| Official Name: | Powder Springs, Georgia |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | "Small enough to know you...Large enough to serve you"[1] |
| Mapsize: | 250x200px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Georgia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cobb |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Al Thurman |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 19.26 |
| Area Land Km2: | 19.23 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.03 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 7.44 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 7.43 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 16887 |
| Population Density Km2: | 878.03 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2274.04 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 33.8658°N -84.6803°W |
| Elevation M: | 288 |
| Elevation Ft: | 945 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 30127 |
| Area Code: | 770/678/470 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 13-62524[3] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0356480[4] |
Powder Springs is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 13,940 at the 2010 census,[5] with an estimated population for 2019 of 15,758.[6] The 12,000-capacity Walter H. Cantrell Stadium is located in Powder Springs. It is used mostly for football and soccer matches.
The town of Powder Springs was incorporated as Springville in 1838 in the lands of two Cherokee leaders. Gold had been discovered in Georgia 10 years earlier, and the first European-American settlers came to find gold. The settlers found little gold in the mines at Lost Mountain and off Brownsville Road. It was at about this time that the Cherokee people were forced off their land and removed to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River on the Trail of Tears.
Springville was renamed Powder Springs in 1859. The name was derived from the seven springs in the city limits.[7] The water in these springs contains some 26 minerals that turn the surrounding sand black like gunpowder – hence the earlier name of Gunpowder Springs.[8]
Civil War history includes a skirmish at Lattermore's Mills on June 20, 1864, which was a part of the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain and General Sherman's Atlanta Campaign.[9] Many slaves escaped the plantations in this area to join Sherman's forces and gain freedom.
In 2015, the city elected its first black mayor, Al Thurman. He was the first African-American to be elected as a mayor in Cobb County, but was one of several elected in small towns in Georgia in 2015.[10] [11]
Powder Springs is located in southwestern Cobb County at 33.8658°N -84.6803°W (33.865933, -84.680349).[12] U.S. Route 278 (C. H. James Parkway) passes through the city west of its center, leading 5miles southeast to Austell and northwest to Dallas. Downtown Atlanta is to the east via US 278 and Interstate 20.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Powder Springs has a total area of 18.6sqkm, of which 0.03sqkm, or 0.17%, is water.[5]
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,287 | 25.39% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 9,180 | 54.36% | |
| Native American | 38 | 0.23% | |
| Asian | 268 | 1.59% | |
| Pacific Islander | 6 | 0.04% | |
| Other/Mixed | 773 | 4.58% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,335 | 13.83% |
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,481 people, 4,004 households, and 3,267 families residing in the city. The population density was 1969.2sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 4,101 housing units at an average density of 647/mi2 The racial makeup of the city was 57.89% African American, 37.38% Caucasian, 0.20% Native American, 1.08% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.72% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.32% of the population.
There were 4,004 households, out of which 50.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.06 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $56,486, and the median income for a family was $59,392. Males had a median income of $41,345 versus $31,774 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,776. About 5.8% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Powder Springs Public Schools are part of the Cobb County School District, including McEachern High School, located on the site of the former Native American burial ground and the former Seventh District Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) School.
The late Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell attended the Seventh District A&M School. The administrative building of McEachern High School is named for Senator Russell.
Other schools in Powder Springs include Hillgrove High School, Tapp Middle School, Dobbins Middle School, Powder Springs Elementary School, Lovinggood Middle School, Varner Elementary, Compton Elementary, Kemp Elementary, Still Elementary, and Vaughan Elementary.[17]
The Bright Side is a newspaper serving Powder Springs and several other small cities.[10]