Powder Springs, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Powder Springs is a city in Cobb County
, Georgia
, United States
. The population was 13,940 at the 2010 census.
Indian chiefs, Chief Nose and Chief Ana Kanasta (Sweetwater). Gold
had been discovered in Georgia ten years earlier, and the first area settlers came to find gold. They found little in the mines at Lost Mountain and off Brownsville Road. It was at about this same time that the Cherokee people were forced off their land and marched to Oklahoma
on the Trail of Tears
.
The name Springville was changed to Powder Springs in 1859. This name was derived from the seven springs
in the city limits. The water in these springs contains some 26 mineral
s that turn the surrounding sand black like gunpowder
– hence the name Gunpowder Springs.
American Civil War
history includes a skirmish at Lattermore's Mills on June 20, 1864, that was a part of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
and General Sherman
's Atlanta Campaign
.
Pat Cannon
(1904–1966), a United States Representative from Florida
, was born in Powder Springs, as was actress Robyn Lively
.
In 1996, Clark, Judy, Laura, Lindsey, and Neil McNitt, a Powder Springs family, were killed aboard ValuJet Flight 592
, which crashed into the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996 after takeoff from Miami, Florida
, en route to Atlanta. The McNitts and 105 others were killed.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²), of which 0.16% is water.
of 2000, there were 12,481 people, 4,004 households, and 3,267 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,969.2 people per square mile (760.1/km²). There were 4,101 housing units at an average density of 647.0 per square mile (249.7/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 57.89% White, 37.38% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races
, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.32% of the population.
There were 4,004 households out of which 50.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples
living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $56,486, and the median income for a family was $59,392. Males had a median income of $41,345 versus $31,774 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,776. About 5.8% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
, a school that is located on the site of the former Native American burial ground, and to Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M
) School. The late Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell
attended the Seventh District A&M School. The administrative building of McEachern High School is named for Senator Russell. Other schools serving Powder Springs include Hillgrove High School
, Tapp Middle School, Lovingood Middle School, Varner Elementary, Compton Elementary, and Powder Springs Elementary.
Cobb County, Georgia
Cobb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, which is located in the center of the county. The county was named for Thomas Willis Cobb, who in the early 19th century was a United States representative and senator from Georgia...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 13,940 at the 2010 census.
History
The town of Powder Springs was incorporated as Springville in 1838 in the lands of two CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Indian chiefs, Chief Nose and Chief Ana Kanasta (Sweetwater). Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
had been discovered in Georgia ten years earlier, and the first area settlers came to find gold. They found little in the mines at Lost Mountain and off Brownsville Road. It was at about this same time that the Cherokee people were forced off their land and marched to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
on the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
.
The name Springville was changed to Powder Springs in 1859. This name was derived from the seven springs
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
in the city limits. The water in these springs contains some 26 mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s that turn the surrounding sand black like gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
– hence the name Gunpowder Springs.
American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
history includes a skirmish at Lattermore's Mills on June 20, 1864, that was a part of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennessee under Gen. Joseph E...
and General Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
.
Pat Cannon
Pat Cannon
Pat Cannon was a United States Representative from Florida. His full name was Arthur Patrick Cannon. He was born in Powder Springs, Georgia. Later, he moved to Laurens County, South Carolina where he attended the public schools...
(1904–1966), a United States Representative from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, was born in Powder Springs, as was actress Robyn Lively
Robyn Lively
Robyn Elaine Lively is an American actress. Lively is best known for her role in the film Teen Witch, as well as for her roles in the TV shows Doogie Howser, M.D., Twin Peaks, and Saving Grace.-Early life:...
.
In 1996, Clark, Judy, Laura, Lindsey, and Neil McNitt, a Powder Springs family, were killed aboard ValuJet Flight 592
ValuJet Flight 592
ValuJet Flight 592 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, and William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia...
, which crashed into the Florida Everglades on May 11, 1996 after takeoff from Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, en route to Atlanta. The McNitts and 105 others were killed.
Geography
Powder Springs is located at 33°51′57"N 84°40′49"W (33.865933, -84.680349).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16.3 km²), of which 0.16% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 12,481 people, 4,004 households, and 3,267 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,969.2 people per square mile (760.1/km²). There were 4,101 housing units at an average density of 647.0 per square mile (249.7/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 57.89% White, 37.38% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.32% of the population.
There were 4,004 households out of which 50.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $56,486, and the median income for a family was $59,392. Males had a median income of $41,345 versus $31,774 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,776. About 5.8% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Powder Springs is home to McEachern High SchoolMcEachern High School
John McEachern High School or McEachern High School is a public high school established in 1908 in Powder Springs, Georgia, USA. It was originally established as the Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School. Due to its history, McEachern has an open campus, with its buildings spaced...
, a school that is located on the site of the former Native American burial ground, and to Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M
A&M
-College and universities:*An "Agricultural and Mechanical" university is one that includes a college of agriculture and a college of engineering, provided for by the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862. -College and universities:*An "Agricultural and Mechanical" university is one that...
) School. The late Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell
Richard Russell, Jr.
Richard Brevard Russell, Jr. was a Democratic Party politician from the southeastern state of Georgia. He served as state governor from 1931 to 1933 and United States senator from 1933 to 1971....
attended the Seventh District A&M School. The administrative building of McEachern High School is named for Senator Russell. Other schools serving Powder Springs include Hillgrove High School
Hillgrove High School
Hillgrove High school was established in 2006 in the Cobb County School District in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. Robert Shaw is the second principal of the school, taking over for the retired Joe Boland in the fall of 2009. Hillgrove currently has over 2,000 students in grades 9–12...
, Tapp Middle School, Lovingood Middle School, Varner Elementary, Compton Elementary, and Powder Springs Elementary.
External links
- City of Powder Springs official site