Forsyth County, Georgia

Forsyth County, Georgia
Forsyth County Courthouse in Cumming
Location in the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location in the U.S.
Founded	December 3, 1831
Named for	John Forsyth
Seat	Cumming
Largest city	Cumming
Area
• Total	247 sq mi (640 km2)
• Land	224 sq mi (580 km2)
• Water	23 sq mi (60 km2), 9.4%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	212,438
• Density	783/sq mi (302/km²)
Congressional districts	7th, 9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.forsythco.com

Forsyth County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 175,511. The county seat is Cumming. Forsyth County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

During the early 21st century, Forsyth County has been one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States in terms of percentage of growth. The population growth was stimulated by the county's proximity to Atlanta and its appeal as a commuter base for people working in the Atlanta area. The influx of high-earning professionals has increased the average income dramatically; in 2008 Forbes ranked the county as the 31st-wealthiest in the United States in terms of median household income.

In the 1980s the county attracted national media attention as the site of large civil rights demonstrations and counter-demonstrations. Organizers had hoped to dispel the county's image as a sundown town; whites had expelled blacks in 1912 and been hostile to minorities for many decades since. Thousands of marchers on both sides came from outside the area; officials kept peace with police officers and National Guard protecting the event.

From 2007 to 2009 the county received additional national attention because of a severe regional drought. Lake Lanier forms the eastern border of the county. Water supplies for the metro Atlanta area and, downstream, areas of Alabama and Florida were threatened during the drought. This followed a more severe drought during 2007 and 2008, and flooding earlier in 2009. Flooding occurred in 2013, and severe drought again in June 2016. Georgia, Alabama and Florida have been in a tri-state water dispute since 1990 over apportionment of water flow from Lake Lanier, which is regulated by the Army Corps of Engineers as a federal project.