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Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818;[4][5] in 2010, the population had been 57,551.
Alpharetta, Georgia | |
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![]() Alpharetta City Hall | |
![]() Location in Fulton County and the state of Georgia | |
Location of Alpharetta in Metro Atlanta | |
Coordinates: 34°04′31″N 84°17′39″W[1] | |
Country | United States |
State | Georgia |
County | Fulton |
Incorporated | December 11, 1858 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Jim Gilvin (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 27.27 sq mi (70.62 km2) |
• Land | 26.90 sq mi (69.67 km2) |
• Water | 0.37 sq mi (0.95 km2) |
Elevation | 1,135 ft (346 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 65,818 |
• Density | 2,447/sq mi (945/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP codes | 30004, 30005, 30009, 30022 |
Area codes | 770, 404, 678 |
FIPS code | 13-01696 |
GNIS feature ID | 0310497[1] |
Website | alpharetta.ga.us |
In the 1830s, the Cherokee people in Georgia and elsewhere in the South were forcibly relocated to the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) under the Indian Removal Act. Pioneers and farmers later settled on the newly vacated land, situated along a former Cherokee trail stretching from the North Georgia mountains to the Chattahoochee River.[6]
One of the area's first permanent landmarks was the New Prospect Camp Ground (also known as the Methodist Camp Ground), beside a natural spring near what is now downtown Alpharetta.[6] It later served as a trading post for the exchanging of goods among settlers.[6]
Known as the town of Milton through July 1858, the city of Alpharetta was chartered on December 11, 1858, with boundaries extending in a 0.5-mile (0.8 km) radius from the city courthouse.[6] It served as the county seat of Milton County until 1931, when Milton County merged with Fulton County to avoid bankruptcy during the Great Depression.[6]
The city's name may be a variation of a fictional Indian girl, Alfarata, in the 19th-century song "The Blue Juniata"; it may also be derived from alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet.[7]
The Simeon and Jane Rucker Log House, built in 1833, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[8]
The inhabitants of the area, primarily Methodists and Baptists, engaged in various occupations such as farming, blacksmithing, milling, merchandising, carpentry, and ditching. A number of them possessed a small number of slaves. Throughout the American Civil War (1861-65), local men participated in combat or served in the home guard; however, Union forces did not advance north of Roswell, which is situated roughly six miles to the southwest.[9]
Alpharetta is in northern Fulton County and is bordered to the southeast by Johns Creek, to the south and west by Roswell, to the north by Milton, and to the northeast by unincorporated land in Forsyth County. Downtown Alpharetta is 26 miles (42 km) north of downtown Atlanta.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Alpharetta has an area of 27.3 square miles (70.7 km2), of which 26.9 square miles (69.7 km2) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km2), or 1.37%, is water.[4]
Alpharetta has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa) and is part of USDA hardiness zone 7b.
Climate data for Alpharetta, GA | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50.4 (10.2) |
54.7 (12.6) |
63.4 (17.4) |
71.5 (21.9) |
77.9 (25.5) |
85.0 (29.4) |
87.1 (30.6) |
86.6 (30.3) |
80.9 (27.2) |
71.6 (22.0) |
62.0 (16.7) |
52.9 (11.6) |
70.3 (21.3) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29.6 (−1.3) |
32.1 (0.1) |
38.6 (3.7) |
45.5 (7.5) |
54.6 (12.6) |
63.6 (17.6) |
67.0 (19.4) |
66.8 (19.3) |
59.5 (15.3) |
48.1 (8.9) |
38.1 (3.4) |
32.0 (0.0) |
48.0 (8.9) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.96 (101) |
5.08 (129) |
4.54 (115) |
3.63 (92) |
4.28 (109) |
3.91 (99) |
4.84 (123) |
4.54 (115) |
4.38 (111) |
3.52 (89) |
4.15 (105) |
4.58 (116) |
51.41 (1,304) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.6 (1.5) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.9 (2.26) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.8 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 10.2 | 8.7 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 7.8 | 9.6 | 102.9 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.0 |
Source: NOAA[10] |
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1860 | 261 | — | |
1870 | 126 | −51.7% | |
1880 | 164 | 30.2% | |
1890 | 256 | 56.1% | |
1900 | 310 | 21.1% | |
1910 | 356 | 14.8% | |
1920 | 379 | 6.5% | |
1930 | 477 | 25.9% | |
1940 | 647 | 35.6% | |
1950 | 917 | 41.7% | |
1960 | 1,349 | 47.1% | |
1970 | 2,455 | 82.0% | |
1980 | 3,128 | 27.4% | |
1990 | 13,002 | 315.7% | |
2000 | 34,854 | 168.1% | |
2010 | 57,551 | 65.1% | |
2020 | 65,818 | 14.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1850-1870[12] 1880[13] 1890-1910[14] 1920-1930[15] 1930-1940[16] 1940-1950[17] 1960-1980[18] 1980-2000[19] |
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic) | 36,473 | 55.41% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 6,667 | 10.13% |
Native American | 101 | 0.15% |
Asian | 13,181 | 20.03% |
Pacific Islander | 22 | 0.03% |
Other/Mixed | 3,254 | 4.94% |
Hispanic or Latino | 6,120 | 9.3% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 65,818 people, 25,391 households, and 18,167 families residing in the city.
According to the city's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[21] the city's top private sector employers were:
# | Employer | # of employees |
---|---|---|
1 | ADP, Inc. | 2,231 |
2 | Fiserv, Inc. | 2,088 |
3 | Equifax | 1,669 |
4 | LexisNexis | 1,384 |
5 | MCI Inc. (Verizon) | 1,095 |
6 | ET Securities, LLC | 878 |
7 | Ernst & Young | 806 |
8 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | 738 |
9 | Synchrony Financial | 600 |
10 | LocumTenens.com | 496 |
Complexes in the area include:
Tech Alpharetta (formerly known as the Alpharetta Technology Commission[22] or simply ATC) is an advisory organization established by the City of Alpharetta in 2012.[23] The organization is an independent, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization[23] that aims to help Alpharetta lead in technology innovation.[24] Tech Alpharetta runs an advisory board of technology companies based in the city, holds monthly technology events for technology executives,[25] and operates the Tech Alpharetta Innovation Center, a technology startup incubator.[24][26] As of early 2020 about ten companies have "graduated" from Tech Alpharetta's incubator and were hiring employees in the North Fulton County region.[27]
Cynergy Data is headquartered in Alpharetta, as was NetBank when it existed.[28]
The Downtown Alpharetta Welcome Center is at 178 South Main Street and offers more than 200 complimentary brochures providing information on the surrounding area. The center is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a Virtual Information Kiosk is available on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.[29]
The Downtown Alpharetta Historic District is in the center of Alpharetta, at the intersection of North & South Streets with Milton Avenue and Academy Street. Around this area are several historic buildings from the late 19th century and earlier. The downtown area, providing dining and shopping, has been restored with widened brick sidewalks. Modern buildings have been replaced with period structures.[citation needed]
The Alpharetta Family Skate Center (aka The Cooler) is at 10800 Davis Drive. It is also home to the Atlanta Sparks special needs hockey team.[citation needed]
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.[30]
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.[31]
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. The market was named "Best Saturday Morning Excursion" in 2007 by Atlanta magazine.[32]
The Mansell House and Gardens is a 1912 Queen Anne style home that serves as a special event facility in Alpharetta. It is home to the Alpharetta Historical Society.[33]
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.[citation needed]
The Alpharetta Brew Moon Fest is held the first Saturday in October in downtown Alpharetta.[34]
The Scarecrow Harvest is held the first Saturday in October in downtown Alpharetta. The streets are lined with 100 scarecrows to celebrate its fall spirit.[citation needed]
Ameris Bank Amphitheatre is a 12,000-capacity outdoor venue that serves as the summer home of the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and hosts acts like the Dave Matthews Band, Rod Stewart, Phish, Steve Miller Band and the Eagles.[35]
North Point Community Church is based in Alpharetta. It is the main campus of North Point Ministries, the nation's largest church organization, run by evangelical preacher Andy Stanley. The campus welcomes more than 5,000 people every Sunday.[citation needed]
The Alpharetta Symphony is an orchestra based in Alpharetta.
The Walk of Memories is at American Legion Post 201 and pays tribute to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, community and friends, with a brick walk inscribed with names of all Georgia residents killed in service during and after World War II. A separate section is reserved for survivors. A tank and helicopter are on display.[citation needed]
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.[36]
The Taste of Alpharetta is an annual food festival featuring food from local restaurants, live music, and art exhibits during May. Admission is free; food ticket purchases are required. (Cash is not accepted.) Restaurants charge $2 to $8 per food sample.[37]
The Wire and Wood Alpharetta Songwriters Festival in downtown Alpharetta is held in October with free admission.[38]
Avalon is a multi-use development on the east side of downtown adjacent to State Route 400. It includes 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of retail space, a 12-screen Regal Cinemas theater, 105,000 square feet (9,800 m2) of office space over retail, 101 single-family residences and 250 luxury rental homes.[citation needed]
The Alpharetta Bulls Rugby Football Club is a Men's Division 3 Rugby Team competing in the Georgia Rugby Union and USA Rugby competitions.[citation needed]
North Park, Wills Park, and Webb Bridge Park feature 15 lighted tennis courts along with 8 asphalt pickleball courts at North Park.[39] Tennis lessons, clinics, camps, and leagues are available.[40]
The city is served by Fulton County Schools.[41]
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta operates Holy Redeemer Catholic School (K-8). Although it is in Johns Creek, the school's location is often stated to be in Alpharetta.[49]
Perimeter College at Georgia State University, Gwinnett Technical College and Reinhardt University have campuses in Alpharetta.
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System operates the Alpharetta Branch.[50]
Alpharetta is governed by a city council composed of six members and a mayor. The mayor and council members serve staggered four-year terms:
Alpharetta is not directly served by MARTA trains, but is connected by multiple bus routes. Connecting Alpharetta to the rest of Metro Atlanta via heavy rail has been studied.[55][56]