Rockmart, Georgia

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Coordinates: 34°0′14″N 85°2′57″W / 34.00389, -85.04917
The City of Rockmart
Location in Polk County and the state of Georgia
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Polk
Established	1872
Webpage	http://www.rockmart-ga.gov/
Government
- Type	Mayor-Council
- Mayor	Curtis Lewis
Area
- Total	4.3 sq mi (11.3 km²)
- Land	4.3 sq mi (11.2 km²)
- Water	0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	781 ft (238 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,870
- Density	900/sq mi (342.5/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	30153
Area code(s)	770
FIPS code	13-66276^[1]
GNIS feature ID	0356502^[2]

Rockmart was named for its economic position as a major quarry and rock market.

Rockmart is a city in Polk County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,870 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 Performing Arts
5 Expansion
6 Recreation
7 External links
8 References

[edit] Geography

Rockmart is located at 34°0′14″N, 85°2′57″W (34.003952, -85.049202)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.3 km²), of which, 4.3 square miles (11.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.69%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,870 people, 1,541 households, and 1,027 families residing in the city. The population density was 892.0 people per square mile (344.3/km²). There were 1,681 housing units at an average density of 387.5/sq mi (149.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.82% White, 18.48% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.50% of the population.

There were 1,541 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,171, and the median income for a family was $36,906. Males had a median income of $31,714 versus $22,381 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,272. About 12.8% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

Rockmart is a part of the Polk County School District.

Rockmart has one high school, Rockmart High School (encompassing grades 9-12), attended by students from the surrounding community of Aragon. Rockmart High School has many sports and extra curricular activities including football, soccer, and theatre. Rockmart High School's Theatre troupe has earned second place in their regional One Act Competition a consecutive 5 years. The city also has a middle school, Rockmart Middle School (encompassing grades 6-8), two elementary schools, Eastside Elementary School and Goodyear Elementary School, and a kindergarten, Euharlee Kindergarten. There is also a Polk County campus for nearby Coosa Valley Technical College located in Rockmart.

It was the home of the now closed Anneewakee Treatment Center for Emotionally Disturbed Youth.

Downtown Rockmart (Left Side).

Downtown Rockmart (Right Side).

[edit] Performing Arts

Rockmart has many different theatrical events throughout the year, mostly produced by the Rockmart High School Thespians. Past shows have included Into The Woods,The Diviners, Pippin, and Dearly Departed. Each year, the RHS Thespians participate in the regional One Act Competition, in which schools perform different theatrical pieces and awards are given for the best overall performance. Rockmart High School Thespians have achieved the second place regional title for six consecutive years as well as having earned top honors as "Best in Region" and "Best in State" in 1986, with actor, Tony "Chuck" Millican earning the award of "Best Actor" at both competitions. Luke Camp, a current student, also won "Best Actor" for the region in 2007 for his portrayal of Horton, the Elephant in the fall production of 'Seussical, Jr!'. Rockmart High School does not have a performing space for the thespians, but they are allowed to use the historic Rockmart Theater in downtown Rockmart for their contributions to the upkeep of the Art Center. The theater just recently underwent a vast renovation.

Rockmart Art Center Theatre.

The Rockmart Theatre is also the venue for the debut of the Bluegrass-Funk-Fusion band, 'The Rockmart Guitar Trio' - featuring Rob Lawhon and Mike Brown. They produced soundtracks for Department of Motor Vehicle Safety training videos.

Also a very important part of performing arts in Rockmart is The Rockmart High Marching Yellow Jackets. The band has won a best in show at the 2006 Haralson County Marching competition.

There is also a chorus class taught at Rockmart High School, which performs several concerts a year. A city-wide chorus also provides entertainment to the community.

[edit] Expansion

In the mid 1990s, Rockmart saw a boom in its expansion. Eating establishments, shopping areas, and several new housing areas are appearing more in the Rockmart area. In 2007, a Walmart Supercenter store was opened.