Canton

History

Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the site where Canton would be founded lay in the heart of the original Cherokee Nation. During the first 100 years of Georgia's history, Northwest Georgia was generally considered "Indian Country" and was bypassed by settlers going West. Georgia reached an agreement with the federal government in 1802 shortly after the Revolutionary War to relinquish its Western Territory (it claimed the Pacific Ocean as its western boundary) in exchange for the removal of all Indians within its boundaries. Although other tribes had been removed, the Cherokee remained. Since this was the heartland of the Cherokee Nation, the state and nation were reluctant to disturb them. But following the Georgia Gold Rush in 1829, European-American settlers ignored the Indian problems and began to move into the area north of Carrollton and west of the Chattahoochee River and named it Cherokee. Many members of the Cherokee Nation moved west in 1829, but the majority stayed until removed by federal troops sent into the area during the summer of 1838. The remaining Cherokee were gathered and held in forts until the removal could be completed. Present-day Cherokee County had the largest and most southerly of these forts, Fort Buffington, which stood east of Canton. Today nothing stands to identify its timber structure, but the speculated area is marked by a large piece of green Cherokee marble quarried near Holly Springs. By autumn of 1838, the federal troops had accomplished their mission, and the Cherokee at Fort Buffington were marched off to join other groups on the infamous "Trail of Tears," a lengthy march in worsening winter weather to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. The new settlers chose a site for a permanent county seat…

Geography

Canton is located near the center of Cherokee County at (34.227307, −84.494727). The city lies just north of Holly Springs, southwest of Ball Ground, and southeast of Waleska. Interstate 575 passes through the eastern side of the city, with access from exits 14 through 20. Canton is north of downtown Atlanta via I-575 and I-75. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.76%, is water. The Etowah River, a tributary of the Coosa River, flows from east to west through the center of the city.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Cherokee High School
  High · Canton · 2,937 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Etowah High School
  High · Woodstock · 2,441 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Creekview High School
  High · Canton · 2,126 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Sequoyah High School
  High · Canton · 2,083 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• River Ridge High School
  High · Woodstock · 1,914 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• E. T. Booth Middle School
  Middle · Woodstock · 1,654 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Teasley Middle School
  Middle · Canton · 1,606 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Creekland Middle School
  Middle · Canton · 1,511 students · 16.4:1 ratio