ALL ABOUT KENNESAW, GEORGIA 

Kennesaw residents appreciate the City as a great place to live, learn, work and play. The City is also well known for its rich history. Residents enjoy the City’s combination of small town charm and big city amenities. Once the site of major fighting during the Civil War, Kennesaw has emerged as a premiere destination for families and businesses looking to relocate in the Atlanta metropolitan area. 

Kennesaw takes great pride in being a community that protects and manages its historical and cultural resources for future generations.  

New attractions, including the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, improved public areas, and renovated buildings with delightfully eclectic shops, restaurants and businesses create an atmosphere of commerce in the City. Kennesaw’s Parks & Recreation programs, special events and facilities, street and sanitation services, environmental initiatives, and a strong, caring Police Department play a central role in supporting and sustaining the livability and economic vitality of the City. 

Education:
The Kennesaw area has an array of educational opportunities. Regardless of education level or field of interest, there is a place for every student. The City of Kennesaw believes that the quality of education throughout the area is everyone's business. Our City’s future relies on our ability to have a quality education for all. 

Cobb County School District:
Students enrolled in the Cobb County School District continue to be among the top performers in the nation, with scores on the SAT and Iowa Test of Basic Skills significantly higher than state and national averages.

Private (Non-Public) Schools:
Kennesaw has a number of private non-sectarian, Parochial, Montessori and special needs and day care facilities fostering educational competition and offering parental choice in education.  

Higher Education:
Kennesaw area colleges and universities offer some of the finest programs in the state. Below is a list of post-secondary institutions serving the Kennesaw area.

Kennesaw State University (KSU) is one of the premiere public universities in the Georgia. As the third largest university in state, enrolling more than 18,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, KSU maintains a tradition of academic excellence in core disciplines and has become an important center for teaching and research. KSU offers 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and has received national accolades for its emphasis on student success, campus life, and the quality of its academics. 

North Metro Technical College offers both traditional and web-based educational options that include individual courses, certificates, diplomas and associate degrees, as well as adult literacy, economic development, and personal enrichment programs. 

RECREATION 

Kennesaw attracts many new residents with its numerous recreational opportunities. From neighborhood parks to a National Park, outdoor recreation abounds.
The City of Kennesaw, through its Parks & Recreation Department, offers something for everyone. The Department is responsible for park maintenance and development, and offers a variety of enrichment classes and workshops. Activities target every age group, from toddlers through seniors. 

The Kennesaw Parks & Recreation Department is a member of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA).  

The Kennesaw Parks & Recreation Department currently oversees 18 recreation sites within City limits. These include a community park, three neighborhood parks, 11 small urban parks, and three indoor recreational facilities. Urban parks are located within residential subdivisions. Two new sites along Old Highway 41 and Pine Mountain Road are planned for future development.

City parks feature tennis courts, baseball and softball diamonds, playgrounds for toddlers and youth, basketball courts, and grassy expanses for various recreational activities. 

The Kennesaw Parks & Recreation Department also sponsors several special events throughout the year, including A Day with Santa and Santa Parade, a Valentine's Day Dance, free outdoor music during the annual Downtown Kennesaw Concert Series, outdoor movie nights, and Folk Tales of the Rails - a medley of entertainment ranging from storytelling to hayrides and treasure hunts.

And depending on the season, children can join a baseball, softball, football or soccer team right here in Kennesaw. League sports are popular, competitive, and lots of fun! League play is organized and directed by a variety of private, non-profit athletic associations

The Kennesaw Baseball Association programs accommodate players ages 4-16 during the spring and fall seasons.
The Kennesaw Girls Softball Association offers both slow-pitch and fast-pitch softball during the fall for youth ages U6 through U19.
The Kennesaw Futbol Club (soccer) plays during the spring and fall, and offers "recreation" and "select" programs for youth ages U6 through U19.
The Kennesaw Youth Football Association programs accommodate players ages 5-12 in football and cheerleading.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park 

At the 2,888 acre Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, hiking and bicycling enthusiasts enjoy over 17 miles of trails. The area is a popular picnic destination, and a haven for birdwatchers, due to its large variety of migratory species. Wildflowers are abundant, and the view of the Atlanta skyline from the top of the Mountain is most impressive. 

Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History 

Take a trip back in time to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. With three impressive permanent collections and a membership in the prestigious Smithsonian Affiliations Program, the Museum offers a wide range of exhibits, including a glimpse into the daily lives of soldiers during the Civil War; a reproduction of a turn-of-the-century locomotive factory; and an exciting depiction of the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase. 

Kennesaw State University 

Take in a World-class music ensemble, celebrated works of art, Shakespeare classics, operatic productions, and jazz favorites throughout the year at Kennesaw State University. Or visit the world’s largest Anne Frank exhibit, housed in a specially created museum at Kennesaw State University's KSU Center. 

Spectator Sports 

While many residents of Kennesaw enjoy playing a variety of sports, others like to watch. The area offers numerous opportunities to join the crowds as a spectator of exciting local sporting events. 

Kennesaw State Athletics offers NCAA collegiate sports with nationally ranked programs in basketball, baseball, golf, women's soccer, softball, competitive cheerleading and more. 

Major professional sporting events are also just a road trip away, including: 

Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball
Atlanta Falcons National Football League
Atlanta Hawks National Basketball Association
Atlanta Thrashers National Hockey League
Atlanta Silverbacks United Soccer League
Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR/Racing

 

DEMOGRAPHICS: 

The City of Kennesaw's demographics and statistics are useful for a variety of research purposes. Below are the most frequently asked for facts and figures.

Education Demographics
One of the most striking features Kennesaw's growth over the last 25 years has been the advances in educational levels. In 1970, for example, about 20% of residents had only elementary school education and just 220, or six percent of 3,548 residents, were college graduates. Now the situation is reversed and around 20% of city residents are college graduates and five percent have elementary-level education. Although national educational levels have also risen since 1970, Kennesaw's levels have surpassed national, state and regional increases. Between 1980 and 1990 the percentage of high school graduates in Kennesaw grew by 27%, compared to 20% for the Atlanta Region, 18% for Cobb County and 13% for the United States.

The growth in educational achievement rates can be attributed to the suburbanization of Kennesaw. Most of the new residents are employed and, as typical workers in the Atlanta economy, have roughly the same demographics of the region as a whole. The typical new resident has at least some college. Judging from trends in Cobb County as a whole and allowing for the local situation, as many as one-third of new residents are college graduates. As the price of the average house in Kennesaw continues to rise-- there are more $200,000+ houses for sale in the City than ever before-- educational levels can be expected to rise even more due to the strong relationship between income and education.

Employment Demographics 

Kennesaw is not just an area with impressive job growth, it is an area that will share in more jobs during the next 20 years than any other part of the Atlanta Region. The growth is a direct consequence of Town Center Mall, which is located at the convergence of I-75 and I-575, just over a mile from the western end of Kennesaw. The area in Census Tract 302.05, which contains the mall and the stretch of I-75 near the mall, will grow from 7,383 jobs in 1990 to 44,000 in 2020, while the Kennesaw Census Tract will grow from 3,000 jobs in 1990 to 12,000 jobs in 2020. It is important to note the differences in employment by sector for the two tracts. 

Retail is the dominant sector in both tracts, but in the Town Center tract it accounts for 54% of all jobs, while only 41% in the Kennesaw tract. By 2020 both economies will diversify in relative terms, with retail to account for 44% of Town Center jobs and 35% of Kennesaw jobs, along with 28% for services and 13% for government.

Income Demographics 

Per capita income in Kennesaw has usually been a little higher than Georgia's average except for the late 1970's to the mid 1980's. Probable reasons for the resurgence of Kennesaw's per capita income in the mid-1980's include its growing function as a bedroom community to Fulton County, which has the highest wages in the region, and job growth in Cobb extending all the way up to the Kennesaw area. When Town Center Mall opened in 1986 the area became a job center in its own right. 

Since 1969 Kennesaw's median household income has been even higher than the per capita income in comparison to Georgia. The higher household income can in part be attributed to higher per capita incomes, but also significant is the larger household size and higher labor force participation rates for Kennesaw. The combined factors provide for more people in a house with more of them in the work force. Both of Kennesaw's income measures have traditionally been lower than Cobb County's, though due to Kennesaw's larger household size, household incomes have been closer to Cobb's level than the per capita income measure. The 2000 Census will more than likely show Kennesaw's income measures will be closer to Cobb County's than ever, though Kennesaw has quite a way to go to catch up. While the number of households in Kennesaw and Cobb making under $30,000 is about the same, 33% to 32% respectively, 28% of Cobb's households make over $60,000 compared to 16% of Kennesaw's. 

Population Demographics 

The City of Kennesaw, Georgia is part of Cobb County, one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. For example, Cobb's 1980 population of 297,718 increased to 453,400 in 1990 according to estimates made by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC). This population increased by 155,682 people or 52.3%. By contrast, according to the Census, the U.S. population increased from 1980-1990 at the rate of 9.8% and likewise, Georgia's population increased by 18.7%. By 1998, the County population was estimated to be well over 550,000.

Like the surrounding Cobb County and Atlanta area, Kennesaw's population growth is intense. Kennesaw's population increased from 5,095 in 1980 to 21,675 in 2000, an increase of 325% in just 20 years; the Kennesaw Census Area also increased approximately 271% for that same period. The City began a growth spurt in 1985 which will last through the turn of the century. The growth of the Metropolitan region encouraged the rapid expansion of housing and ancillary businesses, leading to the population explosion in and around Kennesaw. Furthermore, Kennesaw is developing as its own commercial center to further expand the metro boundary.

For additional demographic information, visit the US Census Bureau.
 

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