Named for: Thomas Willis Cobb, a Georgian who in the early 19th century served as a U.S. senator, U.S. representative and Superior Court judge.

Population: 651,485, ranking third among the 159 counties in Georgia (2002 Census Bureau estimate).

Area: 345 square miles (81st in size out of 159 counties in Georgia).

Top employers: (nongovernmental; listed alphabetically):

Home Depot

IBM Corp.

Lockheed Martin Corp.

Publix Super Markets Inc.

Wellstar Health Systems Inc.

Sales tax: 5 percent.

County millage: 29.87.

Municipalities:

Acworth

Austell

Kennesaw

Marietta

Powder Springs

Smyrna

Did you know?

• More than 17,000 officers and soldiers are buried at the Marietta National Cemetery. They are from every U.S. war.

• Roswell used to be in Cobb County. But in 1932, when Milton County became part of Fulton, Roswell was ceded from Cobb.

• Two Academy Award-winning actresses are from Cobb: Joanne Woodward of Marietta and Julia Roberts of Smyrna.

For more about the county:

Cobb Chamber of Commerce,

P.O. Box 671868, 240 Interstate North Parkway, Marietta 30339. 770-980-2000; fax: 770-980-9510, www.cobbchamber.org

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