History of Canton Georgia

During the first fifty years of the existence of Cherokee County, Canton served as the primary commercial, educational, and social center of the county. Canton was incorporated in 1833 under the name of "Etowah". The legislature approved the name "Canton" the next year, since some the founders of the town had tried to establish a silk industry, as found in Canton, China. One advantage that led to the development of Canton as a market and trading center was the richness of the outlying agricultural districts. Cherokee county was among the top counties of Georgia for per-acre cotton production.

Canton became a very popular summer resort in the 1880's and 1890's among people from the more sweltering regions of the south. For many years, a number of companies operated in the marble finishing business, the largest being the Georgia Marble Finishing Works. The office of the Georgia Marble Finishing Works in Canton is now used as the office of the Cherokee County Water & Sewage Authority. Canton Cotton Mills, later Canton Textile Mills, was one of the largest manufacturers in the south. "Canton Denim" was known for its high quality and was sought by people throughout the country. Today, Canton continues to be a center for manufacturing goods and services. Canton is home to several agribusinesses that sell products all around the south, including Cagle Dairy Farms and Seaboard Farms poultry.

Canton had its early beginnings as part of an Indian trade route into the Cherokee Nation. This early frontier settlement know as Etowah was incorporated by action of the State Legislature in 1833. Two of the founding fathers had visions of the town becoming a silk center similar to what existed in Canton, China. It is believed that this is the reason for wanting the name changed from Etowah to Canton. In 1834 the name change was approved.

Canton quickly became the commercial, education, and social center of Cherokee County. Widely known for the high-quality denim produced by the Canton Textile Mills established in 1899 as the Canton Cotton Mills, this industry at its peak provided jobs for 1200 people in the area. Since the closing of the last of the two mills in 1981, Canton has survived the transition from a mill town to a city of prosperity offering an ideal location for various commercial, industrial, and residential developments.

Now enjoying the greatest economic boom in its history, Canton enjoys commercial and residential growth, while maintaining its quality of life.

Located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and along the banks of the Etowah River, the natural beauty of the area is just one more reason to come to Canton.

The City of Canton and canton georgia real estate and homes has a rich heritage. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the site where Canton would be founded and the real estate developed lay in the heart of the Cherokee Nation.

During the first hundred years of Georgia's history, Northwest Georgia was generally considered "Indian Country," and was bypassed by settlers going West. Georgia had made a treaty with the Federal Government in 1802 to relinquish its Western Territory for the removal of all Indians within its boundaries, and, although other tribes had been removed, little was ever done about the Cherokees. Since this was the heartland of the Cherokee Nation, the state and nation had avoided the handling of this delicate problem. Following the discovery of gold near Dahlonega in 1829, settlers ignored the Indian problems and began to move into the area north of Carrollton and west of the Chattahoochee River-sixty-nine hundred miles-and named it Cherokee.

Many members of the Cherokee Nation moved west, but the majority stayed until removed by Federal Troops sent into the area during the summer of 1838. The remaining Cherokees were gathered and held in forts until the removal could be completed. Present-day Cherokee County had the largest and most southerly of these fort, Fort Buffington, which stood six miles east of Canton. Today nothing stands to identify its timber structure, but the area is marked by a large piece of green Cherokee marble quarried near Holly Springs. By autumn of 1838, the federal troops had accomplished their mission and the Cherokees at Fort Buffington were marched off to join other groups on the infamous "Trail of Tears."

A permanent county seat and courthouse were chosen in 1833 and named Etowah. The name was changed to Cherokee Courthouse in 1833 and again changed in 1834 to Canton, because a group of citizens had dreams of making the town into an important silk center.

Over the years, Canton has evolved evolved from unsettled territory to a prosperous mill town known the world over for its "Canton Denim." The original county of 1831 now includes 24 counties, and Cherokee County remains one of Georgia's largest counties with an area of 429 square miles. The City of Canton remains the county seat today with a growing population andlote of real estate development, and home building and sales.