Marietta: Recreation

Sightseeing

The first stop to make on a visit to Marietta is at the Welcome Center to pick up tour maps; the Center is in the renovated train station right off Marietta Square. The revitalized square is an entertainment mecca with several popular nightspots, restaurants, and the renovated Theater in the Square. The focal point of the square is Glover Park, where winding brick paths lead to a majestic, three-tiered fountain, to an ornate Victorian gazebo, and to a scaled-down replica of "The General," a celebrated Civil War locomotive, where children can climb, slide, and pretend. The park is the location for frequent special events, festivals and concerts.

A walking tour of the downtown features at least 100 homes and buildings that span the period from antebellum to Victorian and evoke the sentiment and beauty of days gone by. The William Root House, the city's oldest residence, houses a museum depicting life in Cobb County during the 1840s and is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays. Other structures include classic Victorian, Queen Anne, Greek Revival, and Plantation Plain-style residences. The 1854 Greek classic style First Presbyterian Church, St. James Episcopal Church, and the 1866 Zion Baptist Church are part of the Historic District's walking tour. Other buildings of note include former general stores, a "Breakfast House" hotel, and a former hardware store. The Episcopal Cemetery is the burial place of many early well-known local citizens.

Not far from the center of town, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, a Civil War fortress, provides miles of wood trails, original earthworks and cannons that stand as silent witnesses to the decisive battle in which Confederate troops, vastly outnumbered, defended Kennesaw Mountain in a bloody effort to block Sherman's March to Atlanta. At the visitor's center a ten-minute slide presentation briefs visitors on the battle that took place and exhibits depict the harsh conditions the soldiers endured in the front ranks. At the park, visitors may walk on the grounds and view the family cemetery of the Kolb Farm, a significant battle site during the Civil War. Marietta is one of only two U.S. cities with both a Confederate and a Union Cemetery. The Confederate Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 3,000 Confederate soldiers. At the nearby 23-acre National Cemetery, more than 10,000 Union soldiers, 3,000 of whom are unknown, rest alongside veterans of five subsequent wars.

Well worth a visit is the Concord Covered Bridge, one of the few remaining covered bridges in operation, nestled on Nickajack Creek alongside historic Ruff's Mill. Both sites are national landmarks and part of a historic district that also features nineteenth century homes and the Concord Woolen Mills. Another interesting spot is home to the remains of the nineteenth-century Marietta Manufacturing Mill on the banks of the Sope Creek.

At the East Cobb Children's Museum, school-age children can participate in historical tours, and dress in authentic period costumes. The museum also offers live puppet shows and classroom excursions. The Aurora, a horse-drawn 1879 Silsby Steamer, is on display at the Marietta Fire Museum. It has been fully renovated and is said to be the best-restored engine of its kind in the world. The Kennesaw Civil War Museum, formerly know as The Big Shanty Museum, in Kennesaw provides a close-up look at "The General," a steam locomotive that caused quite a stir in 1862 when Union soldiers known as Andrew's Raiders hijacked it and sped northwest to damage the line and seal off Chattanooga in the Civil War campaign. Classic cars and the largest selection of miniature die-cast cars in the Southeast are on display at the Auto Motif in Smyrna. Marietta also features a Gone With The Wind Museum: Scarlett on the Square opened in 2003 and maintains a wide variety of memorabilia from the 1939 classic. Located within the historic Kennesaw House is the Marietta Museum of History that displays such items as Civil War uniforms and a local photograpy collection.

Youngsters are enthusiastic participants at Six Flags White Water, a 35-acre park featuring more than two dozen specialty water rides including speed slides and body flumes. Marietta's newest family draw is American Adventures, a "turn of the century" entertainment park with rides, games, and attractions that is also part of the Six Flags family. Another mammoth attraction, which is located in the southwestern corner of the county, is Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park, home of the Great American Scream Machine, The Free Fall, Z Force and other thrilling rides, musical revues and top name entertainers. Skull Island debuted there in 2004 and features three water-dumping towers, six water slides, and many other water-related activities. Sun Valley Beach, the South's largest swimming pool, with 2 million gallons, is located on one-and-a-half acres of land and provides sun and games at its Powder Springs location.

No visit to Marietta would be complete without paying respects to the "Big Chicken," a local landmark. In 1963 a Marietta restaurateur wanted a focal point for his eatery and commissioned a Georgia Tech student to create a plucky, triangular-shaped fowl, complete with eyes that rolled, a beak that snapped open and shut, and a comb that dipped in the breeze. At one point, a hydraulic lift made the bird operational, but for the most part it stands as a silent object of wonder for foreign visitors who have declared it to be "so American" and an important element of Marietta folklore. The Big Chicken has inspired the "Gran Poulet," an art festival featuring fowl-inspired works of every description.

Arts and Culture

The best in professional live theater, both contemporary and classical, is offered by the award-winning 225-seat Theatre In the Square opened in 1982 at its renovated home on Marietta Square. Classical music concerts are offered by the Cobb Symphony, established in 1951, and the Jubilee Concert Series at the Galleria Centre. The Georgia Ballet performs regularly at the Cobb County Civic Center.

The Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art is located just off the Square. The museum's permanent exhibit is complemented by workshops, lectures, poetry readings, special art showings and children's activities. Art lovers can also visit the Mable House Cultural Center in the southern portion of Cobb County. Smyrna's Lillie Glassblowers allows spectators to watch as liquid crystal is transformed into exquisite designs for artistic and scientific purposes.

Festivals and Holidays

Annual events in Marietta involve a wide variety of activities. The last weekend in April brings the Taste of Marietta food festival. In spring, Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society sponsors "Through The Garden Gate," a spring tour of gardens in the city. In May and October, arts, crafts, and food concessions fill Glover Park at Historic Marietta Arts & Crafts Festival, and performances, exhibits, and an artists' market are presented at The Art Place-Mountain View's Arts Fest and have been dubbed "May-Retta Daze" and "Harvest Square." Summer brings the Glover Park Concert Series, a variety of musical presentations that extend through June, July, and August. The Fourth of July celebration starts the day with a parade and is filled with food and completed by fireworks at dusk. Labor Day Weekend's Art in the Park at Marietta Square showcases local artists' paintings, photography and pottery in Glover Park. September ushers in the Historic Marietta Antique Street Festival that was established in 1992 and draws over 125 antiques dealers from across the state. Late September's North Georgia State Fair at Miller Park features carnival rides, top name entertainment, contests, and special attractions. Theatre In The Square Presents "the 1940's Radio Hour," a song and dance extravaganza performed at Marietta Square during November, December, and January. December brings The Marietta Pilgrimage: A Christmas Home Tour featuring six private historic homes decorated for the holidays. Audiences enjoy the holiday excitement of the Georgia Ballet's performances of "The Nutcracker" at Cobb County Civic Center. Each spring the city celebrates Founder's Day, when the City Square is decked out for a weekend festival, the highlight of which is an antique show.

Sports for the Spectator

Al Bishop Softball Complex is the site of numerous national/regional softball tournaments on its five lighted playing fields. Marietta's professional sports fans have an exciting series of events to choose from by making the fifteen-mile trip to nearby Atlanta, home to five professional franchises. Atlanta also hosts many collegiate competitions.

Sports for the Participant

The Cobb County Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Affairs Department, one of the largest in the Southeast, consists of 35 parks covering more than 2,000 acres. Tennis, swimming, softball, gymnastics, and soccer are offered, as are arts and crafts classes and informational programs. Marietta has an impressive network of municipal parks, most fully equipped with playground facilities, athletic fields and tennis courts. Wildwood Park, a beautiful 28-acre site, is equipped with a unique "Adventure Challenge Course," one of the largest in the state, plus a one-third mile self-guided Sensory Trail for the Blind. At the site of the former Marietta County Club, the Marietta City Club opened as Cobb County's first public Professional Golfer's Association standard golf course on 126 acres and a professional shop. Visitors to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park enjoy five marked hiking trails, the longest of which extends for sixteen miles. Laurel Park has a jogging trail, basketball court, picnic facilities, thirteen tennis courts, and two volleyball courts on 25 acres. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area consists of more than 1,700 acres in four parks along the waterway. Concessionaires rent canoes, rafts, or kayaks at various points along the river so that water buffs can experience the river's whitewater thrills firsthand. The Lake Allatoona Reservoir, which boasts a 330-acre lake and 124 land-acres, is ideal for fishing, boating, swimming, camping, hiking, and picnicking. At the town of Acworth, Acworth Beach and Lake Acworth offer swimming, fishing, picnicking, and sunbathing.

Shopping and Dining

Cobb County offers shoppers a variety of options from the corner store to huge regional shopping malls like Cumberland Mall and Town Center at Cobb, each with more than one million square feet. Opened in 1973 as the area's first enclosed mall, Cumberland Mall has a projected $65 million in improvements scheduled to conclude in 2006. Marietta is the home of Providence Square, which is anchored by Home Depot, Upton's, and Parkaire Landing. Quaint shops surrounding Marietta Square offer antiques, art, fine china, jewelry, clothing, and novelty items. Other shopping areas include Marietta Trade Center, Town and Country Shopping Center, Merchants Walk, Cobb Place, Belmont Hills Shopping Center, and Akers Mill Shopping Center. The Church Street Market provides foods native to the area along with quaint home and garden products.

Southern cuisine, featuring such treats as baked squash casserole or turnip greens, or palate-tempting fare served in classic plantation style, makes for memorable dining experiences. A variety of ethnic cuisines, including Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and standard American and continental fare are available at the more than 200 dining rooms, outdoor cafes, and casual eateries which proliferate throughout the area.

Visitor Information: Cobb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, One Galleria Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30339; telephone (800)451-3480; fax (678)303-2625; email cobbcvb@cobbcvb.com. Marietta Welcome Center, 4 Depot St. NE, Marietta, GA 30060; telephone (770)429-1115

Marietta: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Marietta's city school system is governed by a seven-member elected Board of Education. Four of its 10 schools have been named Georgia Schools of Excellence along with one National School of Excellence, and in 2003 the system ranked in the top 15 percent of nationwide school systems. In 2004 the combined average of SAT scores exceeded the national average. Marietta offers a comprehensive program for exceptional and gifted children in elementary, middle, and high school. The system offers special education programs, reading recovery classes, and a program called Project Key aimed at pre-school handicapped children. In the fall of 2005 the Marietta Center for Advanced Academics, the city's first magnet school, is scheduled to open and will enroll 360 third to fifth grade students via application only.

In 2003, Cobb County taxpayers extended a "special purpose" sales tax of $637 million for new school construction and technology programs. Of that total, $76 million was allocated for technology and curriculum programs. The need for additional classrooms due to the expanding population is addressed as $205 million of the tax is directed to the building of nine new schools within the county (four elementary, three middle, and two high schools).

The following is a summary of data regarding Marietta's public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.

Total enrollment: 7,558

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 7

junior high/middle schools: 2

senior high schools: 1

other: 1 alternative school

Student/teacher ratio: 12:1

Teacher salaries

minimum: $33,455

maximum: $70,568

Funding per pupil: $7,710

Several private schools, both church-affiliated and nonsectarian, are located in the area.

Public Schools Information: Marietta City Schools, 250 Howard St., Marietta, GA 30060; telephone (770)422-3500; fax (770)425-4095

Colleges and Universities

Marietta is the home of two senior colleges of the University System of Georgia. Kennesaw State University, with about 18,000 students, offers a broad selection of undergraduate majors as well as graduate programs in business administration and education. Southern Polytechnic State University, founded in 1948 and located within the city, offers its nearly 4,000 students associate degree transfer programs and 23 undergraduate majors in its bachelor degree programs including ten areas of engineering technology and related fields, as well as masters programs in Technology Management and Technical Communication.

The city has two post-secondary institutions. Chattahoochee Technical College offers its 5,000-plus students vocational-technical and supplementary education and industrial short-term training. The school offers four associate of applied technology degree programs and certificate programs in architectural drafting technology and dental assisting. Diploma programs are available in seventeen other fields. The North Metro Technical College offers the associate of applied science degree in business, electronics, and secretarial science. Diploma programs include accounting, information & office technology, electronics and telecommunications. Continuing education programs are also offered, as are customized industry-specific short term courses. Life University offers bachelor's degrees in business administration, nutrition for the chiropractic sciences, and pre-professional education for advanced careers in health care and business. Finally, the private Shorter College has six different schools focused on a liberal arts curriculum.

Libraries and Research Centers

The Cobb County Public Library System, one of the largest in the state, is comprised of a 64,000-square-foot main library in Marietta and 16 branches with another expected to open in early 2006. The system has almost 680,000 volumes, 1,298 periodical subscriptions, almost 500 microfiches, nearly 8,000 audio and videotapes, 3,200 music CDs, a CD-ROM network, and Internet access. A number of databases are also available free of charge on the library's website. The library is also home to a special historical collection in its Georgia Room containing more than 12,000 items.

Special libraries in Marietta include the Genealogical Center Library, which lends books to the public by mail for a fee (write to them at PO Box 1343, Marietta GA 30007-1343); Lockheed's comprehensive Technical Information Center; and Southern Polytechnic State University's science and engineering library. Three research centers are located in Marietta, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' South Atlantic Division Laboratory, which tests soil and water quality among other activities.

Public Library Information: Cobb County Public Library System, 266 Roswell St., Marietta, GA 30060-2004; telephone (770)528-2320; email cobbcat@cobbcat.org

Marietta: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1980: 2,233,000

1990: 2,969,500

2000: 4,112,198

Percent change, 1990–2000: 39.0%

U.S. rank in 1980: 16th

U.S. rank in 1990: 12th

U.S. rank in 2000: 11th

City Residents

1980: 30,829

1990: 44,129

2000: 58,748 (of which, 22,824 were male and 22,766 were female)

2003 estimate: 61,282

Percent change, 1990–2000: 33.1%

U.S. rank in 1990: 582nd (State rank: 13th)

U.S. rank in 2000: 557th (State rank: 13th)

Density: 2,684.1 people per square mile (in 2000, based on 2000 land area)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 33,185

Black or African American: 17,330

American Indian and Alaska Native: 188

Asian: 1,744

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 51

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 9,947

Other: 4,694

Percent of residents born in state: 35.4% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 4,655

Population 5 to 9 years old: 3,776

Population 10 to 14 years old: 3,023

Population 15 to 19 years old: 3,391

Population 20 to 24 years old: 6,615

Population 25 to 34 years old: 14,134

Population 35 to 44 years old: 9,031

Population 45 to 54 years old: 6,021

Population 55 to 59 years old: 1,932

Population 60 to 64 years old: 1,276

Population 65 to 74 years old: 2,174

Population 75 to 84 years old: 1,929

Population 85 years and older: 791

Median age: 30.0 years

Births (2003, in Cobb County)

Total number: 10,539

Deaths (2003, in Cobb County)

Total number: 3,289 (of which, 51 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $23,409

Median household income: $40,645

Total households: 23,945

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 2,068

$10,000 to $14,999: 1,209

$15,000 to $24,999: 3,165

$25,000 to $34,999: 3,573

$35,000 to $49,999: 4,579

$50,000 to $74,999: 4,504

$75,000 to $99,999: 2,081

$100,000 to $149,999: 1,711

$150,000 to $199,999: 493

$200,000 or more: 562

Percent of families below poverty level: 11.5% (41.3% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: Not reported

Marietta: Introduction

Marietta, located in Cobb County, approximately 20 miles from Atlanta, is one of the booming exurban job centers growing up around the country. Cobb County likes to market the area's recreational attractions by referring to itself as "the fun side of Atlanta," and Mariettans spend hundreds of thousands of dollars sowing seeds and planting trees and shrubs to promote beautification throughout the city. The town square, bleached-white gazebos, and the antebellum mansions give Marietta the misty feeling of the Old South. Yet the Wall Street Journal describes the city as "the intersection of great economic, social and geographic changes." The city and surrounding county were totally transformed with office buildings, warehouses, light manufacturing factories, and retail shops. Cobb County invested more in infrastructure, including water, sewer, road, and other utilities between 1970 and 1990 than any other county in Georgia, and during that period more houses were built in the county than anywhere else in the state. The influx of new residents has even resulted in the popular use of the new pronunciation of the city's name, MARRY-etta, rather than the traditional May-RETT-a. In 2002 an analysis produced by the Georgia Municipal Organization and a local magazine considered such things as fiscal management, public safety, infrastructure, citizen participation, cultural activities, and community partnerships, and concluded that Marietta was a "City of Excellence."

Marietta . 1 City (1990 pop. 44,129), seat of Cobb co., NW Ga.; inc. 1834. The principal manufactures of this suburb of Atlanta are related to aircraft production. At the foot of Kennesaw Mt., Marietta was the scene of a Union defeat in the Civil War (see Atlanta campaign ). Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (see National Parks and Monuments , table) marks the site. Many Civil War dead are buried in the city's large national cemetery. Zion Baptist Church (1866) is an important African-American institution. Kennesaw State Univ. and Southern Polytechnic State Univ. are in Marietta. Dobbins Air Reserve Base is nearby.

2 City (1990 pop. 15,026), seat of Washington co., SE Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers; inc. 1801. It is a trading center for an agricultural and dairying area. Among the city's varied manufactures are machinery, plastics, chemicals, ventilators, and paint. Marietta was the first planned, permanent settlement in Ohio and the Northwest Territory. Founded in 1788 by the Ohio Company of Associates, and set among local Mound Builders ' earthworks, Marietta grew as a shipbuilding and shipping center for a farm area. The first houses were in a stockaded enclosure called Campus Martius. The city is the seat of Marietta College. Points of interest include the Ohio River Museum; Mound Cemetery, where numerous Revolutionary officers are buried; and the Campus Martius Memorial State Museum.

Marietta

The City in Brief

Founded: 1834 (incorporated 1852)

Head Official: Mayor Bill Dunaway (R) (since 2002)

City Population

1980: 30,829

1990: 44,129

2000: 58,748

2003 estimate: 61,282

Percent change, 1990–2000: 33.1%

U.S. rank in 1990: 582nd (State rank: 13th)

U.S. rank in 2000: 557th (State rank: 13th)

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 2,233,000

1990: 2,959,500

2000: 4,112,198

Percent change, 1990–2000: 39.0%

U.S. rank in 1980: 16th

U.S. rank in 1990: 12th

U.S. rank in 2000: 11th

Area: 21.95 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 1,128 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 61.2° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 48.61 inches

Major Economic Sectors: wholesale and retail trade, services, government

Unemployment rate: 4.2% (December 2004)

Per Capita Income: $23,409 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: not reported

Major Colleges and Universities: Kennesaw State University, Southern Polytechnic State University

Daily Newspaper: Marietta Daily Journal

Marietta: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

Marietta's daily newspapers are the Marietta Daily Journal and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, both published in Atlanta. East Cobber and Cobb Extra are published weekly. Several magazines are published in Marietta, including The Game & Fish Magazine, Georgia Sportsman, and North American Whitetail Magazine.

Television and Radio

Cobb County has access to eight television stations, all but one from Atlanta. There are two local radio stations.

Media Information: Marietta Daily Journal, 580 Fairground St. SE, Marietta, GA 30060; telephone (770) 428-9411. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Marietta Online

City of Marietta home page. Available www.city.marietta.ga.us

Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Available www.cobbchamber.org

Cobb County Board of Education. Available www.cobb.k12.ga.us

Cobb County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Available www.cobbcvb.com

Cobb County Public Library. Available www.cobbcat.org

Marietta City Schools. Available www.marietta-city.org

Marietta Daily Journal. Available www.mdjonline.com

Marietta Square (downtown visitor information). Available www.mariettasquare.com

Selected Bibliography

Lassiter, Patrice Shelton, Generations of Black Life in Kennesaw & Marietta, Georgia (Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub., c1999)

Marietta: Convention Facilities

Cobb County's Galleria Centre provides 320,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. The $40 million facility offers a 144,000-square-foot exhibit/arena space; a 25,000-square-foot ballroom; nearly 24,000 square feet of registration/prefunction space, and 20 meeting rooms ranging from 528 to 1,750 square feet. Connected to the center is the Renaissance Waverly Hotel with 27 meeting room and 60,000 square feet of meeting space and 521 deluxe hotel suites. The county offers more than 70 hotels/motels with more than 12,000 sleeping rooms in a variety of price ranges. Unique off-site meeting spots include a Victorian-styled park, an 1830's historic home/museum, a Victorian country inn, an amusement park, and the Cobb County Civic Center.

Within the city itself is the Marietta Conference Center & Resort, which has 20,000 square feet of meeting space and features 17 meeting rooms that can accommodate up to as many as 500 people.

Convention Information: Cobb County Convention & Visitors Bureau, One Galleria Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30339; telephone (800)451-3480; fax (678)303-2625; email cobbcvb@cobbcvb.com

Marietta: Transportation

Approaching the City

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport serves the greater metro area, including Marietta. Airlines serving Hartsfield-Jackson include domestic and international carriers, as well as commuter and freight lines. Cobb County is bisected by Interstate 75 and Highway 41/Cobb Parkway. It is bordered on the east by Atlanta's perimeter highway Interstate 285 and the Chattahoochee River, and on the south by Interstate 20. In 2004 the state of Georgia announced that approximately $1.2 billion in transportation renovation monies would be available to Cobb County with a focus on developing high-occupancy vehicle lanes on I-575 and bus lanes on I-285 and I-75.

Traveling in the City

Cumberland Transportation Network and Cobb Community Transit offer alternative ways to get around and connect Cobb County with Atlanta and the MARTA rapid transit system.

Marietta: Health Care

The region supports four large hospitals; Marietta's largest is WellStar Kennestone Hospital with 493 beds. Kennestone has made treatment of minor illness and injuries more convenient to residents through its five satellite KenMed facilities throughout the community. Atherton Place, an independent and personal care living facility on the main campus, serves senior citizens, while Health Place, the system's 40,000-square-foot fitness center, is open to the public and specializes in cardiac rehabilitation. The system's emergency center in Marietta is the second busiest in Georgia. Kennestone Hospital is one of only four designated trauma centers in metro Atlanta. The city of Marietta operates its own emergency medical service. The Specialty Care of Marietta accommodates 138 patients in its postacute rehabilitation center.

MARIETTA

MARIETTA, the first settlement made under the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787, was settled on 7 April 1788, when forty-eight men under the leadership of General Rufus Putnam of the Ohio Company of associates concluded their journey from Massachusetts to the mouth of the Muskingum River in the present state of Ohio. It was at first named Adelphia, but on 2 July 1788, in honor of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, the name was changed to Marietta. The machinery of government in the Northwest Territory first functioned here, when General Arthur St. Clair, governor of the territory, arrived on 9 July 1788.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reginald Horsman. The Frontier in the Formative Years, 1783–1815. New York: Rinehart and Winston, 1970.

T. N.Hoover/a. r.

See alsoMiami Purchase ; Northwest Territory ; Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787 .

Marietta: Geography and Climate

Marietta is located north of Atlanta, along the Chattahoochee River. The city is bordered by Lake Allatoona to the northwest, while its southern boundary lies south of Interstate 20. Marietta is part of Cobb County, which is also made up of the cities of Acworth, Austell, Kennesaw, Powder Springs, and Smyrna. Seventy-eight percent of Cobb County's population lives in unincorporated areas. Citizens enjoy four seasons featuring a mild climate where winters seldom go below the thirties and summer highs are in the nineties.

Area: 21.95 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 1,128 feet above sea level

Average Temperatures: January, 41° F; July, 79° F; annual average, 61.2° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 48.61 inches

Marietta: Municipal Government

Marietta is governed by a mayor and seven-member city council who serve four-year terms, while the day-to-day administration is handled by the City Manager, who is appointed by the city council.

Head Official: Mayor Bill Dunaway (R) (since 2002; current term expires January 2006)

Total Number of City Employees: 750 (2004)

City Information: City of Marietta, 205 Lawrence St., Marietta, GA 30061; telephone (770)794-5530

Marietta, USA 1. Georgia: possibly named after the wife of Thomas J. Cobb.2. Ohio: named after Marie‐Antoinette (1755–93), Austrian wife of Louis XVI, King of France (1774–92). She followed her husband to the guillotine.

Marietta ♀ (Italian) pet form of Maria, now occasionally used as a given name in the English-speaking world. In Gaelic Scotland Mar(i)etta is sometimes found as an Anglicized form of Mairead, the Gaelic equivalent of Margaret.

Marietta ♀ (Italian) Pet form of Maria.