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Cobb County began its life in 1832,
created by the state legislature out of Cherokee and Creek Indian
territory. It was named for former U.S. Representative, U.S.
Senator, and Georgia Superior Court Judge Thomas W. Cobb of
Greensboro.
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The county
seat, Marietta, was chartered two years later, and is generally
believed to be named for his wife, Mary Cobb. The county’s first
courthouse was a one-room log structure built that same year. |
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Many communities were established in the
area by 1838 and county officials had a new two-story courthouse
built. Development of a railroad line through the county continued
through the decade, culminating in trains running from Marthasville
(now Atlanta) through Marietta in 1845.
The county’s courthouse was replaced by
a better building in 1854, which in turn was burned down during Gen.
William Tecumseh Sherman’s Atlanta campaign. Various events during
this time, including the Battle of Kennesaw, intertwine the county’s
history with the Civil War.
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The abundance of railroads and early
industrial development in the county helped its development. Most
homes in Cobb were part of large farms up until the 1870s. The area
began urbanization between the 1880s and 1940s, with the first
central business districts springing up around the railroads.
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The county’s total population remained
at about 38,000 people, until World War II indirectly caused sudden
growth in the community. Marietta Army Airfield was built in 1943,
bringing with it the opening of Bell Aircraft Corporation bomber
plant and nearly 30,000 jobs.
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While Bell closed the plant at the end
of the war, the subsequent Korean War led Lockheed to reopen the
plant in 1951. That same decade, Marietta Army Airfield became
Dobbins Air Force Base and Naval Air Station Atlanta was added to
the campus. The combination of the three helped drive the economic
engine of the county through the present.
Today, Cobb County Government is
overseen by a five-member board, including a chairman who is elected
at-large. Administration of government operations is handled by the
county manager who answers to the Board of Commissioners.
Cobb County...Expect the Best
©
copyright 2004 · Cobb County Government · 100 Cherokee
Street · Marietta, GA 30090
Phone (770) 528-1000 · e-mail:
information@cobbcounty.org
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