Population: 159,295 (9th most populous of 159 counties in Georgia; source: 2002 Census Bureau estimate).

Area: 434 square miles (51st of 159 counties in Georgia).

Top employers (nongovernmental; listed alphabetically):

• ConAgra Poultry Co.

• General Electric Credit Corp.

• Kroger Co.

• Publix Super Markets Inc.

• Wal-Mart Associates Inc.

Sales tax: 6 percent.

County millage: 27.57.

Municipalities: Ball Ground, Canton, Holly Springs, Nelson, Waleska, Woodstock.

Did you know?

• Formed in 1830, the county of 6,900 square miles was eventually divided into two dozen counties.

• The county seat of Canton was named after the city in China.

• Cherokee has been home to two state governors, Joseph E. Brown and Joseph M. Brown, and two Rhodes Scholars, Dean Rusk and Eugene Booth. Rusk was the secretary of state under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

For more about the county:

• Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 757, 3605 Marietta Highway, Canton 30114; 770-345-0400; fax 770-345-0030; www.cherokee-chamber.com.

• Cherokee County government, 90 North St., Canton 30114; 770-479-1953; www.cherokeega.com.

Sources: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia, Census Bureau, Georgia Department of Labor, staff research.