Alpharetta, Georgia
—  City  —
Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia
Alpharetta Location of Alpharetta in Metro Atlanta
Coordinates: 34°04′24″N 84°16′52″W / 34.07333°N 84.28111°W / 34.07333; -84.28111Coordinates: 34°04′24″N 84°16′52″W / 34.07333°N 84.28111°W / 34.07333; -84.28111
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Fulton
Incorporated	December 11, 1858
Government
• Mayor	David Belle Isle
Area
• Total	21.4 sq mi (55.4 km2)
• Land	21.4 sq mi (55.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	1,135 ft (346 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	57,551
• Density	1,631.6/sq mi (630.0/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	30004, 30005, 30009, 30022
Area code(s)	770, 404, 678
FIPS code	13-01696[1]
GNIS feature ID	0310497[2]
Website	Alpharetta, Georgia

Alpharetta is a city in north Fulton County, Georgia, United States. The city is a northern suburb of Atlanta. According to the 2010 Census, Alpharetta's population is 57,551.^[3]

History

From the North Georgia Mountains to the Chattahoochee River along a Cherokee Indian trail, a tiny village named New Prospect Camp Ground was formed. This village, made up of tents, a log school, and arbor became a trading post where Indians and white settlers exchanged their goods. The surrounding countryside provided excellent farming land, especially for cotton. On December 11, 1858, the town was chartered and became the county seat of Milton County. Alpharetta's city website states the name is a combination of the Greek words for "first" and "town", however "town" in Greek is "Poli" or "Polis" and "Retta" is not even a Greek word. Officially chartered on December 11 of that year, Alpharetta served as the county seat of Milton County until the end of 1931 when Milton was merged with Fulton County to avoid bankruptcy during the Great Depression.^[4]

Government

Alpharetta is governed by a city council composed of six members and a mayor. The mayor and council members serve staggered four-year terms.

Mayors:

• David Belle Isle 2012 - Present
• Arthur Letchas 2001–2011
• Chuck Martin 1995 - 2002
• Jimmy Phillips 1979 - 1994
• George Wills
• Randall Moore
• Sindey Dees^[5]

Politics

In November 2004, few houses in Alpharetta had campaign signs on their lawns. Peter T. Kilborn of The New York Times said in 2005 that this was because the area's political candidates, four candidates for the Georgia state legislature, and a new candidate for the United States Congress, were a part of the Republican Party and had no opposition while running for office.^[6]

Geography

Alpharetta is located at 34°4′24″N 84°16′52″W / 34.07333°N 84.28111°W / 34.07333; -84.28111 (34.073318, -84.281086).^[7]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 55.4 km² (21.4 sq mi). 21.4 square miles (55 km²) of it is land and 0.05% is water.

Major highways

• State Route 9
• State Route 120
• State Route 400

Climate

Alpharetta has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Demographics

This section may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia's layout guidelines. Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure. (August 2010)

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 34,854 people, 13,911 households, and 8,916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,631.6 people per square mile (630.0/km²). There were 14,670 housing units at an average density of 686.7 per square mile (265.2/km²). The population has been gradually increasing over the last decade. During the workday, the city swells to more than 120,000 residents, workers, and visitors, due to the more than 3,600 businesses that are located in the city.^[9]

According to the 2010 census, the racial composition of the City of Alpharetta was as follows:

• White: 72.0%
• Asian: 13.7%
• Black or African American: 11.2%
• Native American: 0.2%
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%
• Some other race: 2.9%
• Two or more races: 2.8%

• Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 8.7%

Source:^[10]

There were 13,911 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city, 27.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 40.5% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $95,888, and the median income for a family was $111,918. The per capita income for the city was $42,431Source:^[11]. Males had a median income of $79,275 versus $59,935 for females. About 2.9% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including .3% of those under age 18 and .6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Major companies

Source:^[12]

When NetBank existed, its headquarters were in Alpharetta.^[13]

Top employers

According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[14] the top private sector employers in the city are:

Attractions

Wills Park

The Downtown Alpharetta Welcome Center is located at 178 South Main Street and has more than 200 complimentary brochures providing information on the surrounding area. The Center is open Monday — Friday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.^[15]

The Alpharetta Arboretum at Wills Park was established in September 2008 and includes 26 trees. A brochure about the arboretum guides readers through a walking tour of the trees and is available at the Downtown Alpharetta Welcome Center.^[16] Additionally, the Alpharetta Arboretum at Cogburn Road Park was established in December 2008 and showcases seven trees. A complimentary brochure for the arboretum is available at the Downtown Alpharetta Welcome Center and provides a starting point for a self-guided walking tour.^[17]

The Alpharetta Farmers Market is a weekly farmers market in the downtown area that opens every Saturday from 8 AM to 12:30 PM from April to October, and features farmers and gardeners from the surrounding area selling fresh vegetables, flowers, and edible goods such as jam. Named "Best Saturday Morning Excursion" in 2007 by Atlanta Magazine.^[18]

The Downtown Alpharetta Historic District is located in the center of Alpharetta at the convergence of North Main Street, South Main Street, Milton Avenue, and Academy Street. Around this area are several historic buildings dating from the late 19th century and older. The downtown area has been restored, replacing more modern buildings with period structures, and includes dining, shopping, and widened brick sidewalks.

The Mansell House and Gardens is a 1912 Queen Anne-style home that serves as a special event facility in Alpharetta. It also serves as home to the Alpharetta Historical Society.^[19]

The Milton Log Cabin was built by Future Farmers of America students during the 1934-35 school year and resembles life during the late 19th century. The Cabin is available for tours by appointment. Contact the Alpharetta Historical Society for additional information.^[20]

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park is a 12,000-capacity outdoor venue that serves as the summer home to the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and plays host to acts like Dave Matthews Band, Rod Stewart and the Eagles.^[21]

The Walk of Memories is located at American Legion Post 201 and pays tribute to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, community and friends, through a brick walk inscribed with the names of all Georgia residents killed in service including and following WWII. A separate section is reserved for those who served in the military and survived. A tank and helicopter are on display.^[22]

The Alpharetta Big Creek Greenway is a 6.1-mile-long (9.8 km), 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) concrete path that meanders through the woods along Big Creek, offering a place to walk, jog, inline skate and bike. The path includes additional mountain bike trails.^[23]

Newtown Park is a park located on Old Alabama Road with various areas to play recreational sports. The park includes baseball fields, a lacrosse field, a playground, a basketball court, and a lake with a gazebo. The entire park is enclosed within a concrete running path approximately a mile long.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

The city is served by Fulton County Schools.^[24]

Elementary Schools (Grades K-5)^[25]

• Alpharetta Elementary School
• Cogburn Woods Elementary School in Milton
• Crabapple Crossing Elementary School in Milton
• Creek View Elementary School
• Hembree Springs Elementary School in Roswell
• Lake Windward Elementary School
• Manning Oaks Elementary School
• Mimosa Elementary School in Roswell
• New Prospect Elementary School
• Ocee Elementary School in Johns Creek
• Summit Hill Elementary School in Milton

Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)^[26]

• Autrey Mill Middle School in Johns Creek
• Elkins Pointe Middle School in Roswell
• Haynes Bridge Middle School
• Holcomb Bridge Middle School
• Hopewell Middle School in Milton
• Northwestern Middle School in Milton
• Webb Bridge Middle School
• Amana Academy,^[27] a public charter school in Alpharetta for students in Kindergarten to 8th grade^[28]
• Fulton Science Academy^[29] (FSA), a public charter school in Roswell for students in 6th to 8th grade^[30]

High Schools (Grades 9-12)^[31]

• Alpharetta High School serves most of Alpharetta
• Centennial High School in Roswell
• Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek
• Johns Creek High School in Johns Creek
• Milton High School in Milton
• Roswell High School in Roswell
• South Forsyth High School in Cumming
• Independence High School, an alternative school located on the old Milton High School campus.

Higher education

Both Georgia State University and Reinhardt University have satellite campuses located in Alpharetta. Also Georgia Perimeter College has a satellite campus off of Old Milton Parkway.

Public libraries

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System operates the Alpharetta Branch.^[32]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alpharetta, Georgia

Atlanta portal

References

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (May 2012)

External links

• Official website
• Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau home page

v t e Municipalities and communities of Fulton County, Georgia, United States County seat: Atlanta Cities Alpharetta Atlanta‡ Chattahoochee Hills College Park‡ East Point Fairburn Hapeville Johns Creek Milton Mountain Park‡ Palmetto‡ Roswell Sandy Springs Union City Unincorporated communities Campbellton Hopewell Red Oak Sandtown Serenbe Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Metro Atlanta   Counties Barrow • Bartow • Butts • Carroll • Cherokee • Clayton • Cobb • Coweta • Dawson • DeKalb • Douglas • Fayette • Forsyth • Fulton • Gwinnett • Hall • Haralson • Heard • Henry • Jasper • Lamar • Meriwether • Newton • Paulding • Pickens • Pike • Rockdale • Spalding • Walton   Major city Atlanta   Municipalities & communities 100k-250k Cumberland • East Cobb • Roswell • Sandy Springs 25k-100k Alpharetta • Brookhaven • Candler-McAfee • Duluth • Dunwoody • East Point • Gainesville • Johns Creek • Lawrenceville • Mableton • Marietta • Milton • Newnan • Peachtree City • Peachtree Corners • Redan • Smyrna • Tucker 10k-25k Acworth • Belvedere Park • Buford • Carrollton • Cartersville • Chamblee • College Park • Conyers • Covington • Decatur • Doraville • Druid Hills • Douglasville • Fayetteville • Forest Park • Griffin • Kennesaw • Suwanee • Lilburn • Monroe • Mountain Park • North Decatur • North Druid Hills • Panthersville • Powder Springs • Riverdale • Snellville • Stockbridge • Sugar Hill • Union City • Vinings • Winder • Woodstock   Topics Architecture • Arts • Climate • Crime • Colleges and Universities • Demographics • Festivals • Government • Historic Districts • History • Media • Museums • Neighborhoods • Parks • People • Public Schools • Religion • Skyscrapers • Sports • Tourism • Transportation • Transportation Georgia ·  United States

v t e  State of Georgia Atlanta (capital) Topics Index Geology History Delegations Government Governors Culture People Music Elections Politics Geography State Parks Demographics Economy Sports Transportation Visitor Attractions Regions Atlantic coastal plain Blue Ridge Central Georgia Cumberland Plateau The Golden Isles Historic South Lower Coastal Plain Metro Atlanta North Georgia North Georgia Mountains Northeast Georgia Piedmont Ridge and Valley Sea Islands Southern Rivers Southeast Georgia Southwest Georgia Tennessee Valley Wiregrass Region Largest cities Albany Atlanta Athens Augusta Columbus Johns Creek Macon Marietta Roswell Valdosta Savannah Warner Robins Counties Appling Atkinson Bacon Baker Baldwin Banks Barrow Bartow Ben Hill Berrien Bibb Bleckley Brantley Brooks Bryan Bulloch Burke Butts Calhoun Camden Candler Carroll Catoosa Charlton Chatham Chattahoochee Chattooga Cherokee Clarke Clay Clayton Clinch Cobb Coffee Colquitt Columbia Cook Coweta Crawford Crisp Dade Dawson Decatur DeKalb Dodge Dooly Dougherty Douglas Early Echols Effingham Elbert Emanuel Evans Fannin Fayette Floyd Forsyth Franklin Fulton Gilmer Glascock Glynn Gordon Grady Greene Gwinnett Habersham Hall Hancock Haralson Harris Hart Heard Henry Houston Irwin Jackson Jasper Jeff Davis Jefferson Jenkins Johnson Jones Lamar Lanier Laurens Lee Liberty Lincoln Long Lowndes Lumpkin Macon Madison Marion McDuffie McIntosh Meriwether Miller Mitchell Monroe Montgomery Morgan Murray Muscogee Newton Oconee Oglethorpe Paulding Peach Pickens Pierce Pike Polk Pulaski Putnam Quitman Rabun Randolph Richmond Rockdale Schley Screven Seminole Spalding Stephens Stewart Sumter Talbot Taliaferro Tattnall Taylor Telfair Terrell Thomas Tift Toombs Towns Treutlen Troup Turner Twiggs Union Upson Walker Walton Ware Warren Washington Wayne Webster Wheeler White Whitfield Wilcox Wilkes Wilkinson Worth (Campbell) (Milton)