Polk County, Georgia

Polk County, Georgia
Polk County Courthouse in Cedartown, Georgia
Location in the state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 20, 1851
Named for	James K. Polk
Seat	Cedartown
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	312.13 sq mi (808 km²) 311.14 sq mi (806 km²) 0.99 sq mi (3 km²),
Population  - (2000)  - Density	38,127
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Polk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 38,127. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 41,460. The county seat is Cedartown.

History

Created on December 20, 1851, by an act of the Georgia General Assembly, the county is named after James K. Polk, the eleventh President of the United States.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 312.13 square miles (808.4 km²), of which 311.14 square miles (805.8 km²) (or 99.68%) is land and 0.99 square miles (2.6 km²) (or 0.32%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. highways

• U.S. Route 27
• 
  U.S. Route 27 Business (Cedartown)
• U.S. Route 278
• 
  U.S. Route 278 Business (Rockmart)

State routes

• State Route 1
• State Route 1 Business
• State Route 6
• State Route 6 Business
• State Route 100
• State Route 101
• State Route 113

Adjacent counties

• Floyd County, Georgia – north
• Bartow County, Georgia – northeast
• Paulding County, Georgia – east
• Haralson County, Georgia – south
• Cleburne County, Alabama – southwest
• Cherokee County, Alabama – west

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,127 people, 14,012 households, and 10,340 families residing in the county. The population density was 122 people per square mile (47/km²). There were 15,059 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.52% White, 13.34% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.62% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 7.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,012 households out of which 32.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,328, and the median income for a family was $37,847. Males had a median income of $29,985 versus $21,452 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,617. About 11.20% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.70% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Aragon
• Cedartown
• Rockmart
• Braswell

The Polk County Historical Marker

Recreation

• Silver Comet Trail
• Nathan Dean Complex and Park

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Polk County, Georgia

External links

• Polk County Historical Society
• Polk County Genealogy
• Polk County Courthouse – Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
• Polk County Tourism website – Polk on Purpose!