Discover

'Fulton County' is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta⁶, the principal city of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, the population was 816,006. The 2006 Census Estimate placed the population at 960,009 [1].
Fulton County is the most populous county in Georgia and is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

Governance

Services

Politics

Taxation

Municipalization

Secession

Taxes

Transportation

Geography

Major Highways

Adjacent Counties

Secondary highways

Demographics

Incorporated cities and towns

Unincorporated Communities

Education

Notes

External links

History

Fulton County was created from the western half of DeKalb County in 1853. This occurred when, during the 1840s, that county's seat of Decatur refused to allow a railroad terminal to be built due to noise concerns. A new point was selected a few miles west, and was later incorporated as 'Terminus'. The town was renamed twice; first as Marthasville, and finally as Atlanta.
During William T. Sherman's March to the Sea during the American Civil War, Sherman spared Roswell because he had a cousin who lived there. As a result, Roswell has more pre-Civil War historical buildings up than anywhere else in north Georgia.
The name is often assumed to be in honor of inventor Robert Fulton, who, among many other inventions, built a steamboat in 1807. This assumption is likely because this steam engine was the predecessor to the steam locomotives which built Atlanta. However, some research now indicates that it may have been in honor of Hamilton Fulton, a surveyor for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Nonetheless the County itself claims to be named after Robert Fulton [2].
At the beginning of 1932, Milton County to the north and Campbell County to the southwest became part of Fulton County, to save money during the Great Depression. This gave the county its current long shape along 70 miles (113 kilometers) of the Chattahoochee River. Neighboring Cobb County ceded to Fulton the city of Roswell and lands lying east of Willeo Creek in order that the latter county be contiguous with the lands ceded from Milton. Parts of Gwinnett County and Cherokee County were also swept into Fulton.

Governance

Fulton County is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners, who hold concurrent four year terms. The most recent election was held in November, 2006. Fulton County has a county manager system of government, in which day-to-day operation of the County is handled by a manager appointed by the Board of Commissioners.

Board of Commissioners
District	Commissioner
District 1 (Chairman/At-Large)	John H. Eaves, Ph.D.
District 2 (At-Large)	Robert "Robb" Pitts
District 3	Lynne Riley
District 4	Tom Lowe
District 5	Emma I. Darnell
District 6	Nancy A. Boxill
District 7	William "Bill" Edwards (Vice Chairman)

Board of Commissioners Staff
Position Held	Name
County Manager	Tom Andrews
Clerk to the Commission	Mark Massey
County Attorney	Gerry Clark
Finance Director	Patrick O' Conner

Services

Fulton County's budget of $1.2 billion funds an array of resident services.
With 34 branches, Fulton County is home to one of the largest library systems in Georgia.
Human Services programs include one of the strongest senior center networks in metro Atlanta, including four multipurpose senior facilities. The County also provides funding to nonprofits with FRESH and Human Services grants.

Politics

Atlanta is the dominant city of Fulton County, occupying the county's narrow center section and thus geographically dividing the county's northern and southern portions. Atlanta's last major annexation in 1952 brought over 118 square miles into the city, including the affluent suburb of Buckhead, and was motivated in part to maintain a majority of white voters in the city. The movement to create a City of Sandy Springs, launched in the early 1970s and reaching fruition in 2005, was largely an effort to prevent additional annexations by the City of Atlanta.

Taxation

Geographically remote from each other because of Atlanta's annexations, the northern and southern sections of the county have grown increasingly at odds over the collection of taxes and distribution of services. Residents of the affluent areas of North Fulton have increasingly complained that the Fulton County Board of Commissioners have ignored their needs, taking taxes collected in North Fulton and spending it on programs in services in South Fulton. In 2005, the Georgia General Assembly directed Fulton County, alone among all the counties in the state, to limit the expenditure of funds to the geographic region of the county where they were collected. Fulton County contested this law, known as the "Shafer Amendment" after Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), in a lawsuit that went to the Georgia Supreme Court. On June 19, 2006, the Court handed down a decision upholding the legality of the Shafer Amendment.
The creation of the City of Sandy Springs left fewer residents in unincorporated North Fulton to subsidize the programs and services in South Fulton, prompting a move to create two additional cities that would completely "municipalize" North Fulton. In a domino effect, the residents of South Fulton then moved to create additional cities as well.

Municipalization

Since the 1970s, residents of Sandy Springs had waged a long-running battle to incorporate their own city. They were repeatedly foiled by the Democrats, but when control of state government switched to the Republicans after the 2002 and 2004 election, the movement to create the city picked up steam.
The General Assembly approved creation of the city in 2005. The citizens of Sandy Springs voted 94% in favor of ratifying the charter in a referendum held on June 21, 2005. The new city was officially incorporated on December 1, 2005, though the county will continue to provide most services under contract through sometime in 2006.
Creation of Sandy Springs spurried a movement toward municipalization of the entire county, which would incorporate every area into a city. This would essentially eliminate the county's home rule powers (granted in the 1960s) to act as a municipality in unincorporated areas, and return it to being entirely a local extension of state government.
In 2006, the General Assembly approved creation of two new cities, Milton and Johns Creek, that would completely municipalize North Fulton. The charters of these two new cities were ratified in a referendum held July 18, 2006.
The General Assembly also approved a proposal to form a new city called South Fulton. Its proposed boundaries will include those areas still unincorporated on July 1, 2007. As a direct result, many of the existing cities are proposing annexations while some communities are drawing up incorporation plans [3].
Voters in the small Chattahoochee Hill Country community voted to incorporate in June 2007. The city will be officially incorporated as of December 1, 2007.

Secession

Some residents of suburban north Fulton have advocated that they be allowed to secede and form a new county, called Milton County, after the nearly bankrupt county that was absorbed into Fulton County in 1931 during the Great Depression. For the next 50 years the rural and poor former Milton County benefitted a tax flow from the wealthier south with new schools, roads and bridges and much improved services.^[1]
The northern portion of the county, a suburban, predominantly white area that is majority-Republican, is among the most affluent areas in the nation. The central and southern portion of the county, on the other hand, includes the more urban, less-affluent city of Atlanta and is majority Democratic. The execption being the suburban neighborhoods located outside of I-285 in the far southwest part of Fulton county. Those areas known as Cascade, Camp Creek, Sandtown, and Chattahoochee Hill Country are made up of predominantly affluent African-Americans and is secluded from the rest of south Fulton.
The major reasoning behind the push for the succession from Fulton County and the recreation of the former Milton County is that Fulton County, in comparison to the state's other counties, is physically large, and with a population greater than that of six other states, and the new government could be more responsive to the needs of the proposed Milton County area. Even though northern Fulton County residents represent only 29% of the county's total population, they pay 42% of all property taxes. A division of the county would ensure that tax revenues would be spent closer to where they are collected, but it would lead to the loss of $193 million in property taxes alone for the rest of Fulton County.
The main opposition to the separation comes from the residents of south Fulton County, who say that the proposed separation is racially based, in keeping the county's rich white residents separated from the black residents. State Senator Vincent Fort, an Atlanta Democrat and a member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, very strongly opposes the plan to split the county. "If it gets to the floor, there will be blood on the walls," Fort stated. "As much as you would like to think it's not racial, it's difficult to draw any other conclusion," he later added.
A firestorm broke out in Atlanta in 2006, most likely caused by disgruntled south Fulton residents opposed to Fulton County's possible future separation, when State Senator Sam Zamarripa (D-Atlanta) suggested that the cities in North Fulton be allowed to secede and form Milton County in exchange for Atlanta and Fulton County consolidating their governments into a new "Atlanta County."
North Fulton is home to many of the owners of the businesses located in the city of Atlanta. Its economic strength, like many major American city suburbs, is due to the racially-motivated white flight of the late 60s and 70s. Milton County was originally annexed into Fulton County during the depression of the late 1920s and early 30s because it was economically unable to exist on its own. Now that times have changed and the new generation of wealthy, predominantly white north Fulton county residents have experienced economic and social growth, many want to be defined as separate from the the perceived difficulties faced by south Fulton county residents today.

Taxes

Fulton County has an 7% total sales tax, including 4% state, 1% SPLOST, 1% homestead exemption, and 1% MARTA. Sales taxes apply through the entire county and its cities, except for Atlanta's additional 1% Municipal Option Sales Tax to fund capital improvements to its combined and separate wastewater sewer systems and its drinking water system. [4] Fulton County has lowered its General Fund millage rate by 26% over an eight-year period.

Transportation

Almost every major highway, and every major Interstate highway, in metro Atlanta passes through Fulton County. Outside Atlanta proper, Georgia 400 is the major highway through north Fulton, and Interstate 85 to the southwest.
MARTA serves most of the county, and along with Dekalb County, Fulton pays a 1% sales tax to fund it. MARTA train service in Fulton is currently limited to the cities of Atlanta, Sandy Springs, East Point, and College Park, as well as the airport. Bus service covers most of the remainder, except the rural areas in the far southwest.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport straddles the border with Clayton County to the south. The Fulton County Airport, often called Charlie Brown Field after aviator Charles Brown or, informally, West Atlanta airport, is located just west-southwest of Atlanta's city limit. It is run by the county as a municipal or general aviation airport, serving business jets and private aircraft.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,385 km² (535 mi²). 1,369 km² (529 mi²) of it is land and 15 km² (6 mi²) of it (1.11%) is water.

Major Highways

★ Interstate 20

★ Interstate 75

★ Interstate 85

★ Interstate 285

★ U.S. Route 19

★ U.S. Route 23

★ U.S. Route 29

★ U.S. Route 41

★ U.S. Route 78

★ U.S. Route 278

★ State Route 3

★ State Route 6

★ State Route 9

★ State Route 10

★ State Route 13

★ State Route 14

★ State Route 42

★ State Route 54

★ State Route 70

★ State Route 74

★ State Route 92

★ State Route 120

★ State Route 138

★ State Route 139

★ State Route 140

★ State Route 141

★ State Route 154

★ State Route 400

Adjacent Counties

★ Cherokee County, Georgia - north

★ Forsyth County, Georgia - northeast

★ DeKalb County, Georgia - east

★ Gwinnett County, Georgia - east

★ Fayette County, Georgia - south

★ Clayton County, Georgia - south

★ Coweta County, Georgia - southwest

★ Cobb County, Georgia - west

★ Douglas County, Georgia - west

★ Carroll County, Georgia - west

Secondary highways

★ Abernathy Road

★ East Wesley Road

★ Freedom Parkway (S.R. 10)

★ Glenridge Drive

★ Hammond Drive

★ Johnson Ferry Road

★ Lindbergh Drive (S.R. 236)

★ Memorial Drive (S.R. 154)

★ Moreland Avenue (U.S. 23/S.R. 42)

★ Mount Vernon Highway

★ Peachtree Road (S.R. 141)

★ Peachtree-Dunwoody Road

★ Piedmont Road (S.R. 237)

★ Ponce de Leon Avenue (U.S. 23/U.S. 29/U.S. 78/U.S. 278/S.R. 8/S.R. 10)

★ Powers Ferry Road

★ Roswell Road (U.S. 19/S.R. 9)

★ Windsor Parkway
Fulton County, Georgia, is one of the few counties in the United States to border as many as 10 counties.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 816,006 people, 321,242 households, and 185,677 families residing in the county. The population density was 596/km² (1,544/mi²). There were 348,632 housing units at an average density of 255/km² (660/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 48.11% White, 44.57% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 3.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.60% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. 5.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 321,242 households out of which 28.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.30% were married couples living together, 16.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.20% were non-families. 32.20% 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 2.44 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 11.00% from 18 to 24, 35.50% from 25 to 44, 20.70% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $49,321, and the median income for a family was $58,143. Males had a median income of $43,495 versus $32,122 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,003. About 12.40% of families and 15.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.60% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.

Incorporated cities and towns

★ Alpharetta

★ Atlanta

★ Chattahoochee Hill Country ''(as of 6/19/2007)''

★ College Park

★ East Point

★ Fairburn

★ Hapeville

★ Johns Creek ''(as of 12/01/2006)''

★ Milton ''(as of 12/01/2006)''

★ Mountain Park

★ Palmetto

★ Roswell

★ Sandy Springs

★ Union City

Unincorporated Communities

★ Campbellton

★ Red Oak

★ Rico

★ Birmingham

★ Shakerag

★ Crabapple

★ Sandtown

★ South Fulton

Education

All portions of Fulton County outside of the city limits of Atlanta are served by the Fulton County School System.
All portions within Atlanta are served by Atlanta Public Schools.

Notes

1. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1265

External links

★ Documents from Fulton County at the Digital Library of Georgia