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Cumming, Georgia

Coordinates: 34°12′25″N 84°08′21″W / 34.20694°N 84.13917°W / 34.20694; -84.13917
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Cumming, Georgia
City
Cumming City Hall
Cumming City Hall
Flag of Cumming, Georgia
Flag
Official seal of Cumming, Georgia
Seal
Motto: 
Gateway to Leisure Living
Location in Forsyth County and the state of Georgia
Location in Forsyth County and the state of Georgia
Cumming is located in Georgia
Cumming
Cumming
Location of Cumming in Metro Atlanta
Cumming is located in the United States
Cumming
Cumming
Cumming (the United States)
Cumming is located in Metro Atlanta
Cumming
Cumming
Cumming (Metro Atlanta)
Coordinates: 34°12′25″N 84°08′21″W / 34.20694°N 84.13917°W / 34.20694; -84.13917
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyForsyth
Incorporated1834
Chartered1845[1]
Named forWilliam Cumming
Government
 • MayorTroy Brumbalow (R)
 • BodyCumming City Council
Area
[2]
 • Total7.23 sq mi (18.73 km2)
 • Land7.19 sq mi (18.62 km2)
 • Water0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation
1,217 ft (371 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total7,318
 • Density1,017.80/sq mi (393.00/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
30028, 30040, 30041
Area code770
FIPS code13-20932[3]
GNIS feature ID0331494[4]
Websitecityofcumming.net

Cumming is a city in and the county seat of Forsyth County, Georgia, United States,[5] and the sole incorporated area in the county. It is a suburban city, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In the 2020 census, the population is 7,318, up from 5,430 in 2010.[6] Surrounding unincorporated areas with a Cumming mailing address have a population of approximately 100,000.

History

[edit]
1830 map of Cherokee territory

The area now called Cumming is located west of the historic location of Vann's Ferry between Forsyth County and Hall County.

Early history

[edit]

The area, now called Cumming, was inhabited earlier by Cherokee tribes, who are thought to have arrived in the mid-18th century.[citation needed] The Cherokee and Creek people developed disputes over hunting land. After two years of fighting, the Cherokee won the land in the Battle of Taliwa. The Creek people were forced to move south of the Chattahoochee River.[7][8]

1834 map of counties that were created from Cherokee land. Cumming is shown in the middle of Forsyth County.

The Cherokee coexisted with white settlers until the discovery of gold in Georgia in 1828. Settlers that moved to the area to mine for gold pushed for the removal of the Cherokee. In 1835, the Treaty of New Echota was signed. The treaty stated that the Cherokee Nation must move to the Indian Territory, west of the Mississippi River. This resulted in the Trail of Tears. The Cherokee territory was then formed into Cherokee County in 1831. In 1832, the county had been split into several counties including Forsyth County.[9]

In 1833, the town of Cumming was formed from two 40-acre (16 ha) land lots that had been issued as part of a Georgia State Land Lottery in 1832. The two lots designated as Land Lot 1269 and Land Lot 1270 were purchased by a couple of Forsyth County Inferior Court justices who realized that it was necessary to have a seat of government to conduct county business. The boundaries of the two lots ended at what is now Tolbert Street on the west side, Eastern Circle on the east side, Resthaven Street on the south side, and School Street on the north side. In 1834 the post office was established and began delivering mail. The justices of the Inferior Court divided the town land into smaller lots and began selling them to people over the next several years, reserving one lot for the county courthouse. During that same year, the Georgia State Legislature incorporated the town of Cumming into the City of Cumming and made it the official government seat of Forsyth County.

A second charter was issued in 1845, decreeing that Cumming's government would follow the mayor–council model of government.[10]

The community is commonly thought to be named after Colonel William Cumming.[11] An alternate theory proposed by a local historian posits the name honors Rev. Frederick Cumming, a professor of Jacob Scudder, a resident of the area since 1815 who owned land in present-day downtown.[12] Yet another theory is that the town is named after Alexander Cuming, the son of a Scottish baronet.[13]

Modern history

[edit]

During the 1830s and 1840s, Cumming benefited from the gold mining industry as many businesses were created to meet the needs of the miners. However, the California Gold Rush in 1849 put the city into an economic depression. Newly built railroads bypassed the city and took traffic from the Federal Road that ran near Cumming. The city was spared during the Civil War because William T. Sherman did not pass through the city during his March to the Sea. In 1900, the county courthouse was destroyed in a fire after being struck by lightning; it was rebuilt in 1905.[7][8]

1912 racial conflict of Cumming

[edit]
Main article: 1912 racial conflict in Forsyth County, Georgia

In 1912, Governor Joseph M. Brown sent four companies of state militia to Cumming to prevent riots after two reported attacks of young white women, allegedly by black men. A suspect in the second assault, in which the victim was also raped and later died, was dragged from the Cumming county jail and lynched. The governor then declared martial law, but the effort did little to stop a month-long barrage of attacks by night riders on the black citizens. This led to the banishment of blacks, and the city had virtually no black population.[14][better source needed]

Main article: 1987 Forsyth County protests

Racial tensions were strained again in 1987 when a group of black people were assaulted while camping at a park on Lake Lanier. This was widely reported by local newspapers and in Atlanta. As a result of this, a local businessman[note 1] decided to hold a "Peace March" the following week. Civil rights leader Reverend Hosea Williams joined the local businessman in a march along Bethelview and Castleberry Road in south Forsyth County into the City of Cumming where they were assaulted by whites. The marchers retreated and vowed to return. During the following "Brotherhood March" on January 24, 1987, another racially mixed group returned to Forsyth County to complete the march the previous group had been unable to finish. March organizers estimated the number at 20,000, while police estimates ran from 12,000 to 14,000. Hosea Williams and former senator Gary Hart were in the demonstration. A group of the National Guard kept the opposition of about 1,000 in check. Oprah Winfrey featured Cumming and Forsyth County on her The Oprah Winfrey Show. She formed a town hall meeting where one audience member said:

I'm afraid of [blacks] coming to Forsyth County. I was born in Atlanta, and in 1963, the first blacks were bussed to West Fulton High School. I go down there now and I see my neighborhood and my community, which was a nice community, and now it's nothing but a rat-infested slum area because they don't care.[15]

Buford Dam, impounding Lake Lanier on the Chattahoochee River southeast of Cumming

However, most of the audience members agreed that Forsyth County should integrate. Williams was excluded from Oprah's show and arrested for trespassing.

City growth

[edit]

Today, the city is experiencing new growth and bears little resemblance to the small rural town it was mere decades ago. The completion of Georgia 400 has helped turn Cumming into a commuter town for metropolitan Atlanta. The city holds the Cumming Country Fair & Festival every October. The Sawnee Mountain Preserve provides views of the city from the top of Sawnee Mountain.[7] In 1956, Buford Dam, along the Chattahoochee River, started operating. The reservoir that it created is called Lake Lanier.[8] The lake, a popular spot for boaters, has generated income from tourists for Cumming as well as provides a source of drinking water.

Geography

[edit]

Cumming is located in the center of Forsyth County at 34°12′30″N 84°8′15″W / 34.20833°N 84.13750°W / 34.20833; -84.13750 (34.208464, -84.137575).[16] It is 39 miles (63 km) northeast of downtown Atlanta and 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Alpharetta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Cumming has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.9 km2), of which 6.1 square miles (15.8 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2), or 0.58%, is water.[17]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870267—
1880250−6.4%
189035642.4%
1900239−32.9%
191030527.6%
192060799.0%
19306486.8%
194095847.8%
19501,26431.9%
19601,56123.5%
19702,03130.1%
19802,0943.1%
19902,82835.1%
20004,22049.2%
20105,43028.7%
20207,31834.8%
2023 (est.)9,471[18]29.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[19]
Cumming racial composition as of 2020[20]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 3,999 54.65%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 333 4.55%
Native American 6 0.08%
Asian 589 8.05%
Pacific Islander 2 0.03%
Other/Mixed 279 3.81%
Hispanic or Latino 2,110 28.83%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,318 people, 2,480 households, and 1,368 families residing in the city.

Government

[edit]
Mayor H. Ford Gravitt and the city council pictured at the Independence Day parade in 2002.

Cumming is a municipal corporation; since 1845 it has been governed by a mayor and a five-member city council. The mayor and council members serve staggered four-year terms.

On December 22, 1834, Cumming was officially incorporated and five councilmen were appointed: John Jolly, William Martin, Daniel McCoy, John H. Russell, and Daniel Smith. The town of Cumming's charter was revised on December 22, 1845, resulting in new councilmen William F. Foster, Arthur Irwin, Major J. Lewis, Henry L. Sims, and Noah Strong.[21]

House Bill 334 was enacted on October 10, 1885, giving Cumming a mayor and five-person city council.

Former mayor H. Ford Gravitt was first elected to the city council in 1966, and went on to be elected mayor in 1970.[22] Gravitt was mayor of Cumming for 48 years before losing to rival candidate Troy Brumbalow. Brumbalow has held the office since January 2018[10] and was re-elected in November 2021.

City Council

[edit]
Year Mayor Post 1 Post 2 Post 3 Post 4 Post 5
2011 H. Ford Gravitt Rupert Sexton Quincy Holton Lewis Ledbetter John Pugh Ralph Perry
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016 Chuck Welch Christopher Light[23] Linda Ledbetter
2017
2018 Troy Brumbalow Chad Crane Jason Evans
2019
2020 Joey Cochran
2021
2022
2023
2024 Susie Charles-Carr

Previous city council members

[edit]
  • William F. Foster, 1845
  • H. Ford Gravitt, 1966–1970
  • Quincy Holton, 1969–2017 (Post 2)[22]
  • Arthur Irwin, 1845
  • John Jolly, 1834
  • Lewis Ledbetter, 1971–2019 (Post 3)
  • Linda Ledbetter, 2016–2019
  • Major J. Lewis, 1845
  • William Martin, 1834
  • Daniel McCoy, 1834
  • Dot Otwell,[24] 1956–1957
  • Ralph Perry,[25] 1979–2016 (Post 4)
  • John D. Pugh,[26] 1993–2016 (Post 5)
  • John H. Russell, 1834
  • Rupert Sexton,[26] 1970–2015 (Post 1; mayor pro tem)[25]
  • Henry L. Sims, 1845
  • Daniel Smith, 1834
  • Noah Strong, 1845
  • Kenneth J. Vanderhoff,[25] 1987–1990
  • Charles Welch, 1972–1986[24]
  • Chuck Welch,[27] 2015–2017 (Post 1)[24]

Previous mayors

[edit]

Many historical records have been destroyed in fires, leaving some information unavailable or unverifiable.[21]

  • W. W. Pirkle (possible)
  • T. J. Pirkle (possible)
  • E. F. Smith (possible)
  • Charles Leon Harris, term dates unknown (also Forsyth County School Superintendent, 1912–1916)[21]
  • Alman Gwinn Hockenhull, term dates unknown (also Cumming Postmaster, 1913–1922)
  • Enoch Wesley Mashburn, 1913–?
  • Marcus Mashburn Sr., 1917; 1961–1966[25]
  • Joseph Gaither Puett, 1918–1919[28]
  • Henry Lowndes "Snacks" Patterson, 1920–1921 (also Georgia General Assembly representative, 1884–1885; Commissioner of Public Instruction, 1892–1910; Blue Ridge Circuit Court judge, 1912–1917)[21]
  • John Dickerson Black, 1922–1923 (also Georgia General Assembly representative, 1933–1936)
  • Andrew Benjamin "Ben" Tollison, 1926–1927 (also Forsyth County School Superintendent, 1920–1932)[21]
  • Roy Pilgrim Otwell, 1928–1956; 1959–1960
  • Marcus Mashburn Jr., 1957–1958
  • George Ingram, 1966–1970
  • H. Ford Gravitt, 1970–2018

Education

[edit]

Cumming is served by Forsyth County Schools. The following schools are located in the county school district:

Elementary schools

  • Big Creek Elementary
  • Brandywine Elementary
  • Brookwood Elementary
  • Chattahoochee Elementary
  • Chestatee Elementary
  • Coal Mountain Elementary
  • Cumming Elementary
  • Daves Creek Elementary
  • Haw Creek Elementary
  • Johns Creek Elementary
  • Kelly Mill Elementary
  • Mashburn Elementary
  • Matt Elementary
  • Midway Elementary
  • Poole's Mill Elementary
  • Sawnee Elementary
  • Settles Bridge Elementary
  • Sharon Elementary
  • Shiloh Point Elementary
  • Silver City Elementary
  • Vickery Creek Elementary
  • Whitlow Elementary

Middle schools

  • Veritas Classical Schools
  • DeSana Middle
  • Hendricks Middle
  • Lakeside Middle
  • Liberty Middle
  • Little Mill Middle
  • North Forsyth Middle
  • Otwell Middle
  • Piney Grove Middle
  • Riverwatch Middle
  • South Forsyth Middle
  • Vickery Creek Middle

High schools

Alternative schools

  • Creative Montessori School
  • Forsyth Academy
  • Forsyth Virtual Academy
  • Gateway Academy

Higher education

[edit]
The library at the University of North Georgia Cumming campus.

In 2012, the University of North Georgia established its Cumming campus.[29]

  • Montessori Academy at Sharon Springs
  • Mountain Education

Transportation

[edit]

Major highways

[edit]

Pedestrians and cycling

[edit]

Notable people

[edit]
[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Some sources specify that the march was revived by Dean and Tammy Carter, while another credits Dean Williams.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "City of Cumming, Ga "Gateway to Leisure Living"". Cityofcumming.net. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. ^ "Cumming (City) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau". quickfacts.census.gov. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c "New Georgia Encyclopedia: Cumming". Georgiaencyclopedia.org. June 22, 2006. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c "Cumming GA History". Cumming.com. February 1, 1956. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  9. ^ "Georgia Counties by Date of Creation". Georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Administration". City of Cumming. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  11. ^ Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 55. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
  12. ^ Whitmire, Kelly (January 25, 2019). "What's in a name? Historian talks about where road, area names originated in Cumming, Forsyth County". Forsyth News. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Wait, you're from where? 11 towns and cities with suggestive names.
  14. ^ "1912 September and October". Rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  15. ^ "Memorable Guests". Oprah.com. January 1, 2006. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  16. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  17. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Cumming city, Georgia". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  18. ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau. May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  19. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  20. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c d e Barrett, Gladyse K. (1993). Historical Account of Cumming.
  22. ^ a b Estep, Tyler (November 10, 2017). "This Georgia mayor has served for 47 years. Meet the man who beat him". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  23. ^ Sturgeon, Kathleen (November 6, 2015). "Linda Ledbetter, Christopher Light win Cumming Council elections". North Forsyth. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  24. ^ a b c "Linda Ledbetter, Christopher Light elected to Cumming City Council". Forsyth County News. November 3, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  25. ^ a b c d "Service Delivery Strategy Manual for the City of Cumming" (PDF). May 4, 1998. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  26. ^ a b Torpy, Bill (January 23, 2015). "Something crazy in the water in Cumming". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  27. ^ McNulty, Timothy J. (January 25, 1987). "Civil Rights Throng Marches in Georgia". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 25, 2019. "We're just the battleground for these two forces," said Charles Welch, a member of the Cumming City Council for 14 years. He and others seemed perplexed that suddenly their county was in the glare of national attention, and they tried to analyze what it meant.
  28. ^ Bramblett, Annette S. (March 1, 1999). Forsyth County: An Album from the Garland Bagley Collection. Arcadia. ISBN 9780752404196.
  29. ^ "Degrees & Programs on the Cumming Campus".
  30. ^ "Skyler Day (Maggie from Gigantic) Interview!". TeenNick. November 17, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
[edit]
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