Atlanta, Texas

Atlanta, Texas
City
E Main Street in Atlanta
Nickname(s): City of the Universe

Location of Atlanta, Texas
Coordinates: 33°7′6″N 94°10′0″W / 33.11833°N 94.16667°W / 33.11833; -94.16667Coordinates: 33°7′6″N 94°10′0″W / 33.11833°N 94.16667°W / 33.11833; -94.16667
Country United States
State Texas
County Cass City Type: Rural/City
Government
 • Type Strong City Manager form of Government, Home Rule Charter
 • Mayor Travis Ransom
Area
 • Total 12.7 sq mi (32.8 km2)
 • Land 12.5 sq mi (32.4 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation 259 ft (79 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 5,675
 • Estimate (2013)[1] 5,632
 • Density 450/sq mi (173.9/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code 75551
Area code(s) 903
FIPS code 48-04516[2]
GNIS feature ID 1372354[3]
Website atlantatexas.org

Atlanta is a city in Cass County, northeastern Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,675.[1]

History

Atlanta was established in 1871 with the building of the Texas and Pacific Railway and was named for Atlanta, Georgia, former home of many early settlers. This area of Texas had been settled by planters who brought enslaved African Americans with them to work the land. A post office was opened in 1871.

By 1885 the community had 1,500 residents, who had founded three white and two black churches, two schools, a bank, several sawmills, a number of general stores, and a weekly newspaper, the Citizens' Journal. Lumbering was the chief industry. The lumber boom reached its peak around 1890, when the population was 1,764. When the community was incorporated in 1929, it had 1,900 residents and 105 businesses.

The onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s forced many businesses to close, and in 1936 Atlanta had 85 rated businesses. The opening of the Rodessa oilfield in 1935, however, helped mitigate the worst effects of the Depression. By 1940 the town had modern canneries, lumber mills, wholesale houses, a brick plant, a hospital, and a population of 2,453. Subsequently, Atlanta grew steadily, topping the 4,000 mark for the first time in the early 1960s. In 1990 the population was 6,118. By 2000 the population had dropped to 5,745. Principal industries include farming, forestry, oil, and tourism.

Geography

Atlanta is the largest city in Cass county and is located in eastern Cass County at 33°7′6″N 94°10′0″W / 33.11833°N 94.16667°W / 33.11833; -94.16667 (33.118228, -94.166537).[4] It is bordered to the north by Queen City.

The City of Atlanta is in close proximity to three major interstate highways. Interstate 20 to the south, interstate 30 to the north, and interstate 49 to the east. It is also home to U.S. Highway 59, the highest trafficked non-interstate highway in the nation which is a future Interstate 369 corridor. Atlanta is an ideal hub for transportation and distribution centers due to its close proximity to interstate highways and safe distance from coastal areas prone to hurricanes.

U.S. Route 59 bypasses the city to the west, leading north 25 miles (40 km) to Texarkana and southwest 14 miles (23 km) to Linden. Texas State Highway 77 passes through the southern side of the city, leading southeast 10 miles (16 km) to the Louisiana border and northwest 13 miles (21 km) to Douglassville. Texas State Highway 43 passes through the center of Atlanta and leads south 47 miles (76 km) to Marshall.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Atlanta has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.8 km2), of which 12.5 square miles (32.4 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2), or 1.19%, is water.[5]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1880396—
18901,764345.5%
19001,301−26.2%
19101,60423.3%
19201,469−8.4%
19301,68514.7%
19402,45345.6%
19503,78254.2%
19604,0767.8%
19705,00722.8%
19806,27225.3%
19906,118−2.5%
20005,745−6.1%
20105,675−1.2%
Est. 20165,638[6]−0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 5,745 people, 2,254 households, and 1,571 families residing in the city. The population density was 525.4 people per square mile (202.9/km²). There were 2,556 housing units at an average density of 233.8 per square mile (90.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.13% White, 29.23% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.

There were 2,254 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $32,679. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $19,715 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,013. About 19.0% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.4% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Atlanta is served by the Atlanta Independent School District and is home to the Atlanta Rabbits. Atlanta is also served by Texarkana College and Texas A&M-Texarkana.

Notable people

  • Jimmie Lee “Earthquake” Hunt, (1938-1975) Born in Atlanta in 1938, Hunt was an outstanding player for the Booker T. Washington High School Wolverines graduating in 1956. While in high school, Hunt began as a linebacker, attended and played football for Prairie View A&M, drafted by the NFL's St. Louis Cardinals in 1960, After playing 10 games with the Cards, a foot injury moved him to the taxi squad, then hired by Boston Patriots (now New England Patriots), holds the AFL record for the most fumble recoveries, earned four-time AFL All-Star honors and made four trips to their Pro Bowl, 12-year pro career, appeared in 146 games and compiled 29 quarterback sacks of 19 different QBs, jersey playing number was 79 and it is one of seven numbers since retired by the Patriots, the team's outstanding defensive lineman award given each year is named the Jim Lee Hunt trophy, third player to be inducted in the New England Patriots’ Hall of Fame, an assistant coach for Boston University and suffered a heart attack in Nov. 1975, and died at the age of 37.
  • Derrick Blaylock, football player, drafted into the NFL in 2001 by the Kansas City Chiefs as a running back. He was a running back for the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks from 1997–2000. He played for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins after college.
  • Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman (1892-1926), a civil aviator. She was born in Atlanta and raised in Waxahachie, Texas. She was the first female pilot of African-American and Native American descent to hold a pilot's license in the US, and the first person of African-American descent to hold an international pilot license.
  • Ellen DeGeneres, talk show host and comedian. Shortly after her parents divorced in January 1974, she and her mother moved to Atlanta from New Orleans. She graduated from Atlanta High School in 1976.
  • Tracy Lawrence, country musician; born in Atlanta; raised in Foreman, Arkansas.
  • Gordon McLendon, pioneer of American commercial broadcasting, he lived with his parents in Atlanta during his years of high school. He developed a love for commentary which he featured on the Liberty Broadcasting System and KLIF in Dallas.
  • Slim Richey (1938-2015), musician, born in Atlanta
  • Joseph Strickland, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler
  • Drew Stubbs, outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles. Stubbs graduated from Atlanta High School in 2003. He was a three-time All-American in baseball and two-time academic All-American at the University of Texas at Austin.
  • Ted Thompson, general manager of the Green Bay Packers, born and raised here, graduating from Atlanta High School in 1971. He has been a part of the NFL for 25 years, including 10 years as a player for the Houston Oilers.
  • Kelley Arnold (1910-2003), born in Atlanta, TX, career US Army officer. He was Assistant Division Commander of the 49th Armored Division (1965-1970), Texas Military Forces Hall of Honor, Camp Mabry, TX, He earned several awards in his 44-year military career. http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/hallofhonor/arnoldk.htm[8]
  • Max Sandlin, Max Allen Sandlin Jr. (born September 29, 1952) is the son of the former Margie Beth Barnett and her husband Max Allen Sandlin, Sr., Reared in Atlanta, he graduated from Atlanta High School in May, 1971. Sandlin is a former Democratic Congressman who served eight years (1997–2005) in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Texas District 1.
  • Nat Stuckey, American country singer.
  • Andrea Lee, Andrea "KGB" Lee (born February 11, 1989) is an American kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight division. She is currently signed with UFC.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "State and County Quick Facts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Atlanta city, Texas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Brigadier General Kelley Arnold". Texas Military Forces Museum. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Climate Summary for Atlanta, Texas
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