The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office has announced a traffic plan for the Jim R. Miller Park area for the 2024 North Georgia State Fair, September 19-29, Jim Miller Fairgrounds, 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta.
The announcement states that the goal is to reduce congestion in surrounding residential areas and facilitate parking for the event.
The biggest change is that access to Callaway Road will be restricted to local traffic.
“Sheriff’s deputies will restrict access from Callaway Road to Al Bishop Drive and will post clear signs indicating that the fair parking lot is not accessible from Callaway Road,” the announcement said.
Traffic from Powder Springs Road and Austell Road will be detoured to County Services Parkway for parking access.
Other key elements of the transportation plan listed in the announcement include:
- Officers will reserve two of the three lanes on Al Bishop Drive for westbound traffic to the parking lots. Officers will also be deployed to direct traffic from County Services Parkway.
- A shuttle service will be available from the Cobb County Safety Village near the parking lots to take fairgoers to the main entrance.
- The pick-up and drop-off zone for Uber/Lyft is also located in the Safety Village.
- The Cobb DOT Traffic Management Center will be in operation during fair hours to monitor traffic lights at area intersections and adjust timing to avoid long backups on Callaway Road.
“We believe this traffic plan will work,” Major Jacob Huval told residents at an open house this week. “This new traffic flow should keep traffic moving on Callaway Road and help avoid the long backups that residents have experienced in recent years.”
According to the announcement:
Residents of residential areas off Callaway Road have long been concerned about traffic congestion, which has gotten worse as the fair’s popularity has grown. Parking in these residential areas is also a problem. County Manager Dr. Jackie McMorris assured residents that officials will hold a follow-up meeting after the fair to review the effectiveness of the traffic plan and determine if any further changes are needed.
About the City of Marietta
The City of Marietta is the county seat of Cobb County. According to the most recent estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, the city’s population is 62,769, making it the second largest city in Cobb County, smaller only than the newly established city of Mableton.
Here are some quick facts from the Census Bureau
| Population | |
| Population estimates, 1 July 2023, (V2023) | 62,769 |
| Basis for population estimates, 1 April 2020, (V2023) | 61,073 |
| Population, percentage change – 1 April 2020 (estimate basis) to 1 July 2023 (V2023) | 2.8% |
| Population, census, April 1, 2020 | 60,972 |
| Population, census, April 1, 2010 | 56,579 |
| Age and gender | |
| Persons under 5 years, percent | 6.0% |
| Persons under 18 years, percent | 20.7% |
| Persons aged 65 and over, percent | 14.2% |
| Female persons, percent | 51.3% |
| Race and Hispanic origin | |
| White alone, percent | 45.3% |
| Black or African American alone, percent(a) | 30.8% |
| American Indians and Alaska Natives alone, percent(a) | 1.3% |
| Asians alone, percent(a) | 2.1% |
| Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders alone, percent(a) | 0.0% |
| Two or more races, percent | 8.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino, percent (b) | 18.8% |
| Whites only, not Hispanics or Latinos, percent | 42.4% |
| Population characteristics | |
| Veterans, 2018-2022 | 2,377 |
| Foreign-born persons, percent, 2018–2022 | 17.2% |
| Housing | |
| Residential units, July 1, 2023, (V2023) | X |
| Condominium rate, 2018-2022 | 46.2% |
| Median value of condominiums, 2018-2022 | 376,400 USD |
| Average selected monthly owner costs – with mortgage, 2018-2022 | $2,050 |
| Average selected monthly owner costs – without mortgage, 2018-2022 | 569 $ |
| Average gross rent, 2018–2022 | 1,372 USD |
| Building permits, 2023 | X |
| Families and living conditions | |
| Households, 2018-2022 | 24,403 |
| Persons per household, 2018-2022 | 2.39 |
| Lived in the same house one year ago, percentage of people aged one year and over, 2018-2022 | 79.1% |
| Languages other than English spoken at home, percentage of persons aged 5 and over, 2018-2022 | 24.3% |
| Computer and Internet use | |
| Households with computers, percent, 2018–2022 | 97.2% |
| Households with broadband internet connection, percent, 2018–2022 | 91.3% |
| Training | |
| High school graduate or higher, percentage of persons aged 25 and over, 2018-2022 | 88.5% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher, percentage of persons aged 25 and over, 2018-2022 | 45.8% |
| Health | |
| With a disability, under 65 years, percent, 2018-2022 | 6.7% |
| Persons without health insurance, under 65 years, percent | 21.6% |
| Business | |
| Share of the total civilian workforce in the population aged 16 and over, 2018–2022 | 67.6% |
| Share of the civilian workforce, female, in the population aged 16 and over, 2018-2022 | 61.1% |
| Total revenue in accommodation and food service, 2017 (US$ 1,000)(c) | 282,938 |
| Total health and social assistance revenue/receipts, 2017 (1,000 USD)(c) | 2,324,868 |
| Total revenue/sales from transportation and warehousing, 2017 (1,000 USD)(c) | 492,100 |
| Total retail sales 2017 (1,000 USD)(c) | 2,099,654 |
| Total retail sales per capita, 2017(c) | 34,643 USD |
| transport | |
| Average travel time to work (minutes), employees aged 16 and over, 2018–2022 | 27.3 |
| Income & Poverty | |
| Median household income (in 2022 dollars), 2018-2022 | 67,589 USD |
| Per capita income in the last 12 months (in 2022 dollars), 2018-2022 | 40,767 USD |
| People in poverty, percent | 12.8% |
| Pursue | |
| Total number of employers, 2022 | X |
| Total employment, 2022 | X |
| Total annual payroll, 2022 ($1,000) | X |
| Total employment, percentage change, 2021-2022 | X |
| Total number of establishments without employers, 2021 | X |
| All employer companies, reference year 2017 | 3,152 |
| Male-led employer companies, reference year 2017 | 1,993 |
| Women-led employer companies, reference year 2017 | S |
| Minority-owned employer companies, reference year 2017 | 505 |
| Employer companies that are not minority-owned, reference year 2017 | 2.146 |
| Veteran-owned employer companies, reference year 2017 | 193 |
| Non-veteran-owned employer companies, reference year 2017 | 2,443 |
| geography | |
| Population per square mile, 2020 | 2,602.0 |
| Population per square mile, 2010 | 2,451.4 |
| Land area in square miles, 2020 | 23.43 |
| Land area in square miles, 2010 | 23.08 |
| FIPS code | 1349756 |
