Mableton, Georgia

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, most of the land in present-day southern Cobb County belonged to the Cherokee and Creek. Two Native American villages were established near the area that will later become known as Mableton - the settlements of Sweet Water Town and Nickajack. Both tribes coinhabited the area peacefully, with one legend claiming that eventual ownership of the area by the Cherokee was settled via a ball game.{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=The Mable House: Historic Structure Report |url=https://heritagepreservation.gsu.edu/files/2015/04/1-75-mable-house.pdf}} One of the early known records of white Europeans being aware of the inhabitants is an 1839 map depicting a 'Nickajack Creek' converging with the Chattahoochee River south and west of the Standing Peachtree settlement.{{Cite web |title=Home, Gann Historical Society & Library, Inc. |url=http://gannhistoricalsociety.com/ |access-date=September 14, 2020 |website=Gann Historical Society & Library, Inc. |language=en-US}}

File:Robert Mable.jpg

The town was named after Scottish immigrant Robert Mable (October 18, 1803 – July 7, 1885), who on September 11, 1843, bought 300 acres (approximately 120 hectares or 1.2 km²) of land in southern Cobb County from the Georgia Land Lottery of 1832. Mable was a millwright and farmer who grew cotton, corn, potatoes, and sorghum in the area; he owned between 11 and 48 slaves by 1860. According to oral interviews, Mable was a "fair and kind" enslaver who educated slave children alongside his own, and eventually also liberated his slaves before any government mandate ordered him to. The Robert Mable House and Cemetery, located off U.S. 78 on Floyd Road just north of Clay Road, now includes an amphitheater which hosts public events.{{cite web |title=MABLETON, Cobb County. Incorporated as a town, August 19, 1912 to August 17, 1916. The post office was established June 28, 1882 |url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/m.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205174827/http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:6E8BuaIUIDEJ:www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/m.pdf+mableton+incorporated&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=April 4, 2019 |publisher=Archive.is}}

More white settlers moved into the northern edge of Mableton by Nickajack Creek, near Smyrna, in the mid-1800s. They formed a community initially known as Mill Grove and later Nickajack. The creek provided ample power to run grist, saw, cotton, and woolen mills. A covered bridge, originally built c. 1848–1850, traverses the stream and is now part of a historical district. It is one of the few remaining covered bridges in Georgia, and still highly active today after it was later buttressed to handle automobile traffic. A notable resident of the area during that period was John Gann, Cobb County's first state senator. His home, built in 1841, still stands today and is also part of the historical district.

During the Atlanta campaign of the Civil War, Union officers Walter Q. Gresham and Francis P. Blair Jr. of the XVII Corps reached Mableton on July 3, 1864, after the Union defeat at Kennesaw. Gresham replenished his troops' supplies and received medical care at Robert Mable's house, and camped for the night before advancing to Atlanta.{{Cite web |title=The Mable House |url=https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/the-mable-house/ |access-date=September 9, 2020 |website=Georgia Historical Society |date=June 16, 2014 |language=en-US}} The house was spared from the carnage of Sherman's March to the Sea.{{Cite news |last=Tiller |first=Katie |title=Mableton's namesake still has ties to community |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/mableton-namesake-still-has-ties-community/Db8US5fKBGPfdmPyYbf58M/ |access-date=September 9, 2020 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=en}}

File:Mableton Depot.jpg

The Georgia Pacific Railway (later absorbed by Southern Railway and today known as the Norfolk Southern Railway) opened a railroad station in Mableton in December 1881. The chief engineer erected a sign displaying 'Mableton' upon completion of the station in honor of Robert. The first train from Atlanta arrived at the station just before Christmas. Shortly after, the post office was established on June 28, 1882. This replaced the post office in Bryantville, a former settlement about {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} southeast. The arrival of the railroad allowed Mableton to act as a commercial hub for then-rural Cobb County.{{Cite web |title=Mission & Vision Statement |url=https://www.mableton.org/mission-and-vision-statement/ |access-date=September 8, 2020 |website=Mableton Improvement Coalition |language=en-US}} Cotton export flourished throughout the county from the 1890s until the Great Depression.{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/52982944 |title=Acworth |date=2003 |publisher=Arcadia |author=Acworth Society for Historic Preservation, Inc. |isbn=0-7385-1479-9 |location=Charleston, SC |oclc=52982944}}

File:Mableton Drug Store and Post Office, 1925.jpg and his wife in Mableton Drug Store and Post Office in 1925]]

On August 19, 1912, Mableton was incorporated as a town but was disincorporated on August 17, 1916.{{cite book |author=Krakow, Kenneth K. |url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/m.pdf |title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins |publisher=Winship Press |year=1975 |isbn=0-915430-00-2 |location=Macon, GA |page=139}} In that year, the town suffered from a heavy flood that overwhelmed its sewer system,{{Cite web|url=https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/08/mableton-city/|title=When Mableton first was (and shortly thereafter wasn't) a city|first=Larry Felton|last=Johnson|date=August 20, 2023|access-date=December 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223195049/https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/08/mableton-city/|archive-date=December 23, 2023|url-status=live|website=Cobb County Courier}} resulting in an unexpected tax burden being placed upon the residents for repairs. But after locals successfully demanded that a tax on storm drains be shared by all of Cobb County instead, the town's charter was revoked and Mableton was disincorporated.{{Cite web |title=Historical Sites - Taste of South Cobb |url=http://www.tasteofsouthcobb.com/historical-sites/ |access-date=September 9, 2020 |language=en-US}} Homer A. Glore, a medical doctor served as the first mayor of Mableton.{{Cite web |title=[Photograph of the Glore family, Mableton, Cobb County, Georgia, 1894] - Digital Library of Georgia |url=https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_vang_cob744 |access-date=September 19, 2020 |website=dlg.usg.edu}}

{{Empty section|date=December 2023}}

In 2020, a local initiative known as the South Cobb Alliance fostered a debate for cityhood.{{Cite web |title=South Cobb Alliance |url=https://sites.google.com/southcobballiance.org/southcobballiance/home |access-date=June 10, 2020 |website=sites.google.com |language=en-US}} A feasibility study conducted by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government stated that the potential city would generate $11.3 million in operating expenses and $14.6 million in revenue.{{Cite news |last=Kristal Dixon |first=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |title=Study shows proposed city of Mableton is financially feasible |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/study-shows-proposed-city-mableton-financially-feasible/mDMJbf11jm0Gu02M7QRXYL/ |access-date=June 10, 2020 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=en}} Alternatively, nearby Smyrna considered annexing parts of Mableton. This move would have made Smyrna the largest city in Cobb County, surpassing the county seat of Marietta, and would have ultimately disrupted Mableton's cityhood efforts.{{Cite news |last=Kristal Dixon |first=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |title=Smyrna annexation could make it largest Cobb city, but stymie Mableton |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/smyrna-annexation-could-make-largest-cobb-city-but-stymie-mableton/FMnIhCJeD1vewuP78i3nxL/ |access-date=June 10, 2020 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=en}}

Following the 2022 midterm elections, a referendum on cityhood was passed, with 13,162 in favor of Mableton's cityhood and 11,675 rejecting it.{{Cite web |date=8 November 2022 |title=Results - Election Night Reporting - Cityhood Question - Mableton |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/GA/Cobb/115499/web.307039/#/detail/49?v=312027%2F}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/voters-choose-to-incorporate-mableton-making-it-georgias-newest-city|title=Voters choose to incorporate Mableton, making it Georgia's newest city|first=Denise|last=Dillon|date=November 9, 2022|access-date=December 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224183303/https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/voters-choose-to-incorporate-mableton-making-it-georgias-newest-city|archive-date=December 24, 2023|url-status=live|website=FOX 5 Atlanta}} The majority of no votes were concentrated in the north of Mableton, where household income is higher. Human resources director Mark Sette said it was a "power grab" to annex unincorporated areas of north Mableton to "pay for all of the projects that they want down there [in south Mableton]". Thousands of people signed a petition to de-annex areas that voted no from the city.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/push-to-de-annex-from-mableton|title=Some residents push to de-annex from newly-formed Mableton|first=Denise|last=Dillon|date=January 18, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225003414/https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/push-to-de-annex-from-mableton|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=FOX 5 Atlanta}} Mableton was different in that the supporters of de-annexation were multi-racial and multi-generational while organizers of similar secession movements tended to be mainly older white residents.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-24/atlanta-suburbs-residents-want-to-secede-from-new-city-of-mableton|title=Residents of Suburban Atlanta's Newest City Are Already Trying to Secede|newspaper=Bloomberg |date=January 24, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225145419/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-24/atlanta-suburbs-residents-want-to-secede-from-new-city-of-mableton|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|via=www.bloomberg.com}}

It is the largest city in Cobb County in terms of population, with the new city incorporating about 47,000 residents.{{cite web |url=https://www.11alive.com/amp/article/news/politics/elections/mableton-cityhood-cobb-county-resuts/85-b9de2490-909c-422d-bc4b-ba37c8cdf2c1 |title=Cobb County voters decide on Mableton cityhood | Results |date=November 9, 2022}} The city limits also include areas of unincorporated Smyrna and Austell.

The City of Mableton was approved by the voters in a referendum on the General Election Ballot on November 8, 2022.{{Cite web |url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/voters-choose-to-incorporate-mableton-making-it-georgias-newest-city |title=Voters choose to incorporate Mableton, making it Georgia's newest city |first=Denise |last=Dillon |date=November 9, 2022 |access-date=December 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224183303/https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/voters-choose-to-incorporate-mableton-making-it-georgias-newest-city |archive-date=December 24, 2023 |url-status=live |website=FOX 5 Atlanta}}

Mableton was the only one of four proposed new cities in Metro Atlanta to be approved; the other three, East Cobb, Lost Mountain and Vinings, all failed to be incorporated as municipalities in referendums.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-25/the-cityhood-movement-is-defeated-in-metro-atlanta|title=The Cityhood Movement Is Defeated in Metro Atlanta|newspaper=Bloomberg |date=May 25, 2022|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225163321/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-25/the-cityhood-movement-is-defeated-in-metro-atlanta?sref=A1Z2GUXp|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|via=www.bloomberg.com}} In May 2022, Brentin Mock of Bloomberg News described the city movement in Metro Atlanta as being "defeated". Though Mock reported that Mableton was different as it was the only one out of the four to have a majority non-white population and is assembling around "principles of diversity, affordability and inclusive voting rights".{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-05-26/how-to-create-an-inclusive-city?|title=A Different Kind of Cityhood Movement in Metro Atlanta|newspaper=Bloomberg |date=May 26, 2022|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225163448/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-05-26/how-to-create-an-inclusive-city?sref=A1Z2GUXp|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|via=www.bloomberg.com}} Politically, Mableton is in Cobb County whose board of commissioners was majority white and Republican for most of its history, until 2020 when it became majority black and Democrat. According to a preliminary analysis from Cobb County, the incorporation of Mableton would result in a net annual loss of $8 million from the city's budget after accounting for the services that the county would no longer provide for it.

The referendum was the result of the General Assembly's passage of House Bill (HB-839), which set the boundaries of the city, established city council districts, and laid out the powers of the Mayor and Council. The law also established March 21, 2023, as the date for a special election for the first council members and mayor of Mableton.

Michael Owens stated that he was not against de-annexation but that his focus was on the majority of Mableton residents who wish to be in the city. LaTonia Long and Michael Murphy both opposed de-annexation. Mayoral candidate Aaron Carman said that he supported the people involved in the de-annexation effort but stated that if the de-annexation efforts do not pass, Mableton needed someone that could "bring the city together".{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/q-mableton-mayoral-candidates-233600472.html|title=Q&A with Mableton mayoral candidates|date=February 28, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225004027/https://news.yahoo.com/q-mableton-mayoral-candidates-233600472.html|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Yahoo News}} State representative David Wilkerson submitted two de-annexation bills that would have allowed some areas to de-annex from Mableton but both failed in the Georgia General Assembly. A compromise bill in response to the bills submitted by Wilkerson was drafted by state representatives Terry Cummings and Michael Smith but this also failed as it was not published in time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/mableton-mayor-city-council-election|title=Polls open Tuesday to decide Mableton's first mayor, city council|first=Denise|last=Dillon|date=March 20, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225003345/https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/mableton-mayor-city-council-election|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=FOX 5 Atlanta}}{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mableton-annexation-fails-under-gold-223500792.html|title=Mableton de-annexation fails under the Gold Dome|date=March 20, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231225150705/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mableton-annexation-fails-under-gold-223500792.html?guccounter=1|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Yahoo Finance}}

The 2023 Mableton mayoral election took place on March 21, 2023, in Mableton, with a runoff held on April 18, 2023, as no candidate got 50% of the vote in the general election. Aaron Carman gained the most votes in the first round but lost the runoff to former Cobb County Democratic Committee chair Michael Owens who became the first mayor of Mableton, Georgia in over 100 years.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wabe.org/mableton-first-ever-mayor-talks-his-top-proprieties-for-cobb-countys-largest-city/|title=Mableton first-ever mayor talks his top priorities for Cobb County's largest city|date=June 13, 2023|access-date=December 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223204319/https://www.wabe.org/mableton-first-ever-mayor-talks-his-top-proprieties-for-cobb-countys-largest-city/|archive-date=December 23, 2023|url-status=live|website=WABE}} Despite the runoff election being described as historic, only 6,113 votes were cast and voter turnout remained low at 12.9% of 47,200 registered voters.{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/michael-owens-elected-mayor-mableton-035900737.html|title=Michael Owens elected mayor of Mableton|date=April 19, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231225133525/https://sports.yahoo.com/michael-owens-elected-mayor-mableton-035900737.html?guccounter=1|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Yahoo Sports}}{{Cite web|url=http://atlantaciviccircle.org/2023/04/19/turnout-enthusiasm-remained-low-for-mabletons-historic-runoff-elections/|title=Turnout, enthusiasm remained low for Mableton's historic runoff elections|first=Ryan|last=Zickgraf|date=April 19, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225133625/https://atlantaciviccircle.org/2023/04/19/turnout-enthusiasm-remained-low-for-mabletons-historic-runoff-elections/|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Atlanta Civic Circle}}

• Aaron Carman, sales manager and IT salesman{{Cite web|url=https://www.mableton.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mableton-Candidate-List_January-20-2023-revised-2-06-23.pdf|title=Mableton City Candidates|date=March 21, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225011531/https://www.mableton.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Mableton-Candidate-List_January-20-2023-revised-2-06-23.pdf|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=www.mableton.org}}
• LaTonia Long, public policy manager and former chief of staff to state senator Gloria Butler{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/latonia-long-leads-fundraising-race-223900421.html|title=LaTonia Long leads fundraising race among Mableton mayoral candidates|date=March 15, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231225005430/https://news.yahoo.com/latonia-long-leads-fundraising-race-223900421.html?guccounter=1|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Yahoo News}} (eliminated in the first round, endorsed Owens in runoff){{Cite web|url=https://spotlightsouthcobbnews.com/mableton-mayoral-candidate-michael-owens-endorsed-by-former-mayoral-candidates/|title=Mableton Mayoral Candidate Michael Owens endorsed by former mayoral candidates|date=April 3, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225112824/https://spotlightsouthcobbnews.com/mableton-mayoral-candidate-michael-owens-endorsed-by-former-mayoral-candidates/|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=spotlightsouthcobbnews.com}}
• Michael Murphy, business owner, chair of the Georgia Black Republican Council and former aide to Cobb County Chairman Mike Boyce{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mableton-mayoral-candidates-offer-plans-035900891.html|title=Mableton mayoral candidates offer their plans for trash service|date=March 16, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225004200/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mableton-mayoral-candidates-offer-plans-035900891.html|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Yahoo Finance}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.georgiablackrepublicancouncil.org/team/michael-murphy|title=Michael Murphy|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225013138/https://www.georgiablackrepublicancouncil.org/team/michael-murphy|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Georgia Black Republican Council}} (eliminated in the first round, endorsed Owens in runoff)
• Michael Owens, former chair of the Cobb County Democratic Committee (2016–2019), candidate for Georgia Secretary of State in 2022, and candidate for {{ushr|GA|13}} in 2014 and 2020{{Cite web|url=https://spotlightsouthcobbnews.com/cobb-county-democrat-dr-michael-owens-enters-race-for-georgia-secretary-of-state/|title=Cobb County Democrat Dr. Michael Owens enters race for Georgia Secretary of State|date=September 26, 2021|access-date=December 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224085034/https://spotlightsouthcobbnews.com/cobb-county-democrat-dr-michael-owens-enters-race-for-georgia-secretary-of-state/|archive-date=December 24, 2023|url-status=live|website=spotlightsouthcobbnews.com}}

{{Endorsements box|title=Michael Owens|list=

Statewide officials

• Roy Barnes, former governor of Georgia{{Cite web|url=https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/03/roy-barnes-endorses-michael-owens-in-mableton-mayoral-race/|title=Roy Barnes Endorses Michael Owens In Mableton Mayoral Race|first=Larry Felton|last=Johnson|date=March 3, 2023|access-date=December 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224102015/https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/03/roy-barnes-endorses-michael-owens-in-mableton-mayoral-race/|archive-date=December 24, 2023|url-status=live|website=Cobb County Courier}}

State legislators

• Erick Allen, former state representative from the 40th District{{Cite web|url=https://spotlightsouthcobbnews.com/news-leading-up-to-the-election-of-mableton-mayor-and-council/|title=News leading up to the election of Mableton mayor and council|date=March 20, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225005441/https://spotlightsouthcobbnews.com/news-leading-up-to-the-election-of-mableton-mayor-and-council/|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=spotlightsouthcobbnews.com}}

Local officials

• Ron Davis, Mableton city councilor-elect for District 1{{Cite web|url=https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/04/owens-receives-endorsement-from-sheriff-craig-owens-district-1-councilman-elect-ron-davis-in-his-mayoral-bid-for-mableton/|title=Owens receives endorsement from Sheriff Craig Owens, District 1 Councilman-elect Ron Davis in his mayoral bid for Mableton|first=Larry Felton|last=Johnson|date=April 12, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225005340/https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/04/owens-receives-endorsement-from-sheriff-craig-owens-district-1-councilman-elect-ron-davis-in-his-mayoral-bid-for-mableton/|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Cobb County Courier}}
• Craig Owens, Cobb County Sheriff

Labor unions

• Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council{{Cite web|url=https://owensformableton.com/endorsements/f/atlanta-north-georgia-labor-council-supports-owens-for-mayor|title=Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council Supports Owens for Mayor|first=Michael Owens for Mayor of|last=Mableton|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225004410/https://owensformableton.com/endorsements/f/atlanta-north-georgia-labor-council-supports-owens-for-mayor|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=Michael Owens for Mayor of Mableton}}

}}

{{Election box begin no party no change | title=First round results{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/election-results-city-of-mableton-clayton-county-special-elections|title=Election Results: City of Mableton, Clayton County special elections|date=March 21, 2023|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225142341/https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/election-results-city-of-mableton-clayton-county-special-elections|archive-date=December 25, 2023|url-status=live|website=FOX 5 Atlanta}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no party no change|

|candidate = Aaron Carman

|votes = 2,162

|percentage = 36%

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no party no change|

|candidate = Michael Owens

|votes = 1,846

|percentage = 31%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change|

|candidate = LaTonia Long

|votes = 1,472

|percentage = 24%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change|

|candidate = Michael Murphy

|votes = 561

|percentage = 9%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change|

|candidate = Write-in

|votes = 43

|percentage = 0.7

}}

{{Election box total no party no change

| votes = 6,084

| percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no party no change | title= Second round results{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/city-mableton-elects-first-mayor-city-council/Z2J4W5XSL5BQHCOB3VICNR4EC4/|title=City of Mableton elects first mayor, city council|date=April 19, 2023|access-date=December 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223204907/https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/city-mableton-elects-first-mayor-city-council/Z2J4W5XSL5BQHCOB3VICNR4EC4/|archive-date=December 23, 2023|url-status=live|website=WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta}}

}}

{{Election box winning candidate no party no change|

|candidate = Michael Owens

|votes = 3,396

|percentage = 55.68%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change|

|candidate = Aaron Carman

|votes = 2,703

|percentage = 44.32%

}}

{{Election box candidate no party no change|

|candidate = Write-in

|votes = 14

|percentage = 0.22%

}}

{{Election box total no party no change

| votes = 6,113

| percentage = 100%

}}

{{Election box end}}

Mableton is located at {{Coord|33|49|06|N|84|34|34|W|type:city}} (33.818333, -84.576111).{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 23, 2011 |date=February 12, 2011 |title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}} The Chattahoochee River acts as the southeast border, separating Cobb County from west Fulton County — where the historic African-American neighborhood of Collier Heights and the former site of the Bankhead Courts housing project are nearby. Two suburban cities directly border Mableton: Austell in the west and Smyrna in the north. Lithia Springs, an unincorporated community, is directly southwest.

Mableton is approximately 15 miles west-northwest from the city of Atlanta, and approximately 20 miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

{{US Census population

|1960= 7127

|1970=

|1980= 24894

|1990= 25137

|2000= 29733

|2010= 37115

|2020= 40834

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=}}
1850-1870{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1870|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf |accessdate=|page=}} 1870-1880{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-09.pdf |accessdate=|page=}}
1890-1910{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |accessdate=|page=}} 1920-1930{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|pages=251–256}}
1940{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=}} 1950{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=}} 1960{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1960|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-12-c.pdf|accessdate=}}
1970{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1970|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ga-01.pdf|accessdate=}} 1980{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=}} 1990{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 1990|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-5/cph-5-12.pdf|accessdate=}}
2000{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink= |title= 2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=United States Census Bureau|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=}} 2010 2020

}}

Mableton appeared as an unincorporated place in the 1960 U.S. Census. It was not listed in the 1970 U.S. Census. It was listed as a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,339 housing units at an average density of {{convert|550.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 10,894 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 21.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.12.

Mableton, Georgia was incorporated as a city on August 19, 1912, before being disincorporated on August 17, 1916, as a result of a flood overwhelming the city's sewer system.{{Cite web |url=https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/08/mableton-city/ |title=When Mableton first was (and shortly thereafter wasn't) a city |first=Larry Felton |last=Johnson |date=August 20, 2023 |access-date=December 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223195049/https://cobbcountycourier.com/2023/08/mableton-city/ |archive-date=December 23, 2023 |url-status=live |website=Cobb County Courier}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-05-26/how-to-create-an-inclusive-city? |title=A Different Kind of Cityhood Movement in Metro Atlanta |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=May 26, 2022 |access-date=December 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225163448/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-05-26/how-to-create-an-inclusive-city?sref=A1Z2GUXp |archive-date=December 25, 2023 |url-status=live |via=www.bloomberg.com}} In November 2023, the city was reincorporated in an election.

The mayor is the highest elected official in the city. The current mayor is Michael Owens, who was elected in the 2023 Mableton mayoral election.

{{Incomplete list|date=December 2023}}

The public-use, general aviation Fulton County Airport (Brown Field) is adjacent to Mableton's southeast border with Fulton County. It includes two runways and handles approximately 65,000 operations annually.{{Cite web |title=Airport |url=https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/business-services/airport |access-date=October 15, 2020 |website=www.fultoncountyga.gov}}

File:Silver Comet at Floyd Rd.jpg

The Silver Comet Trail runs through Mableton.{{cite web |title=Silver Comet Trail, Cobb County Information - Georgia |url=http://www.silvercometga.com/silver-comet-cobb-county/cobb-county.shtml |access-date=July 11, 2018 |website=Silvercometga.com}} It is a 61.5 mile paved trail with a 2% grade, beginning in Smyrna and ending at the Georgia-Alabama state line near Cedartown, GA.

File:Underpass Tunnel at S Hurt Rd.jpg

Heritage Park is a smaller trail running along Nickajack Creek that ultimately connects to the Comet. A notable landmark is the ruins of a woolen mill built in the 1860s.{{Cite web |title=Heritage Park {{!}} Cobb County Georgia |url=https://www.cobbcounty.org/parks/parks-and-nature/locations/heritage-park |access-date=September 27, 2020 |website=www.cobbcounty.org}}

File:Heritage Park - Mableton, GA.jpg

• Lions Park
• Thompson Park
• Riverline Park
• Wallace Park

The Historic Mableton Community Garden is located at 5178 Floyd Road.{{cite web |title=Mableton Community Garden |url=https://www.mableton.org/community-garden/ |access-date=June 8, 2020 |website=mableton.org}}

Governor Roy Barnes provided a state grant for construction of a 2,500-seat amphitheater shortly after his appointment in 2000, fulfilling residents' desire dating back from the 1970s. The Mable House Barnes Amphitheater is a $7 million state and local investment and attracts numerous high-profile acts.{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://mablehouse.org/index.php/amphitheatre/about-us-amphitheater |access-date=July 19, 2020 |website=mablehouse.org}}

Six Flags Over Georgia is located near Mableton's border with Austell, adjacent to I-20. The park is home to 11 roller coasters, the first "floorless" freefall tower ride in the world, and a fully-functional carousel from 1908 listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Cobb County School District operates several public schools in the area:

• Mableton Elementary School
• Clay-Harmony Leland Elementary School
• Bryant Elementary School
• Riverside Elementary School
• H.A.V.E.N. Academy at Skyview
• Russell Elementary School
• City View Elementary School

• Floyd Middle School
• Garrett Middle School
• Lindley Middle School
• Betty Gray Middle School

• Pebblebrook High School – famous alumni include Glee actress Becca Tobin, Utah Jazz player Collin Sexton, and rapper Lil Yachty
• South Cobb High School

The Georgia Japanese Language School (GJLS; ジョージア日本語学校 Jōjia Nihongo Gakkō), a part-time supplementary Japanese school, holds its classes at the former Lindley 6th Grade Academy (now Betty Gray Middle School) in Mableton;{{Cite web |title=ジョージア日本語学校/Georgia Japanese Language School |url=https://gjls.org/ |access-date=October 11, 2020 |website=Georgia Japanese Language School |language=en-US}}"[http://gjls.org/media/documents/guide/13handbook_en09.pdf 13handbook_en09.pdf]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20141122071505/http://gjls.org/media/documents/guide/13handbook_en09.pdf Archive]). Georgia Japanese Language Academy. Retrieved on May 11, 2014. "C/O Lindley 6th Grade Academy 1550 Pebblebrook Circle Mableton, GA 30126 U.S.A." Lindley was previously occupied by the W. H. Barnes Education Center."[http://web.archive.org/web/20040921163001/http://www.gjls.org/GakkoYoran/03yoran_english.pdf 03yoran_english.pdf]" (). Georgia Japanese Language Academy. Retrieved on May 11, 2014. "C/O W. H. Barnes Education Center 1550-B Pebblebrook Circle Mableton, GA 30126 U.S.A." The GJLS originally opened with nine students in 1974 at Oglethorpe University, serving grades 1 through 9. The school moved to W.H. Barnes in 2002.

Whitefield Academy, a Christ-centered college preparatory school in Smyrna, is near Mableton.{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Whitefield Academy |url=https://www.whitefieldacademy.com/ |access-date=October 11, 2020 |website=www.whitefieldacademy.com}}

The SAE School is an "independent project-based learning school" for pre-school to 8th grade students located in Mableton.{{Cite web |title=Home Page |url=https://saeschool.org/ |access-date=October 11, 2020 |website=The SAE School |language=en-US}}

Primrose Schools, a private school for early preschool children, is in the Providence neighborhood of Mableton.{{Cite web |title=The Leader in Early Education and Care |url=https://www.primroseschools.com/ |access-date=October 11, 2020 |website=www.primroseschools.com |language=en-us}}

• South Cobb Regional Library

In the summer of 2010, more than a hundred residents, bureaucrats, politicians, architects, designers and traffic engineers spent a week designing a vision for a redeveloped downtown Mableton. It was then formalized by Duany Plater-Zyberk into a plan that was unanimously approved by Cobb County's Board of Commissioners in 2013.{{cite web |url=https://patch.com/georgia/southcobb/mableton-redevelopment-district-now-has-master-plan |publisher=Patch |access-date=January 12, 2020 |title=Mableton Redevelopment District Now Has Master Plan |date=February 11, 2011}} The establishment of the new Mableton Town Center (MTC) is part of the county's 2040 Comprehensive Plan.{{Cite web |title=Ongoing and Completed Projects {{!}} Cobb County Georgia |url=https://www.cobbcounty.org/community-development/planning/ongoing-and-completed-projects |access-date=October 23, 2020 |website=www.cobbcounty.org}}

File:Mableton Mixed-Use Development Rendering.png

As of late 2020, Embry Development Company is in talks with the Cobb County Board of Commissioners to begin construction of a 31-acre mixed-use commercial/residential plaza at Mableton Parkway and Old Powder Springs Road.{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=Aleks |title=Cobb Planning Commission to hear mixed-used, single-family proposals |url=https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/region/cobb-planning-commission-to-hear-mixed-used-single-family-proposals/article_fe8b804a-1cdf-583b-8302-e1259ead0683.html |access-date=August 6, 2020 |website=Northwest Georgia News |date=August 3, 2020 |language=en}} The development calls for 81 town homes, 46 "courtyard cottage" style houses, 21 detached single-family homes, and 13,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The particular area, in addition to establishments along Veterans Memorial Highway (U.S. 78), is largely dated and rundown, with some businesses failing to adhere to building codes.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Larry Felton |date=August 5, 2020 |title=Cobb Planning Commission holds decision on Mableton Parkway mixed-use development until September |url=https://cobbcountycourier.com/2020/08/cobb-planning-commission-holds-decision-on-mableton-parkway-mixed-use-development-until-september/ |access-date=August 6, 2020 |website=Cobb County Courier |language=en-US}}

Another company, Garner Group, is also redeveloping a nearly 40 year old strip mall along Floyd Road and East-West Connector into a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly plaza. There will be 360 luxury apartments and 42 townhomes on the 60-acre site, with the entire development occupying about 720,000 square feet. Planning Commission Chair Galt Porter, proponent of the plan, stated of the recent growth in the area: "It's probably been 15 to 20 years since there's been a market rate development of apartments anywhere close to this...you have to go to Smyrna to get something, or you have to go out all the way into Powder Springs to get something. There's just nothing in this area."{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=Aleks |title=Mixed-use development could give Mableton a boost, Planning Commissioners say |url=https://www.mdjonline.com/news/mixed-use-development-could-give-mableton-a-boost-planning-commissioners-say/article_77b67806-07ff-11eb-baad-0fd6677f74dc.html |access-date=October 11, 2020 |website=MDJOnline.com |date=October 6, 2020 |language=en}} The project was approved by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners on October 21, 2020.{{Cite news |last1=Lutz |first1=Meris |title=Cobb approves major redevelopment of South Cobb shopping center |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/cobb-approves-major-redevelopment-of-mableton-shopping-center/SFK4DJU7AVGL3ANB2CDDYED3GM/ |access-date=October 23, 2020 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=en}}

{{colbegin}}

• Chloe Bailey, actress and singer
• Halle Bailey, actress and singer
• Roy Barnes, 80th governor of Georgia 1999–2003, the most recent Democrat to hold the office
• Anna Benson, glamour model and ex-wife of baseball player Kris Benson
• Ronnie DeVoe, member of New Edition
• AR Fox, pro wrestler
• T. J. Holmes, CNN news anchor
• Michael King, television producer/reporter and commentator
• Kenny McKinley, former wide receiver for Denver Broncos
• Kenny Selmon, track and field athlete competing in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
• Collin Sexton, basketball player for the Utah Jazz
• Erica Thomas, Georgia state representative
• Lil Yachty, rapper and singer

{{colend}}

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

{{Atlanta Metro}}

{{Cobb County, Georgia}}

{{Portal bar|United States}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Cities in Cobb County, Georgia

Category:Cities in the Atlanta metropolitan area

Category:Populated places disestablished in 1916

Category:Populated places established in 2023

Category:Former census-designated places in Georgia (U.S. state)