Gordon County, Georgia

Gordon County Education, Geography, and History

Gordon County is a county located in the state of Georgia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 55,186. Gordon County was created on February 13, 1850. The county seat is Calhoun. The county is named in honor of William Washington Gordon (1796-1842), first president of the Central of Georgia Railroad.

Gordon County comprises the Calhoun, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Gordon County Name

The county is named after William Washington Gordon, who was president of what was then the Central Railroad and Banking Company and later became the Central of Georgia Railroad.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Gordon County History

Gordon County was created in 1850 from parts of Floyd and Bartow counties. The 93rd county formed in the state was named after William Washington Gordon, who was president of what was then the Central Railroad and Banking Company and later became the Central of Georgia Railroad.

Calhoun was named for Senator John Calhoun. Originally, it was called Dawsonville. Calhoun was virtually wiped out by Sherman's troops little more than a decade after being incorporated in 1852 but was rebuilt after the war.

Points of Interest

Gordon County is the home of New Echota, which was once the capital of the Cherokee Nation. It was the birthplace of the written Cherokee language and the newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix .

The county has numerous outdoor recreation opportunities. The Chattahoochee National Forest makes up a large part of the western part of the county. The Coosawattee and Conasauga rivers join to form the Oostanaula River, and there is also the Salacoa Creek Park, a 343-acre park with a 126-acre lake.

Notable Citizens

Gordon County was home to Roland Hayes, an internationally recognized classical singer in the 1920s. The Roland Hayes Museum, on the second floor of the new Harris Arts Center, is located in downtown Calhoun.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 358 square miles (930 km²), of which 356 square miles (920 km²) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²) (0.6%) is water.

 Gordon county is located in northwest Georgia. The county is in the Coosa River basin.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Murray County; Gilmer County
• East: Pickens County
• Southeast: Cherokee County
• South: Bartow County
• Southwest: Floyd County
• West: Chattooga County
• Northwest: Walker County; Whitfield County

Education

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