Atlanta, Texas

Atlanta, Texas
City
Location of Atlanta, Texas Location of Atlanta, Texas
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Cass City Type: Rural/City
Area
• Total	12.7 sq mi (32.8 km2)
• Land	12.5 sq mi (32.4 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	259 ft (79 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	5,675
• Estimate (2013)	5,632
• Density	450/sq mi (173.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	75551
Area code(s)	903
FIPS code	48-04516
GNIS feature ID	1372354
Website	atlantatexas.org

Atlanta is a city in Cass County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,675.

History

Atlanta was established in 1871 with the building of the Texas and Pacific Railway and was named for Atlanta, Georgia, former home of many early settlers. A post office opened in 1871, and by 1885 the community had 1,500 residents, three white and two black churches, two schools, a bank, several sawmills, a number of general stores, and a weekly newspaper, the Citizens' Journal. Lumbering was the chief industry. The lumber boom reached its peak around 1890, when the population was 1,764. The community was incorporated in 1929, when it had 1,900 residents and 105 businesses.

The onset of the Great Depression forced many businesses to close, and in 1936 Atlanta had only 85 rated businesses. The opening of the Rodessa oilfield in 1935, however, helped mitigate the worst effects of the Depression, and by 1940 the town had modern canneries, lumber mills, wholesale houses, a brick plant, a hospital, and a population of 2,453. Subsequently, Atlanta grew steadily, topping the 4,000 mark for the first time in the early 1960s. In 1990 the population was 6,118. By 2000 the population had dropped to 5,745. Principal industries include farming, forestry, oil, and tourism.

Geography

Atlanta is located in eastern Cass County at (33.118228, -94.166537). It is bordered to the north by Queen City.

U.S. Route 59 bypasses the city to the west, leading north 25 miles (40 km) to Texarkana and southwest 14 miles (23 km) to Linden. Texas State Highway 77 passes through the southern side of the city, leading southeast 10 miles (16 km) to the Louisiana border and northwest 13 miles (21 km) to Douglassville. Texas State Highway 43 passes through the center of Atlanta and leads south 47 miles (76 km) to Marshall.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Atlanta has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.8 km²), of which 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²), or 1.19%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	396		—
1890	1,764		345.5%
1900	1,301		−26.2%
1910	1,604		23.3%
1920	1,469		−8.4%
1930	1,685		14.7%
1940	2,453		45.6%
1950	3,782		54.2%
1960	4,076		7.8%
1970	5,007		22.8%
1980	6,272		25.3%
1990	6,118		−2.5%
2000	5,745		−6.1%
2010	5,675		−1.2%
Est. 2014	5,596		−1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,745 people, 2,254 households, and 1,571 families residing in the city. The population density was 525.4 people per square mile (202.9/km²). There were 2,556 housing units at an average density of 233.8 per square mile (90.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.13% White, 29.23% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.

There were 2,254 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were married couples living together, 18.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $32,679. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $19,715 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,013. About 19.0% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.4% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Atlanta is served by the Atlanta Independent School District and is home to the Atlanta Rabbits.

Notable people

• Derrick Blaylock was drafted into the NFL in 2001 by the Kansas City Chiefs as a running back. He was a running back for the Stephen F. Austin State University Lumberjacks from 1997–2000. He also played for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins.
• Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman (1892-1926) was an American civil aviator. She was born in Atlanta and raised in Waxahachie, Texas. She was the first female pilot of African American descent and the first person of African American descent to hold an international pilot license.
• Ellen DeGeneres, talk show host and comedian. Shortly after her parents divorced in January 1974, she and her mother moved to Atlanta from New Orleans. She graduated from Atlanta High School in 1976.
• Scott Joplin, world-famous composer from the Atlanta area, born in Linden, Texas, had a band in the Queen City area appropriately named the Queen City Troupe, before moving to New York. Wrote "The Entertainer" and other widely known compositions.
• Tracy Lawrence, country musician; born in Atlanta; raised in Foreman, Arkansas.
• Gordon McLendon, pioneer of American commercial broadcasting who attributed his beginnings in radio to Atlanta, Texas. McLendon was born in Paris, Texas, and partially raised in Oklahoma before moving with his parents to Atlanta where he attended high school and developed his love for commentary that he made famous on the Liberty Broadcasting System and KLIF in Dallas. He was a pioneer of offshore pirate radio with Radio Nord off Stockholm, Sweden, and later using the same ship, with Radio Atlanta (which became Radio Caroline South), off southern England. McLendon was noted for his strange sense of humor and this is true with the enigma of the name "Radio Atlanta", which he chose for a station broadcasting to the UK. It was a name whose origins few could decipher.
• Grace Phipps, actress, played Lela in the Disney Channel original movie Teen Beach Movie.
• Kevin Rahm, actor, was a regular on Judging Amy and Desperate Housewives. He now has a recurring role on AMC's Mad Men. He graduated from Atlanta High School in 1989.
• Slim Richey (1938-2015), musician, born in Atlanta
• Joseph Strickland, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tyler
• Drew Stubbs, center-fielder for the Colorado Rockies. Stubbs graduated from Atlanta High School in 2003. He was a three-time All-American in baseball and two-time academic All-American at the University of Texas at Austin. He hit a game-winning triple for Team USA in the 2004 FISU II World University Baseball Championship game in Taiwan. Stubbs was the Longhorns' co-MVP, named Big 12 co-Player of the Year and one of 5 finalists for the Golden Spikes Award in 2006. Stubbs was the first round pick (8th overall) of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. Stubbs made his major league debut on August 19, 2009. In his second game, he hit a game-winning home run to beat the San Francisco Giants.
• Ted Thompson, general manager of the Green Bay Packers, born and raised here, graduating from Atlanta High School in 1971. He has been a part of the NFL for 25 years, including 10 years as a player for the Houston Oilers.
• Kelley Arnold (1910-2003), Atlanta, TX, Assistant Division Commander of the 49th Armored Division (1965-1970), Texas Military Forces Hall of Honor, Camp Mabry, TX http://www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/hallofhonor/arnoldk.htm, He earned several awards in his 44-year military career: Outstanding Meritorious Service Medal from the President of the United States, the US Army Commendation Medal, for service as the Chief-of-Staff at Fort Polk, La., during the Cuban missile crisis; the American Defense Service Medal; the American Theatres Campaign Medal; and the Texas Faithful Service Medal. He was named "Man of the Month" by the East Texas Chambers of Commerce in 1969 and "Man of the Year" by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in 1965. He served as chair of the Finance Committee for the creation of the Atlanta Memorial Hospital, raising $300,000 locally, in order to secure a matching grant from Hill-Burton in 1970. He was also a member of the Board of Directors for the Hospital. He was a member of the Knights Templar and a Master Mason for 50 years. He served as Finance Chairman of the Atlanta Masonic Lodge Building Fund. He was a member of the Hella Temple of Garland and a Shriner for 40 years. Arnold was a retired Chevrolet and Buick dealer and a partner in East Texas Motor Company in Atlanta for 20 years. He served as the Area Director of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association. He was founding member of the Indian Hills Country Club in Atlanta, and a charter member of the Atlanta Lions Club, where he served as President.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

External links

• AtlantaTexas.org - City website by the Atlanta City Development Corporation.
• AtlantaTexas.com - Atlanta Economic Development Corporation.
• Amen900.com - KPYN Radio - Atlanta, Texas
• Texas State Historical Association - Handbook of Texas