Rome, Georgia

Rome, Georgia, USA
City
View of Rome from the historic Myrtle Hill Cemetery
Location in Floyd County and the state of Georgia
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Floyd
Government
• Mayor	Wright Bagby
• City Manager	John Bennett
Area
• Total	29.8 sq mi (77.3 km2)
• Land	29.4 sq mi (76.1 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	614 ft (187 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	34,980
• Density	1,190.5/sq mi (459.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code	706
FIPS code	13-66668Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0356504Template:GR
Website	http://www.romega.us/

Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Rome is the largest city and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Floyd County. At the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 34,980,Template:GR and was the largest city in Northwest Georgia.

Though no Interstate highway passes through Rome, it is the largest city near the center of the triangular area defined by the Interstate highways between Atlanta, Birmingham and Chattanooga, which contributes to its importance as a regional center in several areas, such as medical care and education.

Rome's name is a commemoration of the Italian city of Rome. Rome, Georgia, was built on seven hills with a river running between them, a feature that was an inspiration for the name. This connection is emphasized by a replica of the statue of Romulus and Remus nursing from a mother wolf, a symbol of the original Rome, which was a 1929 gift from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

Geography

Location of Rome and major highways

Rome's 7 Hills and 3 Rivers

Rome is located at 34°15'36" North, 85°11'6" West (34.259893, -85.185037)Template:GR in Floyd County. The city is at the confluence of the Etowah River and the Oostanaula River — the two rivers that form the Coosa River. The closest confluence of latitude and longitude is 34°N 85°W, about 20 miles South-Southeast of Rome. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.8 square miles (77.3 km²), of which, 29.4 square miles (76.1 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 1.54% water.

The seven hills that inspired the name of Rome are Blossom Hill, Jackson Hill, Lumpkin Hill, Mount Aventine Hill, Myrtle Hill, Shorter Hill (now known as Old Shorter Hill), and Neely Hill (also known as Tower Hill and Clock Tower Hill). Some of the hills have been partially graded since Rome was founded.

History

Native American era

Life in the area of Rome before the Spaniard expeditions in the 16th century is largely unknown, due to the native inhabitants' lack of written records.

Native American territories in the Southeastern area of North America in 1715. State outlines are from later times.

There is some debate over whether Hernando de Soto was the first Spanish conquistador to encounter Native Americans in the area now known as Rome, but it is usually agreed that he passed through the region with his expedition in 1540. In 1560, Tristán de Luna sent a detachment of 140 soldiers and two Dominican friars north along de Soto's route, and it is this group that established true relations with the Coosa chiefdom as they assisted the Coosa in a raid against the rebellious province of Napochín, in what is now known as Tennessee. Exposed to unfamiliar European diseases, within 20 years these Mound Builders were gone, replaced by the Creek.

The Abihka tribe of Creek in the area of Rome later became part of the Upper Creek, and merged with other tribes to become the Ulibahalis, who later migrated westerward into Alabama in the general region of Gadsden, and were replaced by the Cherokee in the mid-18th century.

Georgia colony, 1732-1777, and the Proclamation Line of 1763.

There was a Cherokee village named Hightower on the site of Rome, but its people later moved to Cartersville, Georgia, taking the name with them. The Cherokee also referred to the area that would become Rome as "Head of Coosa", and it eventually became home to several Cherokee leaders, including Chiefs Major Ridge and John Ross. Ridge's home here was known for years as Chieftains House, and is now Chieftains Museum.

In the 18th century, a high demand in Europe for American deer skins had led to a brisk trade between Indian hunters and white traders, and as a result, a few white traders and some settlers (primarily from the British Colonies of Georgia and Carolina) were accepted by the Head of Coosa Cherokee. These were later joined by missionaries, and then more settlers. After the American War of Independence, most new settlers came from the area of the State of Georgia East of the Proclamation Line of 1763.

1802 map of Georgia-Yazoo lands. The triangular section labeled "Assigned to Georgia 1802" was Cherokee land claimed as part of the Compact of 1802 between Georgia and the United States.

In 1793, in response to a Cherokee raid into Tennessee, John Sevier, the Governor of Tennessee, led a retaliatory raid against the Cherokee here in the Battle of Hightower, in the vicinity of Myrtle Hill. In 1802, the United States and Georgia executed the Compact of 1802, in which Georgia sold its claimed Western lands to the United States and the United States agreed to ignore Cherokee land titles and remove all Cherokee from Georgia. The commitment to evict the Cherokee was not immediately enforced, and Chiefs John Ross and Major Ridge led efforts to stop their removal, including several Federal lawsuits.

During the 1813 Creek Civil War, most Cherokee took the side of the Upper Creek Indians against the Red Stick Creek Indians. Before they moved to Head of Coosa, Chief Ridge commanded a company of Cherokee warriors as a unit of the Tennessee militia, with Chief Ross as adjutant. This unit was under the overall command of Andrew Jackson, and supported the Upper Creek.

1822 map of Cherokee lands in Georgia

In 1829, gold was discovered near Dahlonega, Georgia, starting the first gold rush in the United States. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, which fulfilled the Compact of 1802, was a direct result of this, and Georgia's General Assembly passed legislation in 1831 that claimed all Cherokee land in Northwest Georgia. This entire territory was called Cherokee County until additional legislation in 1832 divided the territory into the nine counties that exist today.

City founding period

In 1834, the city of Rome was founded by Col. Daniel R. Mitchell, Col. Zacharia Hargrove, Maj. Philip Hemphill, Col. William Smith, and Mr. John Lumpkin (nephew of Governor Lumpkin), who determined the name for the new city by holding a drawing. Each put his choice in a hat, with Col. Mitchell submitting the name of Rome in reference to the area's hills and rivers. Mitchell's submission was selected, and the Georgia Legislature made Rome an official city in 1835. The County Seat was subsequently moved east from the village of Livingston to Rome.

With the entire area still occupied primarily by Cherokee, the city served the agrarian needs of the new cotton-based economy that had begun to replace deer-skin trading after the invention of the cotton gin. The first steamboat navigated the Coosa River to Rome in 1836, reducing the time-to-market for the cotton trade and speeding travel between Rome and the Gulf Coast.

By 1838, the Cherokee had run out of legal options, and were the last of the major tribes to be forcibly moved to the Indian Territories (in modern-day Oklahoma) on the Trail of Tears. After the removal of the Cherokee, their homes and businesses were taken over by whites, and the Roman economy continued to grow. In 1849, an 18 mile rail spur to the Western and Atlantic Railroad in Kingston was completed roughly along the current path of Georgia Highway 293, significantly improving transportation to the east.

Civil war period

Rome in 1864, during the occupation by Union forces.

In April 1863, during the U.S. Civil War, the city was defended by Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest against Union Colonel Abel Streight's "lightning mule" raid from the area east of modern day Cedar Bluff, Alabama. General Forrest tricked Colonel Streight into surrendering just a few miles shy of Rome. Realizing their vulnerability, Rome's city council allocated $3,000 to build three fortifications. Although these became operational by October 1863, efforts to strengthen the forts continued as the war progressed. These forts were named after Romans who had been killed in action: Fort Attaway was on the western bank of the Oostanaula River, Fort Norton was on the eastern bank of the Oostanaula, and Fort Stovall was on the southern bank of the Etowah River. At least one other fort was later built on the northern side of the Coosa River.

Vandever and his officers in Rome. (1864, on East 4th Ave)

In May 1864, Union General Jefferson C. Davis, under the command of Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, attacked and captured Rome when the outflanked Confederate defenders retreated under command of Major General Samuel Gibbs French. Union General William Vandever was stationed in Rome, and is depicted with his staff in a picture taken there. Due to Rome's forts and iron works, which included the manufacture of cannons, Rome was a significant target during Sherman's destructive march through Georgia. Davis's forces occupied Rome for several months, making repairs to the damaged forts and briefly quartering General Sherman. Foreshadowing Sherman's infamous Special Field Orders, No. 120, Union forces destroyed Rome's forts, iron works, the rail line to Kingston, and any other material that could be useful to the South's war effort as they withdrew from Rome to participate in the Atlanta Campaign.

Reconstruction period

By the Oostanaula River, the Historic Floyd County Courthouse with its spire (left) and the Clock Tower (right).

In 1871, Rome constructed a water tank on Neely Hill, which overlooks the downtown district. This later became a clock tower, and has served as the town's iconic landmark ever since, appearing in the city's crest and local business logos. As a result, Neely Hill is also referred to as Clock Tower Hill.

With two rivers merging to form a third, Rome has occasionally been subjected to serious flooding. The first severe flood after Rome became a city was the flood of 1886, which inundated the city and allowed a steamboat to travel down Broad Street. In 1891, upon recommendation of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia State Legislature amended Rome's charter to create a commission to oversee the construction of river levees to protect the town against future floods. In the late 1890s, additional flood control measures were instituted, including raising the height of Broad Street by about 15 feet. As a result, many of the below-ground basements of Rome's historic buildings were originally ground level entrances.

Twentieth century

Capitoline Wolf

Romulus and Remus

In 1928, the American Cotillion Company began construction of a rayon plant in Rome as a joint effort with the Italian Chatillon Corporation. Italian premier Benito Mussolini sent a block of marble from the ancient Roman Forum, inscribed "From Old Rome to New Rome", to be used as the cornerstone of the new rayon plant. After the rayon plant was completed in 1929, Mussolini honored Rome with a bronze replica of the sculpture of Romulus and Remus nursing from the Capitoline Wolf. The statue was placed in front of City Hall on a base of white marble from Tate, Georgia, with a brass plaque inscribed

"This statue of the Capitoline Wolf, as a forecast of prosperity and glory, has been sent from Ancient Rome to New Rome during the consulship of Benito Mussolini in the year 1929."

In 1940, anti-Italian sentiment due to World War II became so strong that the Rome city commission moved the statue into storage to prevent vandalism and replaced it with an American flag. In 1952, the statue was restored to its former location in front of City Hall.
 

Great Depression

In Rome, Ga. the effect of The Great Depression was not as bad as the larger cities across America. Since Rome was an agricultural town, people did not have to worry as much about food, but jobs were becoming very few around 1932, three years after the stock market crash of 1929.

An important segway into the Great Depression was the "Cotton Bust" which had hit Rome in mid 1920s, and caused many farmers to move away, sell their land or convert to other agricultural crops, such as corn. The "Cotton Bust" was the effect of the Boll Weevil, a tiny bug which was introduced to Georgia in 1915. Before the Boll Weevil came to Georgia, cotton was an abundant and cheap resource, but when the boil weevil came to Rome and North Georgia it destroyed many fields of cotton and put a damper on Rome's economy. While the Great Depression had its affect on Rome, the area was not as devastated as many of the big cities; however, it did put many families through hard financial times. Jobs were scarce and prices of food and basic commodities went up. Even the "postal employees took a fifteen per cent cut in pay, and volunteered a further ten per cent reduction in work time in order to save the jobs of substitute employees who otherwise would have been thrown out of work."

Referring to the book "History of Rome and Floyd County" the Relief Follies and cotton style show was created to help the struggling families during this time. Romans bought tickets to a show put on by local performers and the fares went directly to grocers who made boxes of food to sell at a discount price to the needy families. To lower the number of unemployed during this time, S.H. Smith, Sr. tore down the Armstrong hotel. Afterwards, he employed many people to help build the towering Greystone Hotel at the corner of Broad St. and East Second St. in 1927. "The Rome News-Tribune on November 30, 1933, reported a heartening increase in local building permits for a total of $95,800; of this amount, $85,000 was invested by S.H. Smith, Sr., in the construction of the Greystone Hotel. The Greystone Apartments were added in 1936."

Places of interest

Nothing.

Sites on the National Register of Historic Places

Rome has many historic homes and businesses, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places:

Site	Year Built	Address	Year Registered
Dr. Robert Battey House	1850	725 East 2nd Ave.	1982
Berry Schools		North of Rome on U.S. Hwy 27	1978
Between the Rivers Historic District		Roughly bounded by the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers, 7th Ave., and West 4th St.	1983 Ext. 1989
Chieftains	1792	80 Chatillon Rd.	1971
Double-Cola Bottling Company		419 East Second Ave.	2006
East Rome Historic District		Roughly bounded by Walnut Ave., McCall Blvd., East 8th and 10th Sts.	1985
Etowah Indian Mounds		North bank of Etowah River	1966
Floyd County Courthouse		5th Ave. and Tribune St.	1980
Jackson Hill Historic District		Jackson Hill, between GA Hwy 53 and the Oostanaula River	1997
Lower Avenue A Historic District		Avenue A between North 5th St. and Turner-McCall Blvd.	1983
Main High School		41 Washington Dr.	2002
Mayo's Bar Lock and Dam		On the Coosa River, 8 miles SW of Rome	1989
Mt. Aventine Historic District		Address Restricted	1983
Myrtle Hill Cemetery	1857	Bounded by S. Broad, and Myrtle Sts., Pennington, and Branham Aves.	1983
Oakdene Place		Roughly bounded by the Etowah River, Queen, and East 6th Sts.	1983
Rome Clock Tower	1871	Corner of East 2nd Street and East 5th Avenue	1980
South Broad Street Historic District		South Broad St. and Etowah Terrace	1983
Sullivan—Hillyer House		309 East 2nd Ave.	2002
Thankful Baptist Church		935 Spiderwebb Dr.	1985
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse		West 4th Ave. and East 1st St.	1975
Upper Avenue A Historic District		Roughly bounded by Oostanaula River, Turner-McCall Blvd., Avenue B and W. 11th St.	1983

Economy

Rome has long had the strength of economic diversity, founded in manufacturing, education, healthcare, technology, tourism, and other industries.

In 1954, General Electric established a factory to build medium transformers. In the 1960s, Rome contributed to the American effort in the Vietnam War when the Rome Plow Company produced Rome plows, which were large armored vehicles used by the U.S. Military to clear jungles. In the latter part of the 20th century, many carpet mills prospered in the areas surrounding Rome.

From the late 40's through the early 70's Rome was the home site for a nationally known house of prostitution named Peggy's.

Recent additions to Rome's manufacturing industry include Brugg Cable and Telecom, Suzuki Manufacturing of America, and automobile parts makers Neaton Rome and F&P Georgia. The most prominent of the new additions is the North American headquarters of Pirelli Tire.

Rome is also well known in the region for its medical facilities, particularly Floyd Medical Center, Redmond Regional Medical Center, and the Harbin Clinic.

National companies that are part of Rome's technology industry include Universal Tax Systems and Peach State Labs.

In the world of professional sports, the city is home to the Rome Braves, a Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Rome Braves compete in the South Atlantic League. Additionally, Rome has hosted stages of the Tour de Georgia in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Demographics

At the 2000 censusTemplate:GR, there were 34,980 people, 13,320 households and 8,431 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,190.5 per square mile (459.7/km²). There were 14,508 housing units at an average density of 493.7/sq mi (190.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.12% White, 27.66% Black or African American, 1.42% Asian, 0.39% Native American, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 5.61% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.35% of the population.

There were 13,320 households of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, wend 36.7% are non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% have someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.

The age distribution was 24.2% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median household income was $30,930, and the median family income was $37,775. Males had a median income of $30,179 versus $22,421 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,327. About 15.3% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under the age of 18 and 16.3% of those 65 and older.

Education

Floyd County School District

The Floyd County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of eleven elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. The district has 645 full-time teachers and over 10,272 students.

Rome City School District

The Rome City School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of eight elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 323 full-time teachers and over 5,395 students.

Higher Education

Reflecting its function as a regional center, Rome is home to four colleges:
 

College	Public/ Private	Type	Notes
Berry College	Private	Liberal Arts	World's largest contiguous college campus
Georgia Northwestern Technical College	Public	Technical	Formerly "Coosa Valley Technical College" which was founded in 1962
Georgia Highlands College	Public	GA Community College	Formerly Floyd Junior College
Shorter University	Private	Liberal Arts	Founded in 1873

Media

Movie production

• Dixie Times (2008) an idependent film produced by Ken Wheeler. Most of the film was shot in Cave Spring, Georgia which is a small town right outside of Rome.
• Dance of the Dead (2008), an independent zombie comedy filmed at various locations in Rome and North Georgia, including the old Coosa Middle School, Myrtle Hill Cemetery, Shorter College, and the Claremont House.
• Sweet Home Alabama (2002), starring Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas, is a romantic comedy filmed partly on the Berry College campus, prominently featuring the former Martha Berry residence, the Oak Hill Berry Museum. Scenes were also shot at the Coosa Country Club.
• Remember the Titans (2000), starring Denzel Washington, was filmed partly on the Berry College campus.
• Dutch (1991), a comedy featuring several scenes from Berry College and Rome.
• The Mosquito Coast (1986), starring Harrison Ford and River Phoenix, is an adventure movie with scenes from Rome as a fictional city in Massachusetts. Visible are the historic Floyd County Courthouse and Oostanaula River.

News

• Coosa Valley News
• Hometown Headlines
• Rome Newswire
• The Periscope, Shorter College
• The Rome News-Tribune
• Viking Fusion, Berry College

Radio stations

Call Letters	Frequency	Nickname	Format
WGPB	97.7 FM	NPR	Public Radio
WLAQ	1410 AM	n/a	Talk
WQTU	102.3 FM	Q102	Hot AC
WRGA	1470 AM	n/a	News/Talk
WSRM	93.5 FM	LifeFM	Contemporary Christian
WROM	710 AM	n/a	Gospel Music
WTSH	107.1 FM	South 107	Country
WATG	95.7 FM	95.7 The Ridge	Classic Hits

Notable residents

• Major Ridge (c.1771-1839), Cherokee Indian Chief and co-signer of the Treaty of New Echota
• John Ross (1790–1866), Principal Chief of the United Cherokee Nation
• Stand Watie (1806–1871), Cherokee Indian leader and Confederate general
• John H. Lumpkin (1812–1860), Co-founder of Rome, Superior Court Judge, and U.S. Representative
• Homer V. M. Miller (1814–1896), U.S. Senator, senior Confederate medical officer
• Bill Arp (birth name Charles H. Smith) (1826–1903), Rome mayor and 19th century writer
• Ellen L. A. Wilson (1860–1914), First Lady of the United States and first wife of President Woodrow Wilson
• Martha M. Berry (1865–1942), educator
• John H. Towers (1885–1955), U.S. Navy admiral and pioneer naval aviator
• Ma Rainey (1886–1939), early professional blues singer
• Charles H. Fahy (1892–1979), U.S. Solicitor General and Navy Cross recipient
• Calder Willingham (1922–1995), screenwriter and novelist
• Dan Reeves (1944- ), American football player and head coach
• Major General Douglas Carver (1951-), United States Army Chief of Chaplains
• Mike Glenn (1955-), NBA player for the Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and the Milwaukee Bucks
• Arn Anderson (1958- ), professional wrestler
• Ray Donaldson (1958- ), American football player
• Brett Butler (1958- ), Actress and comedian
• Will Muschamp (1971- ), Defensive coordinator for the University of Texas. Former safety for the University of Georgia.
• Ken Irvin (1972- ), American football player
• Ronnie Brown (1981- ), American football player
• Marcus Dixon (1984- ), American football player

Gallery

• 
  Aerial view of downtown Rome, circa 1989.
• 
  Downtown Rome, with the Courthouse in the background.
• 
  Historic Floyd County Courthouse.
• 
  Historic Clock Tower on Neely Hill.
• 
  The Rome Area History Museum.
• 
  Rome City Hall and Auditorium. The statue of Romulus and Remus nursing from the Capitoline Wolf stands in front of the building.
• 
  One of historic houses on East 4th Street.
• 
  The waterwheel of the Berry Schools' Old Mill.

External links

• Chieftain Museum web site
• City of Rome web site
• Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau web site
• New Georgia Encyclopedia entry
• Rome Area Council for the Arts web site
• Rome Area History Museum web site
• Rome Chamber of Commerce web site
• Rome International Film Festival web site
• Heritage Room web site
• Rome-Floyd County Library web site
• North Georgia Business Listings to help Customers find Small Businesses.

Further reading

• Roger Aycock, All Roads to Rome, Georgia: W.H. Wolfe Associates, 1981. [1]
• Jerry R. Desmond, Georgia's Rome: A Brief History, Charleston: The History Press, 2008. [2]
• George Magruder Battey Jr., A History of Rome and Floyd County, Georgia 1540-1922, Georgia: Cherokee Publishing Company, 2000. [3]
• Sesquicentennial Committee of the City of Rome, Rome and Floyd County: An Illustrated History, The Delmar Co 1986.[4]
• Morrell Johnson Darko, The Rivers Meet: A History of African-Americans in Rome, Georgia, Darko, 2003. [5]
• Orlena M. Warner, When in Rome..., Georgia: Steven Warner, 1972. A collection of poems. [6]