Catoosa County is a county in the Northwest region of the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2020 census, the population was 67,872. The county seat is Ringgold. The county was created on December 5, 1853. The meaning of the Cherokee language name "Catoosa" is obscure. "Catoosa" may come from the Cherokee words gatusi ("hill", "small mountain" or "high place") or gatu'gitse ("new settlement place").
Catoosa County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
On March 14, 2002, due to a one-time sudden fog, about 125 vehicles crashed, causing a pileup in Interstate 75 that killed four people and injured 39.
On April 27, 2011, a devastating tornado touched down in the town of Ringgold, located in Catoosa County, leaving a path of severe destruction.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water. The entire county is located in the Middle Tennessee-Chickamauga sub-basin of the Middle Tennessee-Hiwassee basin.
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 75
- 20px U.S. Route 27
- 20px U.S. Route 41
- 20px U.S. Route 76
- 20px State Route 1
- 20px State Route 2
- 20px State Route 3
- 20px State Route 146
- 20px State Route 151
- 20px State Route 401 (unsigned designation for I-75)
Adjacent counties
- Hamilton County, Tennessee (north)
- Whitfield County (east)
- Walker County (west)
National protected areas
- Chattahoochee National Forest (part)
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (part)