Rome, Georgia
Rome is the largest city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Georgia, United States. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, it is the principal city of the Rome, Georgia, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Floyd County. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 37,713. It is the largest city in Northwest Georgia and the 26th-largest city in the state.
This article is about the city in the U.S. state of Georgia. For the Italian capital, see Rome. For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation).
Rome, Georgia
United States
December 20, 1834
Rome, Italy
- Sundai Stevenson – Mayor
- Mark Cochran – Mayor Pro Tem
- Bonny Askew
- Elaina Beeman
- Jim Bojo
- William "Bill" Collins
- Jamie Doss
- Craig McDaniel
- Randy Quick
Sammy Rich
32.45 sq mi (84.05 km2)
31.68 sq mi (82.05 km2)
0.77 sq mi (1.99 km2)
614 ft (187 m)
37,713
1,190.40/sq mi (459.61/km2)
96,317
Roman
13-66668[4]
0356504[5]
Rome was founded in 1834, after Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, and the federal government committed to removing the Cherokee and other Native Americans from the Southeast. It developed on former indigenous territory at the confluence of the Etowah and the Oostanaula rivers, which together form the Coosa River. Because of its strategic advantages, this area was long occupied by the historic Creek. Later the Cherokee people expanded into this area from their traditional homelands to the east and northeast. National leaders such as Major Ridge and John Ross resided here before Indian Removal in 1838.
The city has developed on seven hills with the rivers running between them, a feature that inspired the early European-American settlers to name it for Rome, the longtime capital of Italy that was also built on seven hills. The American Rome developed in the antebellum period as a market and trading city due to its advantageous location on the rivers. It shipped the rich regional cotton commodity crop downriver to markets on the Gulf Coast and export overseas.
In the late 1920s, a United States company built a rayon plant in a joint project with an Italian company. This project and the American city of Rome were honored by Italy in 1929, when its duce Benito Mussolini sent a replica of the statue of Romulus and Remus nursing from a mother wolf, a symbol of the founding myth of the original Rome.[6]
It is the largest city near the center of the triangular area defined by the Interstate highways between Atlanta, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. It has developed as a regional center for the fields of medical care and education. In addition to its public-school system, it has several private schools. Higher-level institutions include private Berry College and Shorter University, and the public Georgia Northwestern Technical College and Georgia Highlands College.
Economy[edit]
Rome has long had the strength of economic diversity, with an economy founded in manufacturing, education, healthcare, technology, tourism, and other industries.[43] In 1954, General Electric established a factory to build medium transformers. In the 1960s, Rome contributed to the American effort in the Vietnam War when the Rome Plow Company produced Rome plows, large armored vehicles used by the U.S. military to clear jungles. In the latter part of the 20th century, many carpet mills prospered in the areas surrounding Rome.
Rome is also well known in the region for its medical facilities, particularly Floyd Medical Center, Redmond Regional Medical Center, and Harbin Clinic. Partnering with these facilities for physician development and medical education is the Northwest Georgia Clinical Campus of the Medical College of Georgia, which is part of Georgia Health Sciences University.
National companies that are part of Rome's technology industry include Brugg Cable and Telecom,[44] Suzuki Manufacturing of America,[45] automobile parts makers Neaton Rome[46] and F&P Georgia, Peach State Labs,[47] and the North American headquarters of Pirelli Tire.[48] Other major companies in Rome include State Mutual Insurance Company.
In March 2020, Kerry Group announced plans to build a food-manufacturing facility in Rome at a cost of $125 million, the company's largest ever capital investment.[49]
Sites include:
Sites on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Floyd County, Georgia:
Sports[edit]
Since 2003, Rome has been the home of the Rome Emperors, the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Rome Emperors compete in the South Atlantic League. According to numbers released in 2010, sports tourism is a major industry in Rome and Floyd County.[51] In 2010, sport events netted over $10 million to the local economy, as reported by the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau.[52][51] Of these, tennis tournaments accounted for over $6 million to the Rome economy in 2010.[51]
Rome hosted the NAIA Football National Championship from 2008 until 2013.[53]
Rome has hosted stages of the Tour de Georgia in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
The Georgia Fire was an indoor football team that played in Rome as a member of the Professional Indoor Football League.[54]
In June 2021, Rome hosted the USATF outdoor track and field championships, which was held at Barron Stadium.
Government[edit]
The city of Rome commission-manager form of government was adopted in 1918. The city's charter as approved by the legislature authorized a nine-member City Commission and a five-member Board of Education, to be elected concurrently, on an at-large basis by a plurality of the vote. The city was divided into nine wards, with one city commissioner from each ward to be chosen in the citywide election. There was no residency requirement for Board of Education candidates.
In 1966, after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was passed, the city amended its charter with approval by the state legislature, reducing the number of wards from nine to three, with commission members to be elected by at-large voting to numbered positions, three for each ward, with three wards in total. Candidates were required to win by majority vote, with run-off elections between the top two candidates for each seat if no majority emerged after the first round of voting.
From 1964 to 1975, the legislature approved the city's 60 acts for annexations, which appropriated mostly areas with white-majority populations.
At the same time, the board of education was increased to six members elected from three wards, with two numbered positions to be elected at-large from the city for each ward, A majority vote was required to win, with runoff procedures to apply to the top two candidates if no majority was achieved. A residency requirement was added for the board members.
This entire proposal was subject to review under the VRA. The city challenged the attorney general's authority to reject the annexation and electoral systems for each, as plaintiffs believed the reduction in seats and requirement for majority ranking to win would dilute the voting power of the African-American minority. In 1970, the city had a population of 30,759, with an ethnic composition of 76.6% White and 23.4% Black. Under the state constitution and previous practices making voter registration difficult, African Americans had been essentially disenfranchised since the turn of the 20th century.
In City of Rome v. United States, 446 U.S. 156 (1980), the US Supreme Court ruled on the city's argument that the attorney general had acted incorrectly in failing to approve the city's changes to its election system and its annexations. (The city did not seek pre-clearance of its charter changes to its election system in 1966, nor did it get approval of its 60 annexations from November 1, 1964, to February 10, 1975, which were both required under the law.)
The court upheld the constitutionality of the act, including the prohibition of unintentional discrimination to mitigate the potential that a jurisdiction may engage in intentional discrimination. Because of these findings, the court affirmed the lower court ruling.
In the 2000 census, White Americans made up 63.12% of the population, African Americans made up 27.66% of the city's population, and other minorities comprised the remainder. A total of 10.36% of residents identified as Hispanics of any race. The nine-member commission elects a mayor and vice mayor from among its members for specific terms. In addition, the commission hires a city manager for daily operations.
Commission members are elected at-large from three wards of the city; each ward has three seats on the commission. All voters vote for candidates for each position; and candidates may be elected by plurality voting. Members are elected for four-year staggered terms, with commissioners from wards 1 and 3 elected at the same time, and commissioners from ward 2 two years later.[55]
Education[edit]
Public schools[edit]
The Rome City School District, which serves the whole city limits,[56] holds grades preschool to grade 12, operating seven elementary schools,North Heights shutting down in 2019/2020. It has two secondary schools, Rome Middle School, and Rome High School.[57] The district has 323 full-time teachers and more than 5,395 students.[58]
The Floyd County School District is for families outside the city limits.[56] Two of its high schools are not in the city limits but have Rome postal addresses: Armuchee High School and Coosa High School.
Private schools[edit]
Rome has several private schools:
Aerial view of downtown Rome, circa 1989
Downtown Rome
The Rome Area History Museum
Rome City Hall and Auditorium. The statue of Romulus and Remus nursing from the Capitoline Wolf stands in front of the building.
This house, built in 1892, at 315 East Fourth Street was destroyed by a falling tree in April 2011.
Rome Town Green
Chief John Ross pedestrian bridge
Stained Glass at St. Peter's Episcopal Church
