Forsyth County, Georgia

Forsyth County
Forsyth County
County
	Forsyth County Courthouse in Cumming
	Logo
	Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
	Georgia's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 34°13′N 84°08′W / 34.22°N 84.13°W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 3, 1831
Named for	John Forsyth
Seat	Cumming
Largest city	Big Creek CCD
Area
• Total	247 sq mi (640 km2)
• Land	224 sq mi (580 km2)
• Water	23 sq mi (60 km2) 9.4%
Population (2020)
• Total	251,283
• Density	1,090/sq mi (420/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	30024, 30040, 30041, 30004, 30506, 30005, 30028
Congressional district	6th
Website	forsythco.com

Forsyth County (/fɔːrˈsaɪθ/ for-SYTHE or /ˈfɔːrsaɪθ/ FOR-sythe) is a county in the Northeast portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. Suburban and exurban in character, Forsyth County lies within the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. The county's only incorporated city and county seat is Cumming.^[1] At the 2020 census, the population was 251,283.^[2]^[3] Forsyth was the fastest-growing county in Georgia and the 15th fastest-growing county in the United States between 2010 and 2019.^[2]

Forsyth County's rapid population growth can be attributed to its proximity to high-income employment opportunities in nearby Alpharetta and northern Fulton County, its equidistant location between the big-city amenities of bustling Atlanta and the recreation offerings of the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, its plentiful supply of large, relatively affordable new-construction homes, and its highly ranked public school system. The influx of high-income professionals and their families has increased the county's median annual household income dramatically in recent years; at $104,687, Forsyth County was the wealthiest in Georgia and the 19th-wealthiest in the United States as of 2018 estimates.^[4]

In the 1980s, the county attracted national media attention as the site of large civil rights demonstrations and counter-demonstrations. Organizers hoped to dispel the county's image as a sundown county; African Americans were unjustly forced out in 1912, and the county had a reputation of being hostile to people of color and LGBT people for many decades afterwards.^[5]^[6]^[7] During the 1987 Forsyth County protests officials kept peace with police officers and National Guard protecting the event as thousands of marchers protested the segregation in the county.

From 2007 to 2009, the county received national attention because of a severe drought. Water supplies for the Atlanta area and downstream areas of Alabama and Florida were threatened. This followed a more severe drought in 2007 and 2008, and flooding in 2009.^[8] Flooding occurred in 2013, and severe drought again in 2016. Georgia, Alabama and Florida have been in a tri-state water dispute since 1990 over apportionment of water flow from Lake Lanier, which forms the eastern border of the county and is regulated by the Army Corps of Engineers as a federal project.

^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "2019 County Metro Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
^ US 2020 Census Bureau report, Forsyth County, Georgia
^ "2018: ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables". Retrieved March 27, 2020.
^ "Choke a duck, smack a gay – it's all OK". May 5, 2009.
^ "Forsyth Co. Homeowner's gay pride flag burned, yard vandalized".
^ "Women Held Up, Autos Damaged, by Georgia Drys". The Evening Sun. Baltimore. August 4, 1925. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. In addition, complaints have been received from half a dozen sources that negro chauffeurs of tourists and of Atlanta citizens have been seized and subjected to indignities. No negroes are allowed to live in the county, of which Cumming is the county seat.
^ http://www.cbsatlanta.com/georgianews/21887379/detail.html ^{[dead link]}

[GR6-1] "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.

[QF-2] "2019 County Metro Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2020.

[ReferenceA-3] US 2020 Census Bureau report, Forsyth County, Georgia

[MEDIAN_INCOME_IN_THE_PAST_12_MONTHS_(IN_2018_INFLATION-ADJUSTED_DOLLARS)-4] "2018: ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables". Retrieved March 27, 2020.

[5] "Choke a duck, smack a gay – it's all OK". May 5, 2009.

[6] "Forsyth Co. Homeowner's gay pride flag burned, yard vandalized".

[7] "Women Held Up, Autos Damaged, by Georgia Drys". The Evening Sun. Baltimore. August 4, 1925. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com. In addition, complaints have been received from half a dozen sources that negro chauffeurs of tourists and of Atlanta citizens have been seized and subjected to indignities. No negroes are allowed to live in the county, of which Cumming is the county seat.

[Lake-8] ttp://www.cbsatlanta.com/georgianews/21887379/detail.html ^{[dead link]}

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]