Roswell, Georgia
Encyclopedia : R : RO : ROS : Roswell, Georgia
Roswell is a city located in northern Fulton County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 79,334.
History
Roswell was founded by Roswell King, a Native New Englander.
In 1830 while on a trip to North Georgia, where gold had been discovered , he passed through the area of what is now Roswell and observed the great potential for building a mill along the Vickery (Big) Creek.
In the Mid 1830's he returned and built a mill which was soon to become the largest in North Georgia with over 400 employees by the time of the civil war in the 1860's
The ruins of the mill and the 30 foot dam that was built for power can still be seen today.
Originally included in now-neighboring Cobb County, the city was founded in 1854, when the city charter was signed by the Georgia General Assembly on February 16th. At that time, the nearest large town was the county seat of Marietta, a four-hour (one-way) horseback ride to the west, and residents wanted a more local government.
Since the city was on Vickery Creek and the Chattahoochee River, the city was a major mill town. During the American Civil War, the city was captured by Union forces and the mill workers were all shipped north, a common tactic in Sherman's plans of economic ruin of the South. The mill was burned and most of the town was looted by Union forces.
Theodore Roosevelt's mother, Martha "Mittie" Bulloch Roosevelt also hailed from Roswell and Bulloch Hall was her home.
The city was ceded by Cobb County to Fulton County at the end of 1931, in order to allow Milton County to merge and be contiguous with Fulton.
Residents of Roswell are referred to as Roswellians.
Geography
Roswell is located at (34.033896, -84.344028)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 100.0 km² (38.6 mi²). 98.5 km² (38.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (1.53%) is water.
Major highways
Notable Festivals and Parades
- Roswell Memorial Day Ceremony - the largest Memorial Day Ceremony in Georgia
- Roswell Roots: A Festival of Black History & Culture (February)
- Roswell Magnolia Storytelling Festival (June)
- Riverside Sounds Concert Series (May - October)
- Roswell Youth Day Parade and Festival (October)
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 79,334 people, 30,207 households, and 20,933 families residing in the city. The population density was 805.7/km² (2,086.5/mi²). There were 31,300 housing units at an average density of 317.9/km² (823.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.51% White, 8.54% African American, 0.20% Native American, 3.74% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.08% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.61% of the population.There were 30,207 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $71,726, and the median income for a family was $85,946. Males had a median income of $54,797 versus $36,182 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,012. About 2.8% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
CNN has called the city one of the best places to live in the U.S.
Politics
Jere Wood, a Republican, has served as mayor of Roswell since 1997.In 2004, Tom Price (US politician) was elected to the United States House of Representatives to serve as the congressmen from the sixth Congressional district of Georgia, the district that encompasses most of Roswell.(see references)
See also: List of Mayors of Roswell, Georgia
Notable residents
Celebrities that make Fulton County, and specifically Roswell their home include actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and the second daughter of actress Anne Baxter, namely Melissa Gault. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy was a frequent diner at one of Roswell's popular watering holes, The Skillet, when he lived there off and on in the '90s. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Alejandro Peña also makes his home in Roswell. Current Atlanta Braves 3B Chipper Jones lives in a 24,000 square foot mansion in Roswell as well.External links
- [City website]
- [Historic Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau]
- [History of Roswell, Georgia]
- [Chattahoochee Nature Center]
- [Roadside Georgia's list of things to do in Roswell]
- [State of Georgia website info on Roswell]
- [Georgiainfo.com maps of Fulton County and surrounding area over the years]
- [Assorted publications about Roswell by Michael Hitt]
- [Listen to the Roswell Fire Department]
References
- [The New Georgia Encyclopedia entry for Roswell, Georgia]
- [Roswell Covention & Vistors Bureau Brief History of Roswell]
- [Official Roswell Memorial Day Celebration site]
- [http://www.tomprice.com]
- Sherron D. Lawson, A Guide to the Historic Textile Mill Town of Roswell, Georgia (Roswell, Ga.: Roswell Historical Society, 1996).
- Darlene M. Walsh, Roswell: A Pictorial History, 2d ed.(Roswell, Ga.: Roswell Historical Society, 1994).
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