Rockmart

Name of Location: Rockmart State: Georgia County: Polk

Rockmart is located in Polk County, Georgia, and is 27 miles west of Marietta, Georgia, and 41 miles northwest of Atlanta, Georgia. It had a population of 3,870 in 2000 and a total area of 4.4 square miles. Some 4.3 square miles of it is land and the other 0.04 square mile is water.

At least 3,870 people lived in Rockmart based on the 2000 census. Households and families were 1,541 and 1,027 respectively. The population density for every mile was 892.0.

Among its people, at least 1.50% was Hispanic. Some 79.
82% were White, 18.48% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.39% other races, and 0.88% were from two or more races.

Some 1.17% of the 55.92% in Rockmart affiliated with a religion were Catholics; 53.38% were Protestant; 0.31% was LDS; 1.04% was of another Christian faith; and 0.02% was of an Eastern faith.

Among the 1,541 households, 31.9% had children below 18 years old. Households with married couples were 45.6% while 16.8% had a female head of household. Some 33.3% were considered non-family members and individuals constituting a household were 29.8%, with 14.0% persons 65 and older living alone. The average size for a household was 2.47 and 3.04 for a family.

Most of the people in Rockmart belonged to the 25 to 44 age bracket, with 27.3%. The other age groups were 18 to 24, with 8.7%, 45 to 64, with 20.6%, and 65 years of age or older, with 16.7% of the population.

The ratio of males versus females was 84.9 males for every 100 females and for those 18 years and older, the ratio was 77.3 males for every 100 females. Males had a higher median income, $31,714, against the $22,381 for females. The income per capita in the city was $16,272. For a household, the median income was $32,171 and for a family was $36,906. Poverty affected some 16.9% of the population and 12.8% of the families. This included 21.3% of those below 18 years old and 14.4% of those aged 65 or over.

Different business establishments cater to the needs of the community and have started growing since the mid 1990s. Nevertheless, there is still a 10.30% unemployment rate in the city.

On education, Rockmart spends at least $4,825 for each student. It has only one high school, a middle school, two elementary schools, and a kindergarten. They are the Rockmart High School, Rockmart Middle School, Eastside Elementary School, Goodyear Elementary School, and Euharlee Kindergarten. It is also home to Coosa Valley Technical College.

Rockmart High School serves students from grades 9 to 12 and is also attended by students from Aragon. The school is part of the Polk County School District and has many sports and extra-curricular activities.

There are numerous attractions in the city, but the performing arts stand out. Arts organisations include the Rockmart Thespians and the Rockmart High Marching Yellow Jackets. They do not only exist to compete against other artists or organisations but to also entertain the Rockmart community.