Walker County, Georgia
| Walker County, Georgia | |
_Courthouse.jpg) Walker County Courthouse in LaFayette, Georgia
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 Location in the state of Georgia |
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 Georgia's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | December 18, 1833 |
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| Seat | LaFayette |
| Largest city | LaFayette |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
447.03 sq mi (1,158 km²) 446.58 sq mi (1,157 km²) 0.45 sq mi (1 km²), |
| PopulationEst. - (2011) - Density |
68,848 |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website | http://www.walkercountytax.com/ |
Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 18, 1833 from land formerly belonging to the Cherokee Indian Nation. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,756.[1] The county seat is LaFayette.[2]
Walker County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Walker County is one of only nine counties in the United States still employing the sole commissioner form of government.
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Geography[edit]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 447.03 square miles (1,157.8 km2), of which 446.58 square miles (1,156.6 km2) (or 99.90%) is land and 0.45 square miles (1.2 km2) (or 0.10%) is water.[3]
Major highways[edit]
U.S. highways[edit]
high way 85
State routes[edit]
State Route 1
State Route 1 Business
State Route 2
State Route 95
State Route 136
State Route 151
State Route 157
State Route 189
State Route 193
State Route 201
State Route 337
State Route 341
Railroads[edit]
Current[edit]
- Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway
- Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (occasional tourist excursions)
Defunct[edit]
- Chattanooga Southern Railway (Became Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway)
- Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway (Purchased by Norfolk Southern then abandoned)
- Chickamauga and Durham Railroad (Reorganized as Chattanooga & Durham)
- Chattanooga and Durham Railroad (Purchased by Chattanooga, Rome and Southern)
- Chattanooga, Rome and Southern Railroad (Purchased by Central of GA Railway)
- Central of Georgia Railway (Purchased by Southern Railway)
- Southern Railway (Purchased by Norfolk Southern, Walker County line transferred to State of Georgia, leased to Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway)
Adjacent counties[edit]
- Hamilton County, Tennessee - north
- Catoosa County, Georgia - northeast
- Whitfield County, Georgia - east
- Gordon County, Georgia - southeast
- Floyd County, Georgia - south
- Chattooga County, Georgia - south
- DeKalb County, Alabama - southwest
- Dade County, Georgia - west
Natural attractions & features[edit]
- Chattahoochee National Forest (part)
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (part)
- Lookout Mountain (part)
- Petty John's Cave
- Rocktown
- Ellison's Cave (12th deepest cave in the United States)
- Rock City
Civil War[edit]
At the outbreak of the American Civil War many of the men and boys of Walker County left their farms to fight for the cause of the Confederacy. They joined units in surrounding counties as well as the following companies raised from men in Walker County.
1st Confederate Regiment Georgia Volunteers, Company D
9th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company G, LaFayette Volunteers
11th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company G, Catoosa County Georgia (most of the men were from Walker County Georgia)
23rd Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company H, Bartow Invincibles
39th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company E, Walker Light Guards
39th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company K, Walker County Volunteers
60th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company I
Battles fought in Walker County[edit]
Civil War battles fought in Walker County were part of the Chickamauga Campaign fought between August 21 and September 20, 1863:
- Second Battle of Chattanooga, August 21.
- Battle of Davis's Cross Roads, September 10–11.
- Battle of Chickamauga, September 19–20.
Demographics[edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 6,572 |
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| 1850 | 13,109 | 99.5% | |
| 1860 | 10,082 | −23.1% | |
| 1870 | 9,925 | −1.6% | |
| 1880 | 11,056 | 11.4% | |
| 1890 | 13,282 | 20.1% | |
| 1900 | 15,661 | 17.9% | |
| 1910 | 18,692 | 19.4% | |
| 1920 | 23,370 | 25.0% | |
| 1930 | 26,206 | 12.1% | |
| 1940 | 31,024 | 18.4% | |
| 1950 | 38,198 | 23.1% | |
| 1960 | 45,264 | 18.5% | |
| 1970 | 50,691 | 12.0% | |
| 1980 | 56,470 | 11.4% | |
| 1990 | 58,340 | 3.3% | |
| 2000 | 61,053 | 4.7% | |
| 2010 | 68,756 | 12.6% | |
| Est. 2011 | 68,848 | 0.1% | |
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2011 estimate |
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As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 61,053 people, 23,605 households, and 17,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 137 people per square mile (53/km²). There were 25,577 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.43% White, 3.78% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 23,605 households out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,406, and the median income for a family was $39,034. Males had a median income of $29,448 versus $21,583 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,867. About 10.00% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.10% of those under age 18 and 11.70% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns[edit]
Communities[edit]
- Chattanooga Valley
- Noble
- Fairview
- Flintstone
- Kensington
- Naomi
- Dry Creek
- Rock Spring
- Villanow
- High Point
See also[edit]
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- National Register of Historic Places listings in Walker County, Georgia
- Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority
References[edit]
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "2010 Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links[edit]
- City of Chickamauga
- City of LaFayette
- City of Rossville
- City of Lookout Mountain, Ga.
- Walker County Messenger
- WQCH Radio
- Walker County, GA, genealogy
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Hamilton County, Tennessee | Catoosa County | |
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| Dade County |  |
Whitfield County | ||
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| DeKalb County, Alabama | Floyd County and Chattooga County | Gordon County |
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