Bartow County

Bartow County, Georgia
County
Bartow County
The Bartow County Courthouse, built in 1902.
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 3, 1832
Named for	Francis S. Bartow
Seat	Cartersville
Largest city	Cartersville
Area
• Total	470 sq mi (1,217 km2)
• Land	460 sq mi (1,191 km2)
• Water	11 sq mi (28 km2), 2.2%
Population
• (2010)	100,157
• Density	218/sq mi (84/km²)
Congressional district	11th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.bartowga.org

Bartow County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 100,157. The county seat is Cartersville.

Traditionally considered part of northwest Georgia, Bartow County is now included in the Atlanta metropolitan area, mainly in the southeastern part near Cartersville, which has become an exurb more than 40 miles (70 kilometers) from downtown Atlanta on I-75. It has a sole commissioner government, and is the largest county by population of the few remaining in Georgia with a sole commissioner.

Bartow County was created from the Cherokee lands of the Cherokee County territory on December 3, 1832, and named Cass County, after General Lewis Cass (1782–1866) Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, Minister to France and Secretary of State under President James Buchanan, who was instrumental in the removal of Native Americans from the area. However, the county was renamed on December 6, 1861 in honor of Francis S. Bartow because of Cass's support of the Union, even though Bartow never visited in the county, living 200 miles away near Savannah all of his life. Cass had supported the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the right of each state to determine its own laws independently of the Federal government, ironcially the platform of conservative Southerners who removed his name. The first county seat was at Cassville, but after the burning of the county courthouse and the Sherman Occupation, the seat moved to Cartersville, where it remains.