
| PopulationEst. - (2009) - Density |
701,325 1,952/sq mi (763/km²) |
| Founded | 1832 |
| Website | www.cobbcounty.org |
Cobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta,[1] which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia. Marietta was named for his wife, Mary Moore Cobb.[2]
Cobb, along with several other counties in the same bill, was created December 3, 1832, by the Georgia General Assembly from the huge Cherokee "county" territory — land northwest of the Chattahoochee River which the state confiscated from the Cherokee Nation and redistributed to settlers via lottery, following the passage of the federal Indian Removal Act.[3]
As of the 2000 census, the population is 607,751. The county's population has continued to grow. The 2009 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau was 701,355 people.[4] The county is part of the original and core (five-county) Atlanta metropolitan area, which is included in the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Marietta, Georgia metropolitan statistical area.
The U.S. Census Bureau ranks Cobb County as the most-educated in the State of Georgia and 15th among all counties in the United States.[5] It is consistently ranked among top 100 wealthiest counties in the United States.[6]
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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (892 km²), of which, 340 square miles (881 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (11 km²) of it (1.27%) is water.
The county is divided between two major basins. Most runoff flows into the Chattahoochee River (along the southeastern border), via Willeo Creek, Sope Creek, Rottenwood Creek, Nickajack Creek and Powers Creek. A ridge from Lost Mountain in the west, to Kennesaw Mountain in the north-central, to Sweat Mountain in the extreme northeast, divides the far north-northwest of the county into the Etowah River basin, which includes Lake Allatoona. The Noonday Creek flows northward.
There are several high points in Cobb County.
Part of Cobb was given to create part of Milton in 1857.
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Bartow County | Cherokee County | |
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| Paulding County |  |
Fulton County | ||
 Cobb County,
Georgia  |
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| Douglas County | Fulton County |
Despite the lack of a grid system of city blocks though the county, all street addresses have their numeric origin at the southwest corner of the town square in Marietta.
From here, the north/south boundary heads west on Georgia 120, which is Whitlock Avenue and Dallas Highway. All addresses actually on this road are considered "southwest", even on the north side of the street, To the east, it follows 120 (South Park Square, Roswell Street, and Roswell Road), then onto Lower Roswell Road, and finally skipping to Paper Mill Road across a roadless strip, and down a small section of Johnson Ferry Road to the river.
The east/west boundary follows Church Street and its extension north to Bell's Ferry Road, with all addresses on it being "northwest", even on the east side of the street. To the south, it follows an arbitrary path toward Mableton, usually running between roads instead of along them.
Because the USPS delivers mail from post offices in other counties in some places, it has assigned the names and ZIP codes of those cities to areas in Cobb. This creates a situation where an address can appear to be in Atlanta, but is actually northwest of Atlanta in southeast Cobb, for example. This is the case with 30339, which is "Atlanta" by default, while Vinings is listed as "not acceptable". This area includes the Cumberland/Galleria area.
Originally in area code 404, the county was moved into area code 770 in 1995, and overlaid by area code 678 in 1998. Prior to 1995, those with phones tied to the Woodstock exchange (prefixes 924, 926, 928, later 516 and 591) could also call the Canton exchange (479, later 445, then 704) as a local call. This became moot, along with other dual-zone exchanges in metro Atlanta, when the exurban exchanges (including Canton) were fully made a part of what was already the world's largest toll-free calling zone.
The county's FIPS code is 13067. Because the National Weather Service has not subdivided the county, its WRSAME code is 013067, for receiving targeted weather warnings from NOAA Weather Radio. The county is within the broadcast range of one weather radio station: KEC80, on 162.550 MHz, transmitted to all of metro Atlanta and broadcast from NWSFO Peachtree City.
Cobb is county 033 on driver's licenses.
In 1915, convicted murderer Leo Frank was kidnapped from his jail cell and brought to Frey's Gin, two miles (3 km) east of Marietta. There he was lynched. The case was widely perceived as a miscarriage of justice.
When home rule was enacted statewide by amendment to the Georgia state constitution in the early 1960s, Ernest W. Barrett became the first chairman of the new county commission. The county courthouse, built in 1888, was demolished.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 24,664 |
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| 1910 | 28,397 | 15.1% | |
| 1920 | 30,437 | 7.2% | |
| 1930 | 35,408 | 16.3% | |
| 1940 | 38,272 | 8.1% | |
| 1950 | 61,830 | 61.6% | |
| 1960 | 114,174 | 84.7% | |
| 1970 | 196,793 | 72.4% | |
| 1980 | 297,718 | 51.3% | |
| 1990 | 447,745 | 50.4% | |
| 2000 | 607,751 | 35.7% | |
As of 2006, there were 679,325 people, 248,303 households, and 169,178 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,998 people per square mile (763/km²). There were 261,659 housing units at an average density of 770 per square mile (301/km²). The racial makeup of the county in 2006 was 56.0% White, 29.6% Black, 0.5% Native American, 4.1% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 8.8% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 11.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 248,303 households out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.20% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 6.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males.
As of 2007, the mean income for a household in the county was $85,751, and the mean income for a family was $101,065. Males had a median income of $51,745 versus $42,509 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,740. About 6.0% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Under Georgia's home rule provision, county governments have free rein to legislate on all matters within the county, provided that such legislation does not conflict with state or federal laws or constitutions.
Cobb County is governed by a five-member board of commissioners, which has both legislative and executive authority within the county. The chairman of the board is elected county-wide. The other four commissioners are elected from single-member districts. The board hires a county manager who oversees day-to-day operations of the county's executive departments.
County residents also elect a sheriff, district attorney, probate court judge, clerk of superior court, clerk of the state court, state court solicitor, chief magistrate judge (who then appoints other magistrate court judges), superior court judges, state court judges, tax commissioner, surveyor, and a seven-member board of education. The following is a table of those currently holding office as of September 2007:
| Office | Holder | Office | Holder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheriff | Neil Warren | State Court Solicitor | Barry E. Morgan | |
| District Attorney | Pat Head | Chief Magistrate Judge | Frank Cox | |
| Probate Court Judge | David Dodd | Tax Commissioner | Gail Downing | |
| Clerk of the Superior Court | Jay Stephenson | Clerk of the State Court | Diane Webb |
In addition to the county sheriff, the constitutional chief law enforcement officer of the county, Cobb County has a separate police department under the authority of the Board of Commissioners. The current Police Chief is G.B. Hatfield. The sheriff oversees the jail, to which everyone arrested under state law is taken, regardless of the city or other area of the county where it happens, or what police department makes the arrest.
Each city has a police department, but only Marietta, Smyrna, and Austell have their own fire departments, with the Cobb County Fire Department being the authority having jurisdiction over Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs, and unincorporated areas. Cobb 911 covers unincorporated areas and the cities of Marietta and Powder Springs. Kennesaw and Acworth jointly operate a small 911 call center (PSAP) upstairs in Kennesaw city hall, dispatching the police departments in both cities, and forwarding fire calls to Cobb. Austell and Smyrna operate their own separate 911 systems.
In addition to the 4% statewide sales tax, Cobb County levies an additional 2% for special projects, each 1% subject to separate renewal every few years by countywide referendum (including within its cities). This funds mainly transportation and parks. Cobb levies a 1% tax to lower property taxes, but only for the public school budget, and not the additional 1% HOST homestead exemption for general funds. It has also voted not to pay the extra 1% to join MARTA.
At the beginning of 2006 it became the last county in the state to raise the tax to 6%, which also doubled the tax on food to 2%. The SPLOST barely passed by a 114 vote margin, or less than one-quarter of a percent, in a September 2005 referendum. The revenue will go to a new county courthouse, expanded jail, various transportation projects, and the purchasing of property for parks and green space.[7] In 2008, the school tax was renewed for a third term, funding the Marietta and Cobb school systems.
Formerly incorporated:
Modern communities:
East Cobb, although often closer to Roswell, is mostly considered part of unincorporated Marietta by the U.S. Postal Service. Far southeastern Cobb (mainly Vinings and the Cumberland/Galleria area) is considered unincorporated Atlanta, even though it has its own ZIP code.
Existing communities:
The Cobb County School District is Cobb County's largest employer, employing over 15,000 people.[8] Private corporations include:
The Consulate-General of Costa Rica in Atlanta is located in Suite 100 at 1870 The Exchange in an unincorporated section of Cobb County.[12]
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