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Calhoun is a city in Gordon County,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,949. Calhoun is the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Gordon County.


History

In December 1827, Georgia had already claimed the Cherokee lands that became Gordon County and other counties. A small town called "Dawsonville" was created and founded in Gordon County, named for the owner of an early general store. Dawsonville was later renamed "Calhoun" to honor U.S. Senator John C. Calhoun, following his death in 1850. Gordon County's inferior court called an election for the selection of the county seat, offering voters a choice between a site on the
Western & Atlantic Railroad The Western & Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia (W&A) is a railroad owned by the State of Georgia and currently leased by CSX, which CSX operates in the Southeastern United States from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was fo ...
(near
Adairsville Adairsville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, Bartow County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 4,878. Adairsville is approximately halfway between Atlant ...
) or a site more centrally located within the county. Voters chose a site along the railroad, so the inferior court designated Calhoun as county seat in 1851. The legislature incorporated Calhoun in an act approved on January 12, 1852. On January 5, 1861, Georgia seceded from the Union as a prelude to the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. Calhounians joined the Confederacy. Most warfare took place elsewhere, but on May 16, 1864, Calhoun was near where the
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
General
William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
and Confederate General
Joseph E. Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston (February 3, 1807 – March 21, 1891) was an American career army officer, serving with distinction in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War (1846–1848) and the Seminole Wars. After Virginia secede ...
postured before the
Battle of Adairsville The Battle of Adairsville Hood, pp.46—52 was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on May 17, 1864, just northeast of Rome, Georgia. The brief engagement was a Confederate delaying action that allowed Gen ...
during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign. Oakleigh, the home of Dr. Wall, was used by Sherman as his headquarters at that time. A tornado on March 20, 1888, leveled much of Calhoun. A devastating fire on October 23 of that year destroyed most of what remained.


Geography

Calhoun is located west of the center of Gordon County at (34.499898, -84.942584), along the
Oostanaula River The Oostanaula River (pronounced "oo-stuh-NA-luh") is a principal tributary of the Coosa River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 27, 2011 formed by the ...
where it is joined by
Oothkalooga Creek Oothkalooga Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is a tributary to the Oostanaula River. Oothkalooga is a name derived from the Cherokee language, meaning "beaver". See also *List of rivers of Georgia (U.S. state) List of rivers o ...
. It is part of the Coosa River/ Alabama River watershed. U.S. Route 41 passes through the center of town as Wall Street, and
Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...
runs along the eastern edge of the city, with access from Exits 310, 312, 315, 317, and 318. I-75 leads north to
Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
, and south to
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. US-41, running parallel to I-75, leads north to Resaca and south to
Adairsville Adairsville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, Bartow County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 4,878. Adairsville is approximately halfway between Atlant ...
.
Georgia State Route 156 State Route 156 (SR 156) is a state highway that runs west-to-east through portions of Floyd and Gordon counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Route description SR 156 begins at an intersection with U.S. Rout ...
runs west out of town as West Line Street, leading to Armuchee, and heads east out of town as Red Bud Road, leading to Red Bud. Georgia State Route 373 (East Line Street and Dews Pond Road) leads east to
Cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-im ...
. Georgia State Route 136 (North River Street) leads northwest to
LaFayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...
.
Georgia State Route 53 State Route 53 (SR 53) is a west-to-east state highway located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway travels from the Alabama state line west of Cave Spring northeast, then east, then southeast to US 129 ...
passes through the southern part of Calhoun, leading east to Fairmount and southwest to
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city of Calhoun has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.64%, is water.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Calhoun has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 16,949 people, 6,088 households, and 4,001 families residing in the city.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 10,667 people, 4,049 households, and 2,672 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,298 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.91%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 7.56%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.42% Native American, 1.00% Asian, 0.14%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 11.61% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.36% from two or more races. 17.07% of the population was
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino of any race. There were 4,049 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,618, and the median income for a family was $42,310. Males had a median income of $27,616 versus $25,018 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $19,887. About 12.5% of families and 16.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 20.8% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.


Arts and culture


Museums and other points of interest

*The Rock Garden containing miniature castles, churches, and other structures *
New Echota Historic Site New Echota was the capital of the Cherokee Nation in the Southeast United States from 1825 until their forced removal in the late 1830s. New Echota is located in present-day Gordon County, in northwest Georgia, 3.68 miles north of Calhoun. I ...
, first Cherokee capital *Roland Hayes Museum at the Harris Arts Center *Oakleigh/Gordon County Historical Society *Premium Outlets of Calhoun *
Buc-ee's Buc-ee's is a chain of country stores, gas stations, and Tesla Superchargers created and owned by Arch "Beaver" Aplin III, headquartered in Lake Jackson, Texas The chain was first founded in 1982 in Clute, Texas and began expansion with its fi ...
* Phil Reeve Stadium


Education


Calhoun City School District

The Calhoun City School District serves
preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary sch ...
to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a
middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
, and a
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, separate from the county
school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
. The district has 166 full-time teachers and over 2,666 students. *Calhoun Primary School - grades K-2 *Calhoun Elementary School - grade 3-5 *Calhoun Middle School - grades 6-8 * Calhoun High School


Gordon County School District

The Gordon County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of six elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools, serving the area outside the
city limit City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate lim ...
s.
/ref> The district has 365 full-time teachers and over 6,259 students. * Red Bud Elementary Grades Pre-K-5 * W.L Swain Elementary Grades Pre-K-5 * Belwood Elementary School Pre-K-5 * Sonoraville Elementary School Pre-K-5 * Fairmount Elementary School Pre-K-5 * Max V. Tolbert Elementary School Pre-K-5 * Ashworth Middle School Grades 6-8 * Red Bud Middle School Grades 6-8 *
Gordon Central High School Gordon Central High School is a grade 9–12 public high school in Calhoun, Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United Sta ...
Grades 9-12 * Sonoraville High School Grades 9-12


Private school

*Downing Clark Academy, Inc.


Religious schools


Seventh-day Adventist

* John L. Coble Elementary School - K-8th grades * Georgia-Cumberland Academy - boarding 9-12 high school


Higher education

* Georgia Northwestern Technical College (formerly Coosa Valley Technical College)


Media


Radio and TV

Although well outside of metro Atlanta, Calhoun is considered part of the
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
television market, the ninth-largest DMA according to
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
. Cable TV service is offered through
Comcast Cable Comcast Cable Communications, LLC, doing business as Xfinity, is an American telecommunications company and division of Comcast Corporation used to market consumer cable television, internet, telephone, and wireless services provided by the com ...
, which provides one
public, educational, and government access Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...
(PEG) cable TV channel named WEBS cable 3. There are now four radio stations having Calhoun as their
city of license In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American br ...
: * WEBS AM 1030, playing
oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as ...
,
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...
s on local Xfinity cable channel 3; station originally broadcast on AM 1110, from approximately 1965–1990. * WIPK FM 94.5, owned by WEBS, went on-air in late 2011 with a
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
format. * WJTH AM 900, playing
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
; frequency was earlier assigned to WCGA, which broadcast from approximately 1950–1975. ** W269CC 101.7, transmitting WJTH programming from WJTH tower, but having nearby
Adairsville Adairsville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, Bartow County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 4,878. Adairsville is approximately halfway between Atlant ...
as the city of license. * WLOJ-LP 102.9, religious (owned and operated by the Calhoun Seventh-day Adventist Church ). Many other stations from
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, Atlanta, and Chattanooga are also available across northwest Georgia, though reception of these often depends on weather. There is also a semi-weekly newspaper
''The Calhoun Times''


Notable people

*
Elias Boudinot Elias Boudinot ( ; May 2, 1740 – October 24, 1821) was a lawyer and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey who was a delegate to the Continental Congress (more accurately referred to as the Congress of the Confederation) and served as President ...
(1802–1839), born Gallegina Uwati, also known as Buck Watie,
Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
leader who believed that acculturation was critical to the tribe's survival; influential in the period of removal to the West *
Charlie Culberson Charles Edward Culberson (born April 10, 1989) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. The San Francisco Giants drafted Culberson in the first round in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. He previously played in Majo ...
Major League Baseball player *
Kris Durham Kris Durham (born March 17, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. Durham played in the NFL for the Seattle Se ...
, professional football player; wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders *
Roland Hayes Roland Wiltse Hayes (June 3, 1887 – January 1, 1977) was an American lyric tenor and composer. Critics lauded his abilities and linguistic skills demonstrated with songs in French, German, and Italian. Hayes's predecessors as well-known Afr ...
(1887–1977), world-renowned lyric tenor, considered the first African-American male concert artist to receive wide acclaim both at home and internationally, born here and attended Calhoun schools *
Bert Lance Thomas Bertram "Bert" Lance (June 3, 1931 – August 15, 2013) was an American businessman who served as director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Jimmy Carter in 1977. He is known mainly for resigning from the Carter admini ...
(1931–2013), businessman, and former director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Carter administration *
James Beverly Langford James Beverly Langford (April 11, 1922 – April 14, 1996) was an American lawyer and politician. Biography Langford was born in Calhoun, Georgia and graduated from Calhoun High School. He served in the United States Army during World War ...
(1922-1996), lawyer, businessman, and Georgia state legislator * John Meadows III (1944–2018), Businessman, Mayor of Calhoun, and Georgia state legislator * Sequoyah (English: George Gist or George Guess) (c.1767–1843), Cherokee, inventor of the Cherokee Syllabary. This was the only time in recorded history that a member of a non-literate people independently created an effective writing system. He was also the namesake of California's giant ''
Sequoia sempervirens ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...
'' redwood tree. * William Thompson (1848–1918), Olympic gold medal winner * Stand Watie (1806–1871), Cherokee leader and Confederate general * Dale Willis (1938–),
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player


References


External links


City of Calhoun official website



Calhoun-Gordon Arts Council

''Calhoun Times''

New Echota Historic Site

Calhoun, GA. May 16, 1864
historical marker
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Gordon County, Georgia Micropolitan areas of Georgia (U.S. state) County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)