With the recent incorporation of the City of Mableton as the now-largest city in the county, we’ve decided to revisit our series Cobb County history through documents. This is an evergreen article that we periodically expand and update.
The incorporation of Austell, the smallest city in Cobb County, was accomplished by an act of the Georgia legislature passed on September 4, 1885.
But if the city is considered small now with a population of around 8,000, the city was microscopic in size when it was originally incorporated, with a population of 582 in 1890, the first census after incorporation.
In fact it was 1940 before the population exceeded 1,000.
The city limits of the town were a circle with a radius of one half mile from a railway terminal used by the Georgia Pacific Railway Company and the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company.
If you’re interested in exploring more documents from Cobb County and Georgia history, this document was retrieved from the Georgia Legislative Documents database in GALILEO, available at the Cobb County Public Library website.
Content of Act/Resolution
ACTS AND RESOLUTIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA. 1884-85
Part III.–Local Laws.
TITLE I. MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS.
1884 Vol. 1 — Page: 361
Sequential Number: 234
Short Title: INCORPORATING TOWN OF AUSTELL.
Law Number: No. 161.
Full Title: An Act to incorporate the town of Austell, in Cobb county, and to provide for the election of mayor and council, marshal and clerk, and to define their powers and duties.
Section I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by the authority aforesaid, That from and after the passage of this Act, the town of Austell, in the county of Cobb, shall be incorporated under the name and style of the town of Austell, by which name it shall sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded.
[Sidenote: Name and general powers.]
Sec. II. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the corporate limits of said town shall be as follows: The corporate limits of said town shall extend one-half mile from the depot used by the Georgia Pacific Railway Company and the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company in said town, that is, said corporate limits shall commence at the centre of the depot aforesaid and extend one-half mile north, south, east and west, so as to include all of the territory in every direction within one half mile from the centre of the depot aforesaid, which, after the passage of this Act, shall be known as the corporate limits of said town; Provided, always, that no part of the county of Douglas shall be embraced or included within the corporate limits of said town, but the said town shall be confined wholly to and be within the limits of the county of Cobb.
[Sidenote: Corporate limits.]
Sec. III. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That within thirty days after the passage of this Act, or so soon thereafter as practicable, and on every first Monday in January thereafter, there shall be an election held for the election of a mayor and five councilmen, which election shall be conducted in the same manner as an election for members of the General Assembly in this State, and each person residing within the corporate limits of said town who shall be qualified to vote for members of the General Assembly shall be a qualified voter in such elections for mayor and councilmen, and the person or persons who shall receive the highest number of votes for either of the above named offices shall be declared duly elected; Provided, that the marshal and clerk herein provided for shall be elected by the council immediately upon their election, or as soon thereafter as practicable.
[Sidenote: Election of officers.]
[Sidenote: Qualification of voters.]
[Sidenote: Subordinate officers.]
Sec. IV. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That said mayor and council shall have power, annually, to fix the salary of the offices of said town, and to levy and collect a tax on all the property within said town, not to exceed one half of one per cent.; to cause to be worked all streets, roads and alleys in said town by all persons resident therein subject to road duty under the laws of this State, and to fix a commutation tax to be paid by all such persons
in lieu of working on such streets; Provided, that nothing in this Act shall be construed so as to give the mayor and councilmen of the town of Austell any authority to levy a tax on land within said corporate limits which is used for agricultural purposes, except not more than one acre immediately around any dwelling house that may be situated on such land. Said mayor and council shall have power to make and establish any and all such by-laws, rules and ordinances as they may deem necessary for the government of said town which are not inconsistent with the laws and constitution of this State; to punish by fine or imprisonment, or both, in the discretion of the mayor or council; Provided, the fine shall not exceed fifty dollars nor the imprisonment thirty days, in the discretion of the mayor and council.
[Sidenote: Special powers of mayor and council.]
[Sidenote: Tax on land.]
[Sidenote: By-laws, etc.]
[Sidenote: Punishments.]
Sec. V. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the mayor or any member of the council shall have the same jurisdiction and authority, as have Justices of the Peace in this State, to bind over offenders that may be brought before the mayor or any member of the council, when it shall appear that the offense is a violation of any State law committed within the corporate limits of said town.
[Sidenote: Power of officers as magistrates.]
Sec. VI. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That nothing in this Act shall be so construed as to give the town authorities, or any other authorities, the right to grant license to sell intoxicating liquors in any quantity within said town limits, or to repeal existing laws on that subject.
[Sidenote: No sale of liquors.]
Sec. VII. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act be, and the same are hereby repealed.
Approval Date: Approved September 4, 1885.
About the City of Austell
The smallest city in Cobb County with a population of just under 8,000, the City of Austell was incorporated on September 4, 1885.
The original city limits of the town were a circle with a radius of one-half mile from a railway terminal used by the Georgia Pacific Railway Company and the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides the following quick facts about the city:
| Population Estimates, July 1, 2022, (V2022) | 7,896 |
| Population | |
| Population Estimates, July 1, 2022, (V2022) | 7,896 |
| Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2022) | 7,710 |
| Population, percent change – April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2022, (V2022) | 2.4% |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2020 | 7,713 |
| Population, Census, April 1, 2010 | 6,581 |
| Age and Sex | |
| Persons under 5 years, percent | 4.6% |
| Persons under 18 years, percent | 28.9% |
| Persons 65 years and over, percent | 8.2% |
| Female persons, percent | 52.4% |
| Race and Hispanic Origin | |
| White alone, percent | 29.9% |
| Black or African American alone, percent(a) | 61.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a) | 0.0% |
| Asian alone, percent(a) | 0.0% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a) | 0.0% |
| Two or More Races, percent | 6.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino, percent(b) | 8.0% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent | 25.1% |
| Population Characteristics | |
| Veterans, 2017-2021 | 385 |
| Foreign born persons, percent, 2017-2021 | 4.6% |
| Housing | |
| Housing units, July 1, 2022, (V2022) | X |
| Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2017-2021 | 60.0% |
| Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2017-2021 | $156,000 |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2017-2021 | $1,268 |
| Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2017-2021 | $317 |
| Median gross rent, 2017-2021 | $1,258 |
| Building permits, 2022 | X |
| Families & Living Arrangements | |
| Households, 2017-2021 | 2,802 |
| Persons per household, 2017-2021 | 2.92 |
| Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2017-2021 | 93.4% |
| Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2017-2021 | 10.7% |
| Computer and Internet Use | |
| Households with a computer, percent, 2017-2021 | 96.6% |
| Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2017-2021 | 93.0% |
| Education | |
| High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2017-2021 | 87.8% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2017-2021 | 21.8% |
| Health | |
| With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2017-2021 | 6.5% |
| Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent | 20.5% |
| Economy | |
| In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2017-2021 | 73.0% |
| In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2017-2021 | 70.6% |
| Total accommodation and food services sales, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | D |
| Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 524,040 |
| Total transportation and warehousing receipts/revenue, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | 29,462 |
| Total retail sales, 2017 ($1,000)(c) | D |
| Total retail sales per capita, 2017(c) | NA |
| Transportation | |
| Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2017-2021 | 29.2 |
| Income & Poverty | |
| Median household income (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 | $59,459 |
| Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 | $24,230 |
| Persons in poverty, percent | 5.1% |
| Businesses | |
| Total employer establishments, 2021 | X |
| Total employment, 2021 | X |
| Total annual payroll, 2021 ($1,000) | X |
| Total employment, percent change, 2020-2021 | X |
| Total nonemployer establishments, 2019 | X |
| All employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 219 |
| Men-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 104 |
| Women-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 64 |
| Minority-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | S |
| Nonminority-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 101 |
| Veteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | S |
| Nonveteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 2017 | 172 |
| Geography | |
| Population per square mile, 2020 | 1,299.8 |
| Population per square mile, 2010 | 1,102.5 |
| Land area in square miles, 2020 | 5.93 |
| Land area in square miles, 2010 | 5.97 |
| FIPS Code | 1304252 |
