Kennesaw, Georgia

From Freepedia

Kennesaw is a city located in Cobb County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 21,675. Census Estimates of 2003 indicate a population of 25,816. The original name for the town was Big Shanty, and it is now considered a suburb of Atlanta.

During the American Civil War, Kennesaw was the site of major fighting in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, part of the larger Battle of Atlanta. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park [1] now encompasses many of these historic areas, though much has already been lost to development, and some buried artifacts to theft by "poachers" with metal detectors. Kennesaw Mountain (and conjoined Little Kennesaw Mountain) is included in the park, and its summit is the highest point in the Atlanta metro area, at an elevation of 1808 feet or 551 meters AMSL.

Kennesaw State University [2] is located just east of the city limits, and uses the silhouette of the two mountains as its logo. The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History [3] is located downtown, next to the railroad tracks on Cherokee Street, just off of Main Street (Old U.S. 41 Highway). The museum is the current preservation and display location for The General, the locomotive that played the key role in the Great Locomotive Chase.

Kennesaw has the nickname of "Gun Town, USA" due to a city ordinance passed in 1982 [Sec 34-1a] that requires the head of every household residing within the city limits to maintain a firearm with ammunition. The ordinance was passed in response to high levels of criminal activity in the city as of the late-seventies and into the mid-eighties, most of which involved home invasions. Despite this ordinance having been criticized by the ACLU as unconstitutional and impossible to enforce by others, years hence it has been generally regarded as one of the most effective deterrent-policies yet instituted by a municipality in the United States, having witnessed violent crime rates, home-invasions in particular, drop dramatically to levels atypical of an Atlanta suburb. Provisions are included exempting the physically or mentally disabled, those who cannot afford a firearm, those whose religious beliefs oppose firearm possession, as well as convicted felons from complying with the requirements of the ordinance.

The city's official website is at http://www.kennesaw.ga.us.

Geography

Kennesaw is located at 34° 1′ 31″ N, 84° 36′ 57″ W (34.025183, -84.615875)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.0 km² (8.5 mi²). 21.9 km² (8.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.82% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 21,675 people, 8,099 households, and 5,782 families residing in the city. The population density is 991.6/km² (2,568.3/mi²). There are 8,670 housing units at an average density of 396.6/km² (1,027.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 81.97% White, 9.90% African American, 0.22% Native American, 2.91% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.54% from other races, and 2.45% from two or more races. 6.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 8,099 households out of which 40.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% are married couples living together, 10.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% are non-families. 22.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.65 and the average family size is 3.12.

In the city the population is spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 42.1% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $60,404 and the median income for a family is $67,778. Males have a median income of $45,253 versus $33,660 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,757. 4.5% of the population and 3.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.8% of those under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

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