Snapshots of Georgia: Dade County, 1994 June

Numbers on map are the Council ofEconomic Development Organizations (CEDO) Regions

SNAPSHOTS OF County Description

G E O R G

A Dade County, in Georgia's extreme northwestern comer, was established in 1837, a year before

the federal government began removing the original inhabitants, the Cherokee Indians. Carved

from western Walker County, Dade County was the 91 st county created in the state.

With a population of 13,147, Dade County is Georgia's 97th most populous county.

It is one of Georgia's smallest counties (149th in size), with only 174 square miles of area.

Dade County is located in CEDO Region 1 and the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center. It is part of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county is in the 9th U.S. Congressional District, the 53rd State Senatorial District, and the 1st State House District.

Community Dade County
Trenton

Population
19701 19801

Growth

The county has only one municipality,

1990 1910--1980 I 1980-1990 Trenton, the county seat. Trenton's 1990

9910 12318 13147

24.3%

6.7% population was 1,994.

1523

1636

1994

7.4%

21.9% Interstate 59 bisects the county, passing

through a highly scenic valley between the Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain plateaus.

The bluffs running along the tops of the two plateaus are popular home sites because of the spectacular views. To date, most homeowners have kept enough trees to preserve views towards their properties, but continuing development will likely hurt the scenic values ofthe local landscape.

Located "on the backside of Lookout Mountain," Dade County was for many years unknown to most Georgians. Until a long-delayed state highway over the mountain was finally completec. in 1948, the only reliable route to the county by automobile was through Alabama or Tennessee.

In the late 1980s, the county built a new courthouse, jail, and library in downtown Trenton. The old courthouse, a 1926 brick structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was retained. It still stands in the center of the town square.

Demographics

The county experienced relatively slow growth in the 1980s, with its

population increasing about 6.1 %, compared to the statewide growth rate

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of almost 19%.

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Dade County's population is overwhelmingly white; less than

County
Eil State

$100-149,999 $75-99,999

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cf.

50% +---+------>---<

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State County

1% of its residents are black.
Median household income growth has also lagged behind the

.. $50-74,999 l
C
$40-49,999 g: :::r 0
$30-39,999 C:

1970

1980

1990

2000 2010 state, growing by 54% during the

1980s, compared to the state's 93% rate.

5"
$20-29,999 8
3 $10-19,999 ID

Per capita income lags well behind that of the state as a whole, measuring only $10,728, compared to the statewide level of $17,045.

$5-9,999 <$5,000

30% 23% 15% 8% % of Households

Demographics-cont'd

D

A

D

E

Dade County's per capita income is only about 57% of that of the U.S. During the 1980s, its C O U N T Y

per capita income level fell almost 5% relative to that of the U.S.

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The county was I09th on the Georgia Department of Revenue's 1992 ,,,,,;,c,,,,,,,., .7"""

Master Economic Rank, based on taxable sales, automobile registrations, income reported for tax purposes, and net property tax digest..

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....,..

The percentage of the county's residents living below the poverty level is virtually the same as the rate for the state as a whole-14.6% vs. 14.7%.

Almost 45% of Dade County's population has

not completed high school vs. the state's 29.1 %.

1970

1980

1990

-

State County

2000

100%

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75% C ~

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50%

~ 0

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>- 25% :,

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3

(I)

2010

Almost two-thirds of the county's workers commute to other counties,

many to Chattanooga which is less than 30 minutes away from most of

Dade County.

Manufacturing is the largest employment sector in Dade County, with

0 <HSGrad

about 24% of the county's jobs. Services follows closely with about 23%, then retail with 16%. The largest manufacturing plant in the county is a

0 HSGrad

carpet yarn factory employing 350 workers.

II Coll Not Grad
CollGrad+

Second is an apparel manufacturer with 160 workers.
Farming is important to the county's economy,

employing 213 workers. Gross farm value is over $9 million, with about

85% of this value in poultry farms (broilers and layers).

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5% ~ -0 0 '<
3% ~

Dade County's unemployment rate has been close to that of the state

-

County

from 1980-1991, running slightly higher most of the time.

1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990

Governments
Dade County has a commission-administrator form of government.

$$$ Per Capita ~ - - - ~ 500

In FY 1993, the county generated less revenue than other counties in the same population group - $301.45 per capita vs. an average of $396.63. For general fund operating expenditures, Dade County expended $277 per capita vs. $311.45 for the group.

The county collects a Local Option Sales Tax and a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax

300

(SPLOST). The SPLOST is being collected for roads, streets, bridges, and capital outlay projects.

The county's outstanding FY 1993 debt of $19.02 per capita was all held in short-term loans.
Atthe end of FY 1993, the county had no cash and investment assets. The other counties in the same population group had an average of $286.14 per capita.
The county and cities have an approved and adopted solid waste management plan and are currently eligible for solid waste grants, loans, and permits.

200
100 All Counties

Dade County and all of its municipalities have an approved and adopted joint comprehensive plan. River Corridor Protection requirements do not apply for the county or its municipalities.

General

General

Revenues Operating

Expenditures

Concludes on back page I@?

DCA Financial Assistance
Between July 1, 1990 and May 15, 1994, Dade County received only one grant from DCA, a Community Development Block Grant of $394,041 to construct a senior citizens center. Trenton received no DCA financial assistance during that period.
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
SPECIAL PROJECTS SECTION
1200 Equitable Building 100 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30303 (404) 656-3851
An F,q_ual Opportunity Employer