Paulding County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, it had an estimated population of 168,661 in 2020. The county seat is Dallas.
History
Paulding County was created from Cherokee County by an act of the Georgia General Assembly on December 3, 1832. In 1851, a portion of Paulding County was used to help create Polk County. Other portions of Paulding County were annexed to neighboring counties (Campbell, Carroll, Cobb, Douglas, Haralson, and Polk) between 1832 and 1874. Between 1850 and 1874, Paulding County was expanded through annexation of parts of Carroll, Cobb, Douglas, and Polk counties.
The county is named after John Paulding (October 16, 1758 – February 18, 1818), who was famous for the capture of the British spy Major John André in 1780 during the American Revolution. André was on a mission carrying secret papers from Benedict Arnold when he was captured.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. The Tallapoosa River originates in Paulding County.
The county is mainly located in the Piedmont region of the state, with a few mountains located in the county that exceed elevations of 1,000 ft. These mountains are considered to be part of the southernmost extensions of the Appalachian Mountains.
The southeastern portion of Paulding County, from just north of Hiram to north of Villa Rica, is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Lake Harding sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). The very western portion of the county, centered on State Route 101, is located in the Upper Tallapoosa River sub-basin of the ACT River Basin (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin), with the majority of the central and northern portions of Paulding County located in the Etowah River sub-basin of the same ACT River Basin.
Adjacent counties
Bartow County – north
Cobb County – east
Douglas County – southeast
Carroll County – south
Haralson County – southwest
Polk County – west
Transportation
Major highways
U.S. Route 278
State Route 6
State Route 6 Business
State Route 61
State Route 92
State Route 101
State Route 113
State Route 120
State Route 120 Connector
State Route 360
State Route 381
Secondary highways
Dallas-Acworth Highway (Old S.R. 381) Ridge Road (Old S.R. 61 Connector). Connector in South Paulding that runs between SR 92 and SR 61 East Paulding Drive (Old S.R. 120 Connector, S.R. 92 Connector and S.R. 176). Road formerly known as Dragstrip Road Goldmine Road (Old U.S. 278/S.R. 6). Former route to Yorkville. Bill Carruth Parkway, formerly known as West Hiram Parkway, originally known as Egg Farm Road Bobo Road (Old S.R. 92) Macland Road (Old S.R. 360). All of Macland Road west of S.R. 120. Mulberry Rock Road Braswell Mountain Road Cedarcrest Road Seven Hills Boulevard Harmony Grove Church Road Dabbs Bridge Road Vinson Mountain Road Brushy Mountain Road Nebo Road
Pedestrians and cycling
Dallas Trail Connect
Graves Path
Lindsey Path
Silver Comet Trail
Demographics
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 81,678 people, 28,089 households, and 22,892 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 29,274 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.59% White, 6.96% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. 1.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 28,089 households, out of which 46.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.30% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.50% were non-families. 14.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the county, 30.70% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 38.40% from 25 to 44, 17.40% from 45 to 64, and 5.90% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.