Marietta, Georgia
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Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia[Geographic references#6GR6], and is its county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,748, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs. Census Estimates of 2004 indicate a population of 60,547.
Southern Polytechnic State University, Chattahoochee Technical College and Life University are located here, and the city operates its own school district, separate from the county. Dobbins Air Reserve Base is on the south side of town, separated from SPSU by a Lockheed-Martin manufacturing plant. The major local landmark in Marietta is the Big Chicken, a large, metal, animated chicken structure atop what is now a Kentucky Fried Chicken, located east of downtown at the city's busiest intersection. Even as the city has become more urbanized, locals still give directions by referencing it.
The school district, [Marietta City Schools], is one of the smallest in Metro Atlanta, operating only one high school, Marietta High School, one middle school, Marietta Middle School, and several elementary schools. Many, such as Marietta High School and A.L. Burruss, are Georgia Schools of Excellence.
The city also 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 was forced to sell the network to American Fiber Systems after substantial losses.
Downtown Marietta features Glover Park, the historic town square and former location of the county courthouse. The Strand Theatre on the square is being renovated back to its original design. The Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum, also called "Scarlett On the Square," houses one of the world's most extensive collections of memorabilia related to both the book and the film. The CSX 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 two buildings in Marietta not burned to the ground in Sherman's March to the Sea.
Marietta's sister cities are Heredia, Costa Rica and Linz am Rhein, Germany.
The city's official website is located at http://www.city.marietta.ga.us.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 56.9 km² (22.0 mi²). 56.7 km² (21.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.27%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 58,748 people, 23,895 households, and 13,022 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,036.2/km² (2,684.1/mi²). There were 25,227 housing units at an average density of 445.0/km² (1,152.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.49% White, 29.50% 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 age of 18 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 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males.
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.
Education
The schools are operated by the Marietta City Schools district; however, the Cobb County School District services many Marietta students as well.Famous Mariettans
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim, professional basketball player
- Bob Armstrong, professional wrestler (along with his family of fellow wrestlers, Scott, Brad, Steve, and Brian)
- Marcus Bagwell, professional wrestler
- Alton Brown, Food Network personality
- John Drummond, owner, Unicycle.com and banjo.com
- Robby Ginepri, professional tennis player
- Michael Hayes, professional wrestler
- [Ken Leebow], author of the 300 Incredible Things to Do on the Internet book series
- Todd Jones, professional baseball player
- Jennifer Paige, singer
- Ty Pennington, actor
- Travis Tritt, country music singer
- Ray Traylor AKA The Big Bossman , professional wrestler
External links
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