The Bartow County Georgia map organizes a county where the Etowah River valley, Lake Allatoona, and the Interstate 75 corridor create three distinct geographic threads. Cartersville supplies the central point of orientation; Adairsville, Emerson, Euharlee, Kingston, Taylorsville, and White identify the county’s northern, southern, western, and lakeside sectors.
Table of Contents
Bartow County map download
A WEBP copy handles the page preview, and the button delivers the same geographic coverage as a downloadable JPG.
- Included: County perimeter and selected city labels
- Download: JPG
- Best scale: Countywide place orientation
Quick Facts
| State | Georgia |
|---|---|
| County | Bartow County |
| Seat and largest city | Cartersville |
| Created | December 3, 1832 |
| Renamed Bartow | 1861 |
| 2020 census population | 108,901 |
| 2025 population estimate | 120,800 |
| 2020 land area | 458.91 square miles |
| FIPS code | 13015 |
| Places labeled | Cartersville, Adairsville, Emerson, Euharlee, Kingston, Taylorsville, White |
| Download | JPG |
The 108,901 figure is the April 1, 2020 decennial count. The Census Bureau’s July 1, 2025 estimate is 120,800, representing 11.0 percent growth from its adjusted 2020 estimates base. The county had 237.3 residents per square mile in 2020. Keeping the reference year and the type of statistic attached to each number prevents an estimate from being mistaken for a census count.
What the Map Shows
Cartersville sits slightly southeast of the county’s center. Adairsville marks the north, White the northeast, and Kingston the northwest. Emerson is south of Cartersville along I‑75. Euharlee and Taylorsville occupy the western and southwestern side beyond the main north–south urban corridor.
Transportation reinforces that layout. I‑75 and U.S. 41 connect Emerson, Cartersville, and Adairsville on the Atlanta–Chattanooga axis. U.S. 411 reaches Cartersville from the northeast and continues west toward Rome. State Routes 20, 61, 113, and 140 distribute traffic between the lake-facing east and the smaller communities west of the Etowah.
The county perimeter should not be read as a substitute for incorporated-city polygons. Nor does the artwork carry parcel lines, zoning districts, school attendance areas, flood zones, or a routable street network. Use Bartow County GIS and the responsible agency’s live layer for any decision tied to an address, especially near the branching Lake Allatoona shoreline.
County Layout and Location
Bartow lies where Georgia’s Piedmont gives way to the Appalachian foothills northwest of Atlanta. Gordon County borders it on the north, Pickens on the northeast, Cherokee on the east, Cobb on the southeast, Paulding on the south, Polk on the southwest, and Floyd on the west. The county therefore connects suburban Atlanta with Rome and the corridor toward Chattanooga.
Lake Allatoona’s arms and Red Top Mountain peninsula dominate the east and southeast. The Etowah Valley and Cartersville occupy the middle, while lower ridges and more rural land extend through the Euharlee, Taylorsville, and Kingston side. Those contrasts make a single county outline contain a lakeside recreation district, an interstate-centered urban band, and a western river landscape.
The Etowah River runs west across Bartow and eventually joins the Oostanaula at Rome to form the Coosa. Upstream of Allatoona Dam, the reservoir fills the Etowah and Allatoona Creek arms. Red Top Mountain State Park occupies the peninsula at their junction, while Euharlee Creek enters the Etowah from the western part of the county.
Local Context
The Georgia legislature formed the county from Cherokee County on December 3, 1832. It began as Cass County, named for Lewis Cass, during the era of Cherokee dispossession and state land lotteries. That origin is essential context for an administrative boundary imposed on a landscape where Native communities had lived for generations.
In 1861 the county took the name of Francis S. Bartow, a Georgia officer killed at First Manassas. Cassville, the original seat, was heavily damaged by Union forces in 1864. County government moved to Cartersville in 1867, adding administrative importance to a town already favored by the Western and Atlantic Railroad.
Three miles south of Cartersville, the Etowah Indian Mounds preserve part of a 54-acre Mississippian-period town beside the river. At least six mounds survive, and the largest rises a little more than 60 feet. The site links the fertile floodplain visible in physical geography to centuries of settlement well before the present county existed.
Red Top Mountain State Park covers 1,776 acres beside Lake Allatoona, a reservoir of roughly 12,000 acres. More than 15 miles of trails cross land known for iron-rich red soil and a mining past. Farther south, Emerson’s interstate access and major sports complex have added a newer visitor and development node to the county.
Ways to Use This Map
Divide the county mentally into the I‑75 spine, the eastern lake, and the Etowah corridor west of Cartersville. Once the relevant sector is identified, add only the specialized layer needed for the question—roads for travel, hydrology for drainage, or GIS polygons for jurisdiction.
- Trace directions from Cartersville to each of the seven labeled municipalities
- Relate the Etowah River, Lake Allatoona, and Red Top Mountain to the settlement pattern
- Explain the transfer of the county seat from Cassville to Cartersville
- Set a geographic frame before examining growth along I‑75, U.S. 41, or U.S. 411
- Verify legal, parcel, school, or flood questions in the appropriate official system
Frequently Asked Questions
Is all of Lake Allatoona inside Bartow County?
No. The reservoir spans Bartow and Cherokee counties. This page establishes the Bartow-side relationship among Cartersville, Emerson, Red Top Mountain, and the lake; federal and local jurisdictional sources are needed for a precise shoreline or facility location.
Why is Cartersville the seat instead of Cassville?
Cassville was the first seat but suffered severe destruction during the Civil War in 1864. Cartersville had rail and commercial advantages, and county government relocated there in 1867.
How do the preview and saved image differ?
The webpage serves a WEBP image, whereas the button provides JPG. Their place labels and geographic extent match. Both remain illustrative images, without the coordinate precision or legal standing of survey and GIS data.
Is 120,800 an official census count?
It is the Census Bureau’s estimate for July 1, 2025. The latest decennial count is 108,901 as of April 1, 2020. A citation should identify both the date and whether the value is a count or estimate.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: population, area, density, and FIPS
- New Georgia Encyclopedia: county formation and regional history
- Georgia Department of Community Affairs: county and municipal plans
- Georgia State Parks: Red Top Mountain and Lake Allatoona
Related County Maps
- Charlton County map and the Georgia–Florida border region
- Chatham County map and coastal Georgia
- Georgia state map and county index
- Dawson County map and the North Georgia foothills
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