After hearing from members of the faith community and determining no roadway in Cherokee County is named for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Canton officials have designated a local street to be renamed for the late civil rights leader.

The City Council approved a staff recommendation to rename Riverstone Boulevard, between Bluffs and Reinhardt College parkways, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

There are no addresses on this stretch of street, mitigating potential costs to property owners; and it’s near the historic Hickory Log Creek Cemetery and African-American farmlands, City Manager Billy Peppers said in a memo to the council.

Staff will inform Cherokee County 911 and GPS systems to update their street name records. Once that’s done, the roadway will be officially dedicated, and its signs, changed. A date for the ceremony will be announced, Peppers said.

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com