Whitfield County, Georgia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whitfield County
U.S. county
Whitfield County Courthouse in October 2013
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 30, 1851; 173 years ago (1851)
Named for	George Whitefield
Seat	Dalton
Largest city	Dalton
Area
• Total	291 sq mi (750 km2)
• Land	290 sq mi (800 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (2 km2)  0.2%%
Population
• Estimate  (2018)	104,062
• Density	353/sq mi (136/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	14th

Whitfield County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census shows a population of 102,599. The county seat is Dalton. The county was created on December 30, 1851, and named after George Whitefield, Methodist evangelist. The "e" was omitted to reflect the pronunciation of his name.

Whitfield County is part of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Chattanooga-Cleveland-Dalton, TN-GA-AL Combined Statistical Area.

History

During the Civil War, the men of Whitfield County answered the call to enlist in the Confederate Army. The following units were raised in Whitfield County.

• 2nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company H, Whitfield Infantry
• 2nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company H, Georgia Volunteers
• 34th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company A, Fitzgerald Rifles
• 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Glenn), Company B
• 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Glenn), Company C
• 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Glenn), Company G
• 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Glenn), Company H
• 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Glenn), Company I
• 39th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company C, Wells Guards
• 60th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company B, Fannin Guards
• 60th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company C, Walker Independents
• 60th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company D, Whitfield Volunteers
• 60th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company E, Bartow Avengers
• 60th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company F, Gilmer Volunteers
• 1st Regiment Georgia State Guards, "Tunnel Hill Guards" Commanded by Captain Rev. Hamiliton Young (Home Guard Unit)
• "Dalton Machine Guards" Commanded by Captain James H. Bard (Home Guard Unit)

Several engagements took place in and around Whitfield County including:

• Battle of Varnell's Station: May 9, 1864; Skirmish: May 7, 1864
• Battle of Buzzards Roost/Rocky Face Ridge: May 7–13, 1864; October 13–14, 1864
• Battle of Dug Gap: May 8, 1864
• Battle of Nickajack Gap: March 9, 1864; May 7, 1864
• Battle of Dalton I: February 22–27, 1864
• Battle of Dalton II: August 14–15, 1864
• Battle of Resaca: May 13–15, 1864
• Skirmish at Dalton: January 1, 1864; November 30, 1864; December 5, 1864; March 14, 1865
• Affair at Dalton: March 13, 1865
• Skirmishes at Tunnel Hill: September 11, 1863; January 28, 1864; February 23, 24-25 1864; May 5–7, 1864; March 3, 1865
• Battle of Tilton: October 13, 1864; Skirmish: May 13, 1864
• Skirmish near Trickum's Crossroads: October 27, 1864
• Skirmish at Buzzard's Roost: April 22, 1865

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 291 square miles (750 km²), of which 290 square miles (750 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (0.2%) is water. The majority of Whitfield County is located in the Conasauga River sub-basin in the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin), with a part of the western edge of the county is located in the Middle Tennessee-Chickamauga sub-basin of the Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee basin. A very small portion of the southern edge of the county is located in the Oostanaula River sub-basin in the larger ACT River Basin.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

• Bradley County, Tennessee (north)
• Murray County (east)
• Gordon County (south)
• Walker County (west-southwest)
• Catoosa County (west-northwest)
• Hamilton County, Tennessee (northwest)

National protected area

• Chattahoochee National Forest (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 102,599 people, 35,180 households, and 26,090 families residing in the county. The population density was 353.2 inhabitants per square mile (136.4/km²). There were 39,899 housing units at an average density of 137.4 per square mile (53.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.6% white, 3.7% black or African American, 1.3% Asian, 0.6% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 15.0% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 31.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.1% were American, 11.0% were Irish, 8.4% were English, and 7.5% were German.

Of the 35,180 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.36. The median age was 34.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,345 and the median income for a family was $48,991. Males had a median income of $34,150 versus $27,315 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,780. About 15.6% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 102,864 people, 34,518 households, and 25,351 families residing in the county.

Communities

Cities

• Dalton
• Varnell

Towns

• Cohutta
• Tunnel Hill

Unincorporated communities

• Rocky Face

Education

Whitfield County Schools

High schools

• Northwest Whitfield High School
• Southeast Whitfield High School
• Coahulla Creek High School

Middle schools

• Eastbrook Middle School
• New Hope Middle School
• North Whitfield Middle School
• Valley Point Middle School
• Westside Middle School

Elementary schools

Alternative schools

• Crossroads Academy
• Phoenix High School

Dalton Public Schools

High Schools

• Dalton High School
• Morris Innovative High School

Middle Schools

• Dalton Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Brookwood Elementary
• Blue Ridge Elementary
• City Park Elementary
• Park Creek Elementary
• Roan Elementary
• Westwood Elementary

Private Schools

• Cedar Valley Christian Academy
• Christian Heritage School
• Learning Tree School

Transportation

Major highways

Pedestrians and cycling

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Whitfield para niños