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Kennesaw is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 21,675 at the
2000 census. Census estimates as of 2005 indicate a population of 30,522. The original name for the
town was Big Shanty, and it is now considered a suburb of Atlanta.
History
During the American Civil War, Big Shanty was the site of major fighting in the
Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, part of the larger Atlanta Campaign. Kennesaw Mountain
National Battlefield Park [1] now
contains many of these historic areas, though much of this land has been developed, and
some buried artifacts taken by people with metal detectors. Kennesaw Mountain (as well as 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 above sea level. The city was renamed for the mountain.
The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive
History [2] is located downtown,
next to the Western & Atlantic railroad tracks on
Cherokee Street, just off of Main Street (old U.S. 41 and Georgia 3). The museum is the current preservation and display
location for The General, the locomotive that played the key role in the
Great Locomotive Chase (the Texas which chased it is at the Atlanta
Cyclorama). The area around Kennesaw is also a major retail hub with a major regional
mall, Town Center at Cobb, numerous restaurants and most major chain stores located
along Barrett Parkway southeast of the city.
Preserve America Community
In March 2004, Kennesaw was designated a Preserve America Community [3] by First Lady Laura Bush. The Preserve
America program is a White House effort to encourage and support community efforts for the preservation and enjoyment of
America’s priceless cultural and natural heritage.
This program recognizes and designates communities that protect and celebrate their heritage, use their historic assets for
economic development and community revitalization, and encourage people to experience and appreciate local historic resources
through education and heritage tourism programs.
10 Best Towns for Families
The City of Kennesaw was selected by Family Circle magazine as one of the nation's "10 Best Towns for Families." The
article appears in the magazine's August 2007 edition. The publication announced the results of its search to identify the best
communities across the country that combine big-city opportunities with suburban charm, a blend of affordable housing, good jobs,
top-rated schools, wide-open spaces and a lot less stress.
Family Circle partnered with On Board, a New York City research firm providing real estate and demographic data to
assemble a list of 1,850 towns with populations between 15,000 and 150,000 and a large concentration of households with an
average income of $65,000. From that number, 800 localities were selected based on family-friendly criteria, including cost of
living, jobs, schools, health care, air quality, green space and crime rate. Family Circle assessed which towns best met
those standards and ranked them according to state. The winners were selected from the highest-rated towns in the top 10
nationwide.
Gun Law
On May 1, 1982 the city passed an ordinance [Sec 34-1a] requiring every head of household to maintain a
firearm together with ammunition. It was passed partly in
response to a 1981 handgun ban in Morton Grove, Illinois. Kennesaw's law was
amended in 1983 to exempt those who conscientiously object to owning a firearm, convicted felons, those who cannot afford a
firearm, and those with a mental or physical disability that would prevent them from owning a firearm. It mentions no penalty for
its violation. According to the Kennesaw Historical Society, no one has ever been charged under the ordinance.
Reports of resulting burglary rate statistics
Gary Kleck, a criminologist and gun-control critic attributes a drop of 89% in the
residential burglary rate to the law.[1] Kennesaw is often
cited by advocates of gun ownership as evidence that gun ownership deters crime. (see, for instance, this 2004 sheet of talking points from the Gun Owners Foundation).
Current statistics indicate that Kennesaw's crime rate[4] is
definitely lower compared to surrounding cities like Marietta[5],
Smyrna[6], Alpharetta[7], or Atlanta[8].
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 (0.82%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 21,675 people, 8,099 households, and 5,782 families residing
in the city. The population density was 991.6/km² (2,568.3/mi²). There were 8,670
housing units at an average density of 396.6/km² (1,027.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.20% of the population.
There were 8,099 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were
non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
Personal Income
The median income for a household in the city was $60,404 and the median income for a family was $67,778. Males had a median
income of $45,253 versus $33,660 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$24,757. About 3.1% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Kennesaw Elementary School and Big Shanty Intermediate School and two elementary
schools in Kennesaw.
Kennesaw State University [9] is located just east of the city limits, and uses the silhouette of the two
mountains as its logo.
The First Baptist Church of Kennesaw also maintains First Baptist
Christian School of Kennesaw, a Christian elementary school.
References
- ^ Gary Kleck (1991). Point
blank: guns and violence in America. New York: A. de Gruyter. ISBN 0-202-30419-1.
External links
Coordinates:
34.025183° N 84.615875°
W
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