Fulton County, Georgia


Fulton County is in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,066,710, making it the state's most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Atlanta, the state capital. About 90% of the city of Atlanta is within Fulton County; the remaining portion is in DeKalb County. Fulton County is the principal county of the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area.

History

Fulton County was created in 1853 from the western half of DeKalb County. It was named in honor of Robert Fulton, the man who created the first commercially successful steamboat in 1807.
After the American Civil War, there was considerable violence against freedmen in the county. During the post-Reconstruction period, violence and the number of lynchings of blacks increased in the late 19th century, as whites exercised terrorism to re-establish and maintain white supremacy. Whites lynched 35 African Americans here from 1877 to 1950; according to the Georgia Lynching Project, 24 were killed in 1906. This was the highest total in the state. With a total of 589, Georgia was second to Mississippi in its total number of lynchings in this period.
In addition to individual lynchings, during the 1906 Atlanta race massacre, whites killed at least 25 African Americans; the number may have been considerably higher. Two white persons died during the riot; one a woman who died of a heart attack. The violence affected black residential and business development in the city afterward. The Georgia legislature effectively completed disenfranchisement of African Americans in 1908, with constitutional amendments that raised barriers to voter registration and voting, excluding them from the political system.
At the beginning of 1932, as an austerity measure to save money during the Great Depression, Fulton County annexed Milton County to the north and Campbell County to the southwest, to centralize administration. That resulted in the current long shape of the county along of the Chattahoochee River. On May 9 of that year, neighboring Cobb County ceded the city of Roswell and lands lying east of Willeo Creek to Fulton County so that it would be more contiguous with the lands ceded from Milton County.
In the second half of the 20th century, Atlanta and Fulton county became the location of numerous national and international headquarters for leading companies, attracting highly skilled employees from around the country. This led to the city and county becoming more cosmopolitan and diverse.
In 1992, Fulton County elected the first African-American woman, Jacquelyn Harrison Barrett, to the position of Sheriff in the history of the United States.
In 2023, rapper Playboi Carti was arrested in Fulton County. That same year, Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis., the prosecution is being continued by Pete Skandalakis. Fulton County was a centerpoint in Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia; in January 2026, the FBI conducted a raid on the county's election office.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north. The shape of the county resembles a sword with its handle at the northeastern part, and the tip at the southwestern portion.
Going from north to south, the northernmost portion of Fulton County, encompassing Milton and northern Alpharetta, is located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin. The rest of north and central Fulton, to downtown Atlanta, is located in the Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin. The bulk of south Fulton County, from Atlanta to Palmetto, is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Lake Harding sub-basin of the larger ACF River Basin, with just the eastern edges of south Fulton, from Palmetto northeast through Union Hill to Hapeville, in the Upper Flint River sub-basin of the same larger ACF River Basin.

Adjacent counties

There are 15 cities within Fulton County. Four cities include land outside of the county but still have their center of government and the majority of their land within Fulton County. After the formation of South Fulton in 2017, the only unincorporated part of the county is Fulton Industrial Boulevard, from roughly Fulton Brown Airport down to Fairburn Rd. This led to Fulton County becoming the first county in Georgia to suspend all city services.

Cities

2020 census

Racial / Ethnic Profile of places in Fulton County, Georgia --
Following is a table of cities, villages, and census designated places in Fulton County, Georgia. Data for the United States, the state of Georgia, and Fulton County itself have been included for comparison purposes.
The majority racial/ethnic group is coded per the key below. Communities that extend into and adjacent county or counties are delineated with a followed by an accompanying explanatory note. The full population of each community has been tabulated including the population in adjacent counties.
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,066,710 people, 448,577 households, and 238,444 families residing there, reflecting the county's historically positive population growth with the exception of the 1980 U.S. census.
The median age was 35.5 years; 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males age 18 and over. 99.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.6% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county, as recorded in the 2020 census, was 39.3% White, 42.5% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 7.6% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.6% from some other race, and 6.6% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.1% of the population.
There were 448,577 households in the county, of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 35.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 494,006 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 50.0% were owner-occupied and 50.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%.

2010 census

In 2010, its racial and ethnic makeup was 43.50% Black or African American, 40.85% non-Hispanic white, 0.17% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.28% some other race, 1.71% multiracial, and 7.88% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $56,709 and the median income for a family was $75,579. Males had a median income of $56,439 versus $42,697 for females. The per capita income for the county was $37,211. About 12.0% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

2022 American Community Survey

At the 2022 American Community Survey, its median household income grew to $90,346 with a per capita income of $59,689. Among its population, 53% earned from $50,000 to $200,000 annually, and 28% earned less than $50,000. Approximately 12.7% of the county lived at or below the poverty line.

Economy

Companies headquartered in Fulton County include AFC Enterprises, AT&T Mobility, Chick-fil-A, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Church's Texas Chicken, The Coca-Cola Company, Cox Enterprises, Delta Air Lines, Earthlink, Equifax, First Data, Georgia-Pacific, Global Payments, Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group, IBM Internet Security Systems, Mirant Corp., Newell Rubbermaid, Northside Hospital, Piedmont Healthcare, Porsche Cars North America, Saint Joseph's Hospital, Southern Company, United Parcel Service, are based in various cities throughout Fulton County.

Education

All portions of Fulton County outside of the city limits of Atlanta are served by the Fulton County School System. All portions within Atlanta are served by Atlanta Public Schools.

Libraries

History

The Fulton County Library System began in 1902 as the Carnegie Library of Atlanta, one of the first public libraries in the United States. In 1935, the city of Atlanta and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners signed a contract under which library service was extended to all of Fulton County. Then in 1982, Georgia voters passed a constitutional Amendment authorizing the transfer of responsibility for the Library system from the city of Atlanta to the county. On July 1, 1983, the transfer finally became official, and the system was renamed the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System.
Under the leadership of Ella Gaines Yates, who was the first African American director of the Library System, a new Central library was opened to the public in May 1988. The building was designed by Marcel Breuer, a participant in the innovative Bauhaus movement, working side by side with his associate Hamilton Smith. The Central Library was dedicated on May 25, 1980, and Breuer would die a year later in July 1981 at the age of 81.
In 2002 after a hundred years of library service to the public, a major renovation of the Central Library was completed.