East Cobb is an unincorporated community in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, with a population of 164,055 people. It is an affluent northern suburb of Atlanta.
History
The area was developed as a suburb of Atlanta beginning in the 1960s. In contrast to other northern suburbs of Atlanta, East Cobb has remained unincorporated. Residents of East Cobb typically hold a Marietta address, although they are outside Marietta city boundaries.
The idea of incorporating East Cobb as a city was suggested in 2009 by the organization "Citizens for the City of East Cobb". Yet the first serious discussion of incorporating East Cobb was initiated in 1998 by then Cobb County chairman Bill Byrne. Under Byrne's proposal, the city's boundary lines would be drawn by the Cobb Legislative Delegation, the county government would continue to provide water, sewer, police and fire services to the city for a nominal fee of one dollar per year, and the city would be governed by an elected mayor and five City Council members, with wards drawn by the Cobb Delegation. However, Byrne was defeated by Cobb County Chairman Incumbent Tim Lee, who dismissed the idea of incorporating East Cobb as "solution looking for a problem."
In March 2019, Matt Dollar, a local representative in the Georgia House of Representatives announced that he would be submitting a bill to create the legislation necessary for East Cobb cityhood. The bill could not be approved by the legislature or by referendum until 2020; the Georgia Senate passed the measure on February 10, 2022, setting up a referendum vote by East Cobb residents in May 2022. If East Cobb were to incorporate as a city, it would be the largest in the county and the second largest in metro Atlanta (behind Atlanta), with around 150,000 residents. The referendum vote failed with 73% no votes, effectively precluding East Cobb cityhood.
Geography
East Cobb is roughly bounded by: Cherokee County to the north Willeo Creek and Roswell in Fulton County to the northeast the Chattahoochee River and Sandy Springs in Fulton County to the southeast Bell's Ferry Road, I-575, and the Marietta city limits to the west, and Interstate 285 and the Cumberland/Galleria edge city at the southern tip.
East Cobb is within the Northeast Cobb census county division.
Climate
East Cobb has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The climate is slightly cooler than other areas of the metro with a higher elevation, predominately above in most areas. Sweat Mountain is the highest elevation in the East Cobb area at above sea level. East Cobb receives in excess of of rain and roughly of snow annually. Two of the largest snowfalls historically in East Cobb were the 1993 Storm of the Century and the storm on 7 and 8 December in 2017. Both storms dropped anywhere from of snow on East Cobb.
Economy
Shopping
Merchant's Walk is a open-air shopping center with retailers, restaurants, and a movie theater originally built in 1976 and since expanded and twice renovated, once in the early 1990s and again in 2008–2011.
The Avenue East Cobb is a open-air shopping center. It has a horseshoe-shaped form and a "period-style Main Street design" and "town square" concepts, according to its designers.
Paper Mill Village is a collection of 33 buildings linked by over a mile of pedestrian walkways. The Village includes retail tenants, restaurant tenants, and service provider tenants.
Arts and culture
Taste of East Cobb is an annual event.
The YMCA operates the McKlesky Family-East Cobb YMCA, a recreational area for the community.
Civic associations include a Kiwanis Club and a Rotary Club.
Cobb County Public Library operates the East Cobb Library.
Parks and recreation
East Cobb Park, established in 2001, East Cobb Parks hosts two playgrounds, walking trails, a bandstand, picnic pavilions, and stream overlooks.
Fuller's Park, which hosts baseball fields, a football field, a playground, and an indoor gymnasium used for recreational activities. Harrison Park, which hosts baseball fields, a tennis court, and playground. Mabry Park, which hosts a playground and walking trails.
Government
East Cobb comprises districts 2 and 3 of the Cobb County Commission.