Ft. Oglethorpe may be Georgia's newest city, but it has long history

Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 7/14/14. Janelle Jenkins pushes her two-year-old daughter Gabrielle Harris on the swing while at Gilbert-Stephenson City Park in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., on July 14, 2014.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 7/14/14. Janelle Jenkins pushes her two-year-old daughter Gabrielle Harris on the swing while at Gilbert-Stephenson City Park in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., on July 14, 2014.

Location: Roughly 9 miles south of downtown Chattanooga in Catoosa County, Ga.

Size: 13 square miles

Population: 9,590

Founded: Incorporated in 1949, Fort Oglethorpe is Georgia's newest city. It's named after James Edward Oglethorpe, Georgia's founder, and it stands on the site of a former U.S. Army post.

Government: Earl Gray is mayor. Mayor pro tem is Paula Stinnett. City Council members are Craig Crawford, Rhonda James, Derek Rogers and Jim Childs.

Schools: Battlefield Primary, Battlefield Elementary, Cloud Springs Elementary, Lakeview Middle, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High

Attraction: Fort Oglethorpe is the home of the 6th Cavalry Museum. It preserves the rich military history of the "Fighting Sixth," which was stationed at The Post at Fort Oglethorpe from 1919-1942. Generations of Americans who served their country entered or left through Fort Oglethorpe.

Historical note: The National Park Service worked with Fort Oglethorpe citizens and elected officials to develop the Highway 27 bypass around the Battlefield, which opened in 1998 to relieve the Battlefield of commercial traffic and return the park one step closer to its original purpose as "sacred grounds."

Famous landmark: Fort Oglethorpe serves as the main entrance to the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, the oldest and largest of America's Civil War Parks.

Quote: "The businesses are growing quite well, with a lot of new stores opening up, a lot of different types of stores. That ought to bring more traffic to North Georgia."

- Jerry Sear, owner of Sear's Shoe Store in Fort Oglethorpe

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