Cartersville, GA

Located 44 miles northwest of Atlanta, Cartersville, Georgia is the government seat of Bartow County. The city encompasses roughly 23 square miles. Because of its close proximity to several major highways, Cartersville has become a hub for commercial, recreational, and cultural activity. Cartersville is located along the Etowah River and is close to Lake Altoona. The city has been acquiring parcels of land to increase the recreational facilities for both residents and visitors.

Outdoor activities are a major draw for visitors to the Cartersville area. Cycling, hiking, fishing, hunting, golf, tennis, and horseback riding are a few of the recreational activities available.

The population of Cartersville has experienced recent growth and is currently around 19,000. The household median income is below the state median. The city of Cartersville attracts both visitors and residents for its wealth of outdoor activities, as well as its low population density, excellent school system, reasonable housing prices, and strong business climate.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Carterville's population is nearly all urban. The city accommodates more than 6,000 houses, with around 96 percent occupancy. Approximately 41 percent of occupants are renters.

The city's residential neighborhoods include:

• Downtown Cartersville is a charming, small-town district comprising businesses, apartments, shops, restaurants, museums, galleries and other attractions. The downtown area is the center of town, both in geographic and economic terms.
• Cherokee-Cassville, located just north of Main St, is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Cartersville. The neighborhood includes a mixture of old and new architecture, with everything from gorgeous, early 20th century Victorian and Craftsman homes to newer brick Ranch style properties.
• Summer Hill, located northwest of downtown, is a young, family-friendly community, with quiet streets and little traffic. From the late 19th century until the civil rights movement, the black population of Cartersville lived exclusively in the Summer Hill neighborhood.
• North Towne is a moderately-priced neighborhood north of downtown Cartersville. This quiet neighborhood offers many shopping and dining options along N. Tennessee St to the east as well as those at the nearby Cartersville Plaza and Main St. Shopping Center.

SHOPPING

Cartersville has a variety of antique shopping centers, including:

• Collins Pointe Shopping Center
• Market Square Shopping Center
• Cartersville Crossing Shopping Center
• North Corners Shopping Center

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Because of the area's natural beauty and many easily accessible outdoor activities, tourism plays a major role in Cartersville's economy. Tourism accounts for over $90 million in annual revenue for the city. In addition to its strong tourism industry, manufacturing plays a heavy role in the city's economy, employing approximately 30 percent of the work force. Companies that are located in this area include:

• Vulcan Materials, the producer of industrial construction aggregates and chemicals
• Chemical Products Corporation, a manufacturer of organic, inorganic, and specialty chemicals
• Shaw Industries, a manufacturer of woven fiber carpets and rugs
• Anheuser-Busch, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage producer and distributor
• Trinity Rail Operations, specializing in rail equipment operations

BEST BETS

• Euharlee Covered Bridge and History Museum: Located on the Georgia Covered Bridge Trail and surrounded by an 1850s village, the Euharlee Covered Bridge is accessible by foot and is a popular spot for capturing scenic photos of the area. Visitors can learn about the bridge's history at the adjacent museum.
• Roselawn Home: This Victorian mansion was once home to Samuel Porter Jones, an evangelist preacher whose teachings were popular following the Civil War. The restored house now features some of Jones' memorabilia, as well as that of the first female U.S. Senator, Rebecca Latimer Felton. Roselawn Home also showcases artifacts from North Georgia's antebellum and Civil War years in the United Daughters of the Confederacy collection.
• Noble Hill-Wheeler Memorial Center Museum: Dubbed Noble Hill Rosenwald School when it was built in 1923, this restored schoolhouse was the first school in Bartow County to serve black children. The building is now a museum that features exhibits about black life in Bartow County, dating from the early 20th century to the present.
• Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Site: Once home to thousands of Native Americans, this 54-acre site features six earthen mounds, a defensive ditch, borrowed pits, and remnants of a place and village area. A museum on the grounds features exhibits about the daily lives of the people who lived in the area between 1000 A.D. and 1550 A.D.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• The Grand Theatre: This theater presents a variety of plays, orchestra performances, and other musical events throughout the year. In the summer, the theater features a summer camp for local children.
• The Pumphouse Players: This dramatic group's newly renovated theater produces seven performances each year.
• Booth Western Art Museum: This museum boasts a large collection of Western Art, including illustrations and posters. It is also home to collections of Civil War art, as well as portraits of and letters written by several U.S. presidents.

EVENTS

• RockFest, a rock and mineral show that is put on annually in May by the Weinman Mineral Museum
• Duck Derby, a fundraiser for Advocates for Children, that includes a parade and 5k run
• Rose Lawn Arts Festival, a juried fine arts festival that takes place each fall at the Rose Lawn Museum
• Southeastern Cowboy Symposium, a celebration of the West with lectures, children's activities, pioneer demonstrations, historical re-enactments of Western gunfights, Native American dancing, cowboy church, and more
• Etowah Valley Indian Festival, featuring American Indian crafts, music, dancing and food.

LOCAL MEDIA

Two newspapers serve Cartersville: Daily Tribune and Bartow Citizens News.