Fulton County, Georgia

Fulton County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Atlanta
Year Organized: 1853
Square Miles: 529

Court House:

141 Pryor St., S.W., 10th Floor
County courthouse
Atlanta, GA 30301-0000

Etymology - Origin of County Name

named after Robert Fulton who built the Clermont, a boat that revolutionized river travel and played an important role in the development of the South.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Fulton County was formed from DeKalb County in 1853. In 1932, Milton and Campbell counties were consolidated with Fulton County, resulting in its current elongated shape.

The county was the 144th county created in the state and was named after Robert Fulton who built the Clermont, a boat that revolutionized river travel and played an important role in the development of the South.

Atlanta, the county seat and state capital, was named Terminus in 1842. Its name was later changed to Marthasville, in honor of Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter, and then to Atlanta in 1848.

Points of Interest

Several of the state's top attractions are located in the county, including Underground Atlanta, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, the World of Coca Cola Museum, and Zoo Atlanta.

The State Capitol and the Governer's Mansion are both located in Atlanta. The Georgia Capitol is a gilded dome which resembles a small -scale version of the Captiol in Washington, D.C. The Governor's Mansion is a Greek Revival Mansion with a fine collection of Federal Period furnishings.

The High Museum of Art, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Ballet all contribute towards the city's claim as the cultural capital of the South.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the annual college football post-season game which matches competitors from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference in a regional grudge match in the Georgia Dome.

The newly renovated CNN Center is the global headquarters of Turner Broadcasting System and home to CNN's international news networks.

Notable Citizens

Famous individuals from Fulton County have included golfer Bobby Jones, civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell. Other Atlanta natives include comedian Nipsey Russell, singer Gladys Knight and singer/songwriter Tommy Roe.

Higher Education

The Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta Christian College, and Mercer University.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Cherokee County
Northeast: Forsyth County; Gwinnett County
East: DeKalb County
Southeast: Clayton County
South: Fayette County
Southwest: Coweta County; Carroll County; Douglas County
Northwest: Cobb County

Cities and Towns:

- Alpharetta	city	Incorporated Area
- Atlanta (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- College Park	city	Incorporated Area
- East Point	city	Incorporated Area
- Fairburn	city	Incorporated Area
- Hapeville	city	Incorporated Area
- Mountain Park	city	Incorporated Area
- Palmetto	city	Incorporated Area
- Roswell	city	Incorporated Area
- Smyrna	city	Incorporated Area
- Union City	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

County http://www.co.fulton.ga.us

Chamber of Commerce http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/

Additional County Info http://www.georgiaplanning.com/CountyPortal/countyportal.asp?FIPS=13121

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

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