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This county is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 641 km² (247 mi²). 585 km² (226 mi²) of it is land and 56 km² (22 mi²) of it (8.72%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Dawson County, Georgia to the north, across a line of latitude
- Hall County, Georgia to the east, across Lake Lanier (former thalwegs of Chattahoochee River, up into Chestatee River)
- Gwinnett County, Georgia to the southeast, across Chattahoochee River and Buford Dam
- Fulton County, Georgia (formerly Milton County until 1932) to the southwest, across an irregular line (not following a ridge or stream), and a line of longitude
- Cherokee County, Georgia to the west-northwest, across the same line of longitude
Cities and towns
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 98,407 people, 34,565 households, and 28,101 families residing in the county. The population density was 168/km² (436/mi²). There were 36,505 housing units at an average density of 62/km² (162/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.05% White, 0.70% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 2.01% Pacific Islander, 2.27% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 2.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 34,565 households out of which 41.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.90% were married couples living together, 6.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.70% were non-families. 14.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 37.10% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 7.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $68,890, and the median income for a family was $74,003. Males had a median income of $50,862 versus $32,112 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,114. About 3.90% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.60% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.
History
Forsyth County was created in 1832 from a partition of the Cherokee County territory, which had been formed from the Cherokee Nation East the previous year. Forsyth County was named for John Forsyth.
History of Racism
Besides being one of the fastest growing counties in the USA (2000 census), Forsyth County is also known for its racist past. The 1910 census listed the racial makeup as "10847 white, 658 black, and 440 mulatto", classifying just over 10% of the population as of or partially of African-American descent. However, in 1912 the entire African-American population was driven from the county following the rape and murder of a white woman, Mae Crow. Two black men were hanged for the crime, and a third was lynched for the assault. The county, even to the present day, remains very limited in racial diversity although more ethnically diverse citizens have begun in recent years to immigrate to the county, particularly in the affluent southern portion. However the racial tension continues to be a part of the county's image. This was infamously punctuated in January 17, 1987 by a march by civil rights activists in Cumming, and a violent counterdemonstration by a branch of the Ku Klux Klan and other residents. According to the a story published in the New York Times on January 18, four marchers were slightly injured by stones, and bottles were thrown at them. Eight people from the counter demonstration, all white, were arrested. The charges included trespassing and carrying concealed weapons. According to the New York Times story, the black marchers arrived by bus from Atlanta, and white onlookers began chanting, "go home, niggers", and others pelted the marchers with bottles, stones, and mud.Originally, the march was going to be led by Gainesville, Georgia, resident Charles A. Blackburn, who wanted to dispel the racist image of Forsyth County, where some Gainesville residents live. Blackburn cancelled his plans after he received threatening phone calls. Other whites in nearby counties, as well as State Representative J.E. McKinney of Atlanta and Hosea Williams, who was on the Atlanta City Council, took up the march plans instead.
The following week, January 24, approximately 20,000 civil rights activists marched in Cumming. This occurrence produced no violence, despite the presence of over 5,000 counter-demonstrators, summoned by the Forsyth County Defense League, largely due to the presence of about 2,000 peace officers and national guardsmen. Forsyth County paid $670,000 for police overtime during the political demonstration. There was considerable public outrage at the costs, particularly since most of the demonstrators on both sides were from outside the county.
The demonstration is thought to have been the largest civil rights demonstration in the U.S. since about 1970. The unexpected turnout of some 6,000 counter-demonstrators, sixty-six of whom were arrested for "parading-without-a-permit," turned out to be the largest outpouring opposed to the Civil Rights Bill since the Sixties. The counter-demonstration was called by The Nationalist Movement, newly organized in Cumming, by Mark Watts, a local plumber.
The original march had been triggered by an often repeated statement that Forsyth was "a county that warned black visitors not to 'let the sun go down on your head.' " New Georgia Encyclopedia
Marchers arrived on buses from all over the country and formed a caravan from Atlanta, under the watchful eye of National Guard troops on freeway overpasses along the nearly hour-long bus route. When marchers arrived, they discovered that most of the Cumming residents had already left town for the day, and many had boarded up their windows because they feared violence. The mood of the marchers, however, was peaceful and hopeful. The voices of thousands of people singing "We shall overcome" echoed off the empty buildings, as marchers wound slowly through streets lined by hundreds of armed National Guards, many of them black. At least two-thirds of the 20,000 civil rights marchers were white, according to eyewitnesses. Many said the multi-racial turnout showed how the civil rights movement had succeeded, despite the challenge at hand.
Forsyth county subsequently charged large fees for parade permits until the practice was overturned in Forsyth County, Georgia v. The Nationalist Movement (505 U.S. 123) in the Supreme Court of the United States on June 19, 1992.
Today, Forsyth County maintains a large percentage of white homeowners. Due to rapid suburban sprawl and skyrocketing housing prices in neighboring Fulton County a large number of affluent white professionals have moved into the county since the marches of 1987; the county's population has roughly tripled since that time. Over 60% of the current population either lived elsewhere or had not been born yet in 1987. In 1997, there were 39 black people in Forsyth County.
In 2006 Forsyth County had been in the top ten fastest growing counties of the united States for several straight years. Many new subdivisions with elegant houses have been constructed, several around world class golf courses. Close to Atlanta and the Blue Ridge mountains the area has attracted many of the Metro area's new residents. Shopping continues to expand as the subdivisions fill in the county. The schools are top in the state with technology playing a major role in the classrooms. Recreation on Lake Lanier, a 37,000 acre Army Corp of Engineers lake, on the east side of the county is enjoyed by many residents and attracts non-residents seasonally. The new population is racially diverse and includes not only blacks but a large international population. The new residents represent all ethnic groups and economic levels. They have worked together to create a Forsyth County totally unlike the past.
External links
- Forsyth County Georgia, Local Web Portal and Directory
- John Forsyth, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- History and Records, Forsyth County, GA
- Forsyth County School System
"Forsyth County, Georgia"