Marietta, Georgia
—  City  —
Cobb County courthouse in Marietta
Location in Cobb County and the state of Georgia
Marietta Location of Marietta in Metro Atlanta
Coordinates: 33°57′12″N 84°32′26″W / 33.95333°N 84.54056°W / 33.95333; -84.54056Coordinates: 33°57′12″N 84°32′26″W / 33.95333°N 84.54056°W / 33.95333; -84.54056
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Cobb
Government
• Mayor	R. Steve Tumlin, Jr.
• City Manager	William F. Bruton, Jr.
Area
• Total	22 sq mi (57 km2)
• Land	21.9 sq mi (56.7 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	1,129 ft (344 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	56,579
• Density	Bad rounding here2,600/sq mi (Bad rounding here990/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	30006-08, 30060-69, 30090
Area code(s)	770, 678
FIPS code	13-49756[1]
GNIS feature ID	0317694[2]
Website	www.mariettaga.gov

Ruins of the paper mill at Sope Creek

Marietta is located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States,^[3] and is the county's seat and largest city.

As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of the Atlanta metropolitan area's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest of the principal cities (by population) of the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area.

History[edit]

Etymology[edit]

The origin of the name is uncertain. It is believed that the city was named for Mary Cobb, the wife of U.S. Senator and superior court Judge Thomas Willis Cobb. This would be apt, as Judge Cobb is the namesake of the county.^[4]

Early settlers[edit]

Homes were built by early settlers near the Cherokee town of Big Shanty (now Kennesaw) prior to 1824.^[5] The first plat was laid out in 1833. Like most towns, Marietta had a square in the center with a courthouse. The Georgia General Assembly legally recognized the community on December 19, 1834.^[5]

Built in 1838, Oakton House^[6] is the oldest continuously occupied residence in Marietta. The original barn, milk house, smoke house, and well house remain on the property. The spectacular gardens contain the boxwood parterre from the 1870s. Oakton served as Major General Loring's headquarters during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in 1864.^[7]

Marietta was initially selected as the hub for the new Western and Atlantic Railroad, and business boomed.^[5] By 1838, roadbed and trestles had been built north of the city. However, in 1840, political wrangling stopped construction for a time. In 1842, the railroad's new management decided to move the hub from Marietta to an area that would become Atlanta. Nonetheless, in 1850, when the railroad began operation, Marietta shared in the resulting prosperity.^[5]

Businessman and politician John Glover arrived in 1848. A popular figure, Glover was elected mayor when the city incorporated in 1852.^[5] Another early resident was Dr. Carey Cox, who promoted a "water cure", which developed into a spa that attracted patients to the area. The Cobb County Medical Society recognizes him as the county's first physician.^[5]

The Georgia Military Institute was built in 1851, and the first bank opened in 1855.^[5] During the 1850s, fire destroyed much of the city on three separate occasions.^[5]

Civil War[edit]

By the time the American Civil War began in 1861, Marietta had recovered from the fires.^[5]

In April 1862, James Andrews, a civilian working with the Union Army, came to Marietta, along with a small party of Union soldiers dressed in civilian clothing. The group spent the night in the Fletcher House hotel (later known as the Kennesaw House and now the home of the Marietta Museum of History) located immediately in front of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Andrews and his men, who later became known as the Andrews Raiders, planned to seize a train and proceed north toward the city of Chattanooga, destroying the railroad on their way. They hoped, in so doing, to isolate Chattanooga from Atlanta and bring about the downfall of the Confederate stronghold. The Raiders boarded a waiting train on the morning of April 12, 1862, along with other passengers. Shortly thereafter, the train made a scheduled stop in the town of Big Shanty, now known as Kennesaw. When the other passengers got off the train for breakfast, Andrews and the Raiders stole the engine and the car behind it, which carried the fuel. The engine, called The General, and Andrews' Raiders had begun the episode now known as the Great Locomotive Chase.^[5] Andrews and the Raiders failed in their mission. Andrews and all of his men were caught within two weeks, including two men who had arrived late and missed the hijacking. All were tried as spies, convicted, and hanged.^[8]

General William Tecumseh Sherman invaded the town during the Atlanta Campaign in the summer of 1864. In November 1864, General Hugh Kilpatrick set the town ablaze, the first strike in Sherman's March to the Sea.^[5] Sherman's troops crossed the Chattahoochee River at a shallow section known as the Palisades, after burning the Marietta Paper Mills near the mouth of Sope Creek.

One of the few houses left standing, the Marietta Hotel, was later burned by the town residents who found out the owner of the building had been a Yankee spy during the Civil War.^{[citation needed]}

The Marietta Confederate Cemetery, with the graves of over 3,000 Confederate soldiers killed during the Battle of Atlanta, is located in the city.

In 1892, the city established a public school system. It included a high school for white students and a separate high school for blacks.

20th century[edit]

Mary Phagan

Leo Frank was lynched at 1200 Roswell Road just east of Marietta on August 17, 1915. Frank, a Jewish-American engineer and superintendent of the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, had been convicted on August 25, 1913, for the murder of one of his factory workers, 13-year-old Mary Phagan. The murder and trial, sensationalized in the local press, portrayed Frank as depraved, and captured the public's attention. Raised in New York, Frank was also vilified as a representative of northern capitalism. An eleventh-hour commutation of Frank's death sentence to life imprisonment created great local outrage. A mob, systematically organized for the purpose, abducted Frank from prison, drove him to Marietta, and lynched him. The ring leaders of the abduction included past, current, and future, elected local, county and state officials. There were two state legislators, the mayor, a former governor, a clergyman, two former Superior Court justices, and an ex-sheriff.^[9] The Frank case drew attention to antisemitism in the United States ^[10] and led to the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. Phagan was buried at the Marietta City Cemetery, while Frank was buried in Queens, New York.

In 1942, Eddie Rickenbacker visited the area in order to decide where to place a Bell Bomber Plant. Marietta was chosen. The plant eventually became Lockheed Martin.^[11]

In the late 1960s, an amendment was passed to the Georgia State Constitution, giving home rule to the 159 counties in Georgia. Led by Ernest Barrett, the first county commission voted to demolish the historic county courthouse, which was located on the northeast corner of Roswell Street (former Georgia 120) and East Park Square (former Georgia 5) since 1888. This loss is now regarded as one of the county's biggest mistakes, and state law now requires a county-wide referendum before destroying historic county courthouses. Other historic buildings, such as the Works Progress Administration building, were also torn down at the time. The Glover Locomotive Works, which had been abandoned, was also torn down in the late 1990s despite its historic significance (although it was just outside city limits). As of 2010^[update], another courthouse is under construction for the superior courts, adapting some minor design elements of the demolished courthouse.

The southwest corner of the square is also the origin for all street addresses in the county grid plan.

The city has six historic districts, some on the National Register of Historic Places. A seventh, along Kennesaw Avenue, is proving more controversial, and is still being considered as of March 2010^[update]. The city's welcome center is located in the historic train depot.

At least two books have been produced chronicling the history of the city in pictures, both in the Then and Now series: Marietta (ISBN 978-0-7385-5314-6) and Marietta Revisited (ISBN 978-0-7385-6634-4).

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.0 square miles (57 km²), of which 21.9 square miles (57 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), or 0.27%, is water.

Climate[edit]

Marietta has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Demographics[edit]

As of the census of 2000, there were 58,748 people, 23,895 households, and 13,022 families residing in the city.^[1] The population density was 2,684.1 people per square mile (1,036.2/km²). There were 25,227 housing units at an average density of 1,152.6 per square mile (445.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.49% White, 33.50% African American, 0.32% Native American, 2.97% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 7.99% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.93% of the population.

There were 23,895 households out of which 27.8% had children under the living with them, 35.4% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 39.4% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 101 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males.

Government[edit]

Incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1852, the city of Marietta is organized under a form of government consisting of a Mayor, City Council and City Manager. The City Council is made up of representatives elected from each of seven districts within the city and a Mayor elected at-large.

The City Council is the governing body of the city with the authority to adopt and enforce municipal laws and regulations. The Mayor and City Council appoint members of the community to sit on the city's various boards and commissions, ensuring that a wide cross-section of the community is represented in the city government.

The City Council appoints the City Manager, the city's chief executive officer. The Council-Manager relationship is comparable to that of a Board of Directors and CEO in a private company or corporation. The City Manager appoints city department heads and is responsible to the City Council for all city operations. The City Council also appoints the city attorney who serves as the city's chief legal officer, and the City Clerk who maintains all the city's records.

Terms of office are for four years and the number of terms a member may serve are unlimited. There are seven councilman, each representing a separate ward.^[13]

Former mayors[edit]

Economy[edit]

Personal income[edit]

The median income for a household in the city was $40,645, and the median income for a family was $47,340. Males had a median income of $31,186 versus $30,027 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,409. About 11.5% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Industry[edit]

F-22 Raptor at Lockheed Martin in Marietta

Dobbins Air Reserve Base on the south side of town and a Lockheed Martin manufacturing plant are among the major industries in the city. The Lockheed Georgia Employees Credit Union, is based in Marietta.

The dental provider company Kool Smiles has its headquarters in the Kool Smiles Patient Support Center in Marietta.^[15] An Online Trading Academy center is also located in Marietta.^[16]

Top employers[edit]

According to Marietta's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[17] the top employers within the city are:

Lockheed Martin, headquartered elsewhere, employs 7,000 workers.^[18]

Infrastructure[edit]

The city operates Marietta Power under the auspices of the Board of Lights & Water (BLW). The BLW is also party to the Cobb-Marietta Water Authority. The city formerly operated Marietta FiberNet, a fiber optic network, but sold the network to American Fiber Systems for a substantial financial loss.^[19]

Education[edit]

All of the public schools in Marietta proper are operated by the Marietta City Schools (MCS), while the remainder of the schools in Cobb County, but outside the city limits, are operated by the Cobb County School District, including all of the county's other cities. MCS is one of the smallest school districts in metro Atlanta,^{[citation needed]} with one high school, Marietta High School, grades 9-12; a middle school, Marietta Middle School, grades 7 and 8; Marietta Sixth Grade Academy; and several elementary schools: A.L. Burruss, Dunleith, Hickory Hills, Lockheed, Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, Park Street, Sawyer Road, and West Side.^[20]

The school system employs 1200 people. MCS is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School district. In 2008, MCS became only the second IB World School district in Georgia authorized to offer the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) for grades 6-10. MCS is one of only a few school systems nationwide able to provide the full IB (K-12) continuum.^[21]

Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU), Chattahoochee Technical College and Life University are located in Marietta, serving more than 20,000 students in more than 90 programs of study. (CTC is actually in the Fair Oaks census-designated place, just outside the city limits.) WGHR at SPSU is the only radio station actually broadcasting from a studio within the city, although WFTD AM 1080 and WKHX-FM 101.5 (originally WBIE and WBIE-FM) have it as their city of license, as does WFOM AM 1230, and broadcast translator stations W222AF FM 92.3 and WXID-LP TV 49.

Culture[edit]

Historic Downtown Square

Downtown is the town square and former location of the county courthouse. The square is the site of several cultural productions and public events, including a weekly farmers' market. Incorporated in 1993, Theatre in the Square was a year-round professional theater, that produced a five-show subscription season as well as summer and holiday shows. It ceased operations in 2012. The Strand Theatre has been renovated back to its original design and features classic films and other events. The Marietta Museum of History exhibits the history of the city and county. The museum is home to thousands of artifacts including items from Marietta residents and businesses. The Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum, also called "Scarlett on the Square", houses a collection of memorabilia related to both the book and the film.

The city has a landmark on U.S. 41, the Big Chicken.

Miramax Films and Disney filmed scenes of the 1995 movie Gordy here.

The CSX freight trains between Atlanta and Chattanooga (Western & Atlantic Subdivision) still run a block west of the town square, past the train depot (now the Visitor Center) and the Kennesaw House, one of only four buildings in Marietta not burned to the ground in Sherman's March to the Sea. The Kennesaw House is home to the Marietta Museum of History^[22] which tells the history of Marietta and Cobb County.

Notable people[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2008)

• Bob Armstrong, professional wrestler (along with his family of fellow wrestlers, Scott, Brad, Steve, and Brian)
• Marcus Alexander Bagwell, aka Buff Bagwell, professional wrestler
• Jack Baldwin, auto racer
• Alan Ball, screenwriter
• Randall Bentley, actor on Heroes^[23]
• Alton Brown, Food Network personality
• Dan Byrd, actor
• Lucius D. Clay, American officer and military governor of the United States Army
• Shawn Drover, current drummer for heavy metal band Megadeth
• Dale Ellis, NBA player for the Dallas Mavericks, Seattle SuperSonics, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and the Charlotte Hornets
• Robin Finck, professional guitarist
• Kelly Flinn, first female B-52 pilot in the US Air Force; graduated from high school in Marietta
• Frank Freyer, 14th Naval Governor of Guam and Chief of Staff of the Peruvian Navy^[24]
• George H. Gay, Jr. Sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8 at the Battle of Midway^[25]
• Robby Ginepri, professional tennis player
• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1995-1999), 2012 Republican Presidential candidate.
• Fredi González, former manager of the Florida Marlins, current manager of the Atlanta Braves
• Cedric Henderson, NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks^[26]
• Jeremy Hermida, baseball player
• Todd Jones, professional baseball player
• Cledus T. Judd, country comedian
• Melanie Moore, dancer, winner of So You Think You Can Dance (season 8)
• Patrick Millsaps, former Chief of Staff to Newt Gingrich 2012 Presidential Campaign
• Melanie Oudin, professional tennis player, US Open 2009 quarterfinalist^[27]
• Jennifer Paige, singer^[28]
• Ty Pennington, actor
• Lawrence Pfohl AKA Lex Luger, professional wrestler
• Ron Pope, singer/song writer
• Cody Rhodes (Cody Runnels), professional wrestler^[29]
• Chris Robinson, singer, The Black Crowes
• Rich Robinson, guitarist, The Black Crowes
• Jeff Sheppard, professional basketball player
• Ron Simmons, professional wrestler
• Jeff Small, President and CEO of Dreamworks
• Fletcher Thompson, politician^{[citation needed]}
• George Thornewell Smith, politician
• David Snell, journalist for Atlanta Constitution during late 1940s
• Kristian Stanfill, Contemporary Christian singer
• Ray Traylor AKA The Big Bossman, professional wrestler
• Travis Tritt, country music singer
• Lawson Vaughn, professional soccer player, Chivas USA
• Joanne Woodward, Academy Award winning actress
• Bryant Wright, former President of the Southern Baptist Convention (2010-2012), senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
• Chris Wyatt, film producer and writer

Sister cities[edit]

Marietta has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International.^[30]

• Heredia, Costa Rica
• Linz am Rhein, Germany

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Atlanta portal

• City of Marietta
• Marietta Welcome Center

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